Pasture calving on Saturday of The Blessed Virgin Mary

I giggled when I got home with my statue and pot of flowers, for it is so true... Our Lady is the World's Best Mom!  I love to look out, as I did at the farm, and see Mary there and here she holds her Son, Jesus Christ, close to her heart filled with LOVE and presents him to the world and shows him the needs of the world with her other hand!  That hand on the statue was broken, and so I got her at half price, but it is nothing to me and probably is a great reminder of the brokenness that is found in the world around us and even the needs within us!

Today I shared a wonderful article on FB entitled, https://www.catholiccompany.com/getfed/three-sacramentals-instituted-by-the-blessed-virgin-mary-2/,  I loved these words at the beginning...

"The Blessed Virgin Mary is ever-interested in our salvation, and, in virtue of her special union with Jesus, she is our supreme advocate and intercessor among all the saints in heaven.

As the very good Mother she is, she wants her children to spend eternity with Christ in heaven.  To accomplish this end, she frequently gives her children helpful instruction to aid them in doing God’s will here on earth and in loving Christ better."

Cow TV is turned off for the year, but there are still two slow pokes that have yet to calf.  They arrived by trailer to live in our pasture in front of our barn, and I am asked to keep an eye on them. I already thought one was laying down a lot, but hopefully, with all the rain coming down, she will wait for a dryer time to have it. 

Pat sure loves his cows and it gives me a lot of warm feelings to see him take in the beautiful sight of his cows out on grass. 

I especially enjoyed this mega smile in my direction as he teased me that I would have to be chasing them back into the paddock every day when they got out through the fence.  Pat has always liked to tease me most especially when we were dating and newly married... I sure had a lot to learn and continue to have quite a bit to learn.  Life would be boring without growing in our faith and knowledge of the many things that make up our lives.  I must admit that farming is endless in how much there is to learn, but I feel similarly about my Faith journey.  When Pat asks me what I would get excited about doing now in retirement of sorts... " I would love to have a desk to learn and write."  I am more like my mother than I realize, I guess.  For some reason this does seem to be what Pat wants to hear.  I do see that I need to include volunteering in here, too!  Maybe a hospice volunteer as hospice has been my passion in my nursing career!

Baby and her calf walking down the flower strewn path to the back pasture ...

Talk about a flower strewn path - I mow down this to the fence going into the pasture.  It was a special sight and they smell wonderful, too.  My peaceful retirement home/farm/out to pasture/lots of alone time/family time here and there/watching and listening to wonderful rain on this Saturday devoted to Mary! 

10 year old granddaughter, Mary, came over with grandpa yesterday with the cows and loves to hide in the long grass!  Grandpa sure loves to have grandkids sharing farm experiences!  Mary got a caramel banana split out of the deal while grandpa had his dinner!

My beautiful lone cottonwood tree from inside my sweet red barn!

The cows like it, too!

No tree to get out of the rain, however.  Pat says they are just fine and are getting a warm shower!  "Even if  they calved in this, the calf would be just fine.  It is a warm rain!" says my farmer husband.  See, I am learning still!  I was nervous about a calf born in this heavy rain!

Such wonderful rain!  Thank you, Lord!

Artsy picture taken last evening... I have a feeling there will be many coming, and when the calves are here... watch out!

Did I mention that much like both her grandmothers, Ruth has a wonderful green thumb and loves to plant and care for flowers?  Well, it skipped a generation with me, and I am loving her wonderful flower bed along the barn!  Picking a bunch of daisies reminded me of my bridal bouquets... I had all daisies! 

Thank you, Ruth Ida Rose! 

Jesus through Mary!  I long with all that is within me to be forever in heaven with Jesus, Mary and The Saints!  I know that I fail so often, and know that I am weak and sinful and a mess... I am called upon to humbly admit my need for you and turn away from sin - confessing them and laying them at your feet in the confessional.  I am yours, and I long to see your face in all those that I meet this day.  Most especially those in my domestic church/family.  To the one who is able to keep you from stumbling and present you unblemished and exultant, in the presence of his glory, to the only God, our savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord be glory, majesty, power, and authority from ages past, now and for ages to come.  Amen Saint Jude 25  Jesus, I trust in you.  Amen and Hallelujah

For Johnny, who is coming home to regroup and ask the Lord for the next step on his journey... Jehoshaphat/Fatty awaits your arrival with lots of purrs and soft snuggles.  Bless-bless, Barbara Luke

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6

R. (2b) My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus will I bless you while I live;
lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.
As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,
and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

The Psalm from mass today is amazing, and so true on our journeys!

Faith shared with JOY!

Christ within!

"Lord, give me whatever the  most Blessed Virgin asks for me."  since Mary desires greater favors for us than we ourselves could desire... "She is more eager to do you good and to be generous with her graces than you yourself could desire her to be."  from the meditation of the day by St Alphonsus Liguori (1787) 

Meredith Andrews - Not for a moment

Laura Daigle - I am yours

Danielle Rose - Hail Holy Queen

Eric Clapton - Holy Mother

Francesca Batistelli - If we're honest

"let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins." St Peter

Nose to chin with her eyes wide open... trying to take in her older brother as he holds her fingers and holds her on his lap while mom holds the two of them in a close embrace... this is a picture of the discovering of "intense love." As brother and sister growing up next to each other in age... these two will share close times together forging a loving relationship as we see here as well as battles as they live and grow and change and learn to give and take!

 A  love we share in our family is the most intense across the board from the loving responses we have to the more angry and upset and exploding feelings on the other end of the spectrum!  Don't you wonder why the people you love the most - you let your defenses down and treat the worst?  It seems that we hold nothing back when we are upset with those in our immediate family, and I find this most true with my spouse.  Why?  We see the faults in each other, and when one points them out... we see red as they too have there's.  How can we be humble and say "yes, you are right, I do need to work on that." 

A week ago already...  Meeting our newest member of the family much sooner than we had ever hoped we would.  Mary and Rose are chanting; "Sister, sister, sister."  They think it would be great to have another sister.  It is not quite that simple to do in many ways.  What we all love about natural family planning is that God is always part of the equation, and we truly are not taking it all into our hands.  Being open to life always in our marriage gives me a lot of peace that we have our 12 - 7 in heaven, waiting to meet us all someday and praying for our journey, and we have the 5 here with us.

http://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/my-most-cherished-cross-patrick-gerard.html

Looking at our two families - I the oldest of 11 and Pat the 6th of 10... it would seem that we could easily have gotten our large family, but The Cross entered in and it was a different outcome according to the mysterious plan of Our Lord.  One thing that sharing all that pain and loss together - we each and every one appreciate LIFE and value it and protect it and cherish it from conception to natural death!

There was a big wind this day of happy times together...

The quiet days are back with windows of family here and there.  The house full might return in about a month.  Rose was here last night and walked into the bunk bed room and seemed sad that her time with Bernadette sleeping overnight with grandma and grandpa are done for now.  The two girls are just 6 months apart and very close - enjoying each other's company, yet there are those flashes of anger when they want the same toy.  Yes, as St Peter tells us today in the first reading I Peter 4...  Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins.  This is truly what holds marriages together isn't it?  That intense love gets us past the times when we are upset and angry and frustrated and hurt and wounded and selfish and sick and tired and all the times when how close we are makes the old sandpaper rub off all the rough edges!  As they say "kiss and make up."  That truly does cover a multitude of sins!

This is what melts my heart with intense LOVE!  Seeing this handsome man holding the little ones in his huge arms and hands!  There is no more beautiful sight and I fall in love with him over and over and over again!  We all tease him that those babies just are so secure and content there and fall asleep without a peep.  Pat is very happy to sit there and hold them and visit with all of us!  Such a gift to have him love his family and love to spend time with them hanging out and sharing!

Today Jesus in the Gospel from Mark 11- chases out the money changers from the temple, and reminds us that whatever we ask with Faith He will answer!  I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours.  When you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your transgressions."  There is a roadblock to our prayers - if we are holding and nursing that anger and resentment towards our those the closest to us in our domestic Church/family!  Let it go... recall what melts your heart about them!

Ruth and Nancy love the farm and have embraced the Truth we upheld in our domestic Church/family/marriage - Being open to LIFE and raising LIGHTS for the world!

Jesus, how we long to embrace our most Cherished Cross and follow you!  We are so weak and our tempers flare when we have out faults pointed out to us.  May we adopt the motto of The Community of the Lamb - "Wounded I will not cease to love."  Truly the Truth we witnessed as the Spotless Lamb was sacrificed for us!  May our LOVE be always intense and filled with the flame which burns bright and allows us to always serve without counting the cost.  Jesus, we are yours and need your Spirit to dwell in our temples, from which we clear away all that has made it a "den of thieves."  May we cleanse our inner temple with the help of You in your Word, the Sacraments, the Saints walking with us and interceding for us, and PRAYER with each breath that we take and every beat of our hearts - Jesus through Mary!  Jesus, we trust in you.  Amen and Hallelujah

May our example to these little ones be that of "intense love, which covers a multitude of sins."  Yes, I will and do sin, but may it become less and less often as I die more to self so that You, O Lord, live in me!  Bless-bless, Barbara Luke

Gus is now big brother to 3 - learning to grow his love bigger and bigger, not stretched more thin!

A precious work of art!

Scott Hahn...

The summer play with John, Mary and David in it!

Love this!  I need to recall this more, and cherish the LIFE within me!

the Saint that is just me

Litany of Humility - Danielle Rose

Eric Clapton - Holy Mother

Maria being pregnant in Missouri... thankfully she is watching out for Zika, and the kids are using the sprinkler to keep cool!  Protect that new life and the kids can still have fun and keep cool!

"Him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful LIGHT." "Master, I want to see."

In the dappled light of the willows in the heifer pasture 5 years ago... Mary and her wonderful Snowball!


 I am stinging from the loss of my pictures taken this light-filled morning.  Yes, I have my computer back, but things have changed and I am still trying to figure it all out!  Thankfully they were not precious family photos... rather just capturing the peaceful times of the morning light with cats and Our Lady statue and things of simple beauty.  They can be recaptured other than the cat on the fence in the bright light of day as the birds swoop at him.  Now it is a picture in my mind.

Snowball's last calf, as she was not pregnant and has gone down the trail to the final roundup... Snowman just before he boarded the truck Sunday.  He distinguished himself by being the largest of all!  The end of Snowball's calves made his mark.  Snowball has at least one of her daughters in the herd continuing the line.  Mary tried to jump in for a final picture, but...

Instead she watched him climb the shoot.  The farm is a big lesson on life and death.  There are those special animals over the years that pull our heartstrings and are fond memories for us...

Mary and her heifer Snowball years back out in the heifer pasture.  Mary thought that it was perfectly normal to have a pet cow!  They truly did know and like each other...

Snowball looking for Mary in the willows on a glorious late summer day.  Maybe it was that Snowball was looking for more apples?  We had brought a bucket of windfalls with us to share this day of memory.

Such powerful readings today!  All about how we are yearning for the LIGHT in our lives.  I have often pondered which would be worse - to be unable to see of unable to hear.  I think that to have your eyes would be huge, and would be preferred.  Living in a world of darkness is so very hard!

Spiritual darkness is cold and dark and crawling with all that is evil and harmful to us - the lies of Satan!

I am seeing that losing my pictures today has pushed me to other avenues of expressing The LIGHT!

Bathing in the LIGHT of the former Monastery of The Community of the Lamb in KC.  An old Belgian rectory that was converted to their monastery in the summer of 2008 when they came to the U.S. for the first time, and in front of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Susan/Hallel told us that she was going to France to join her beloved Community of the Lamb and say "yes" to discerning the call of Jesus to her heart to become His Bride!

http://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/susan-angela-agneslittle-sister-hallel.html

As the Gospel today shows us... if we cry out without hesitation to Jesus - he will have us come to him in Sacrament, The Word, and in interior prayer..."What do you want me to do for you?"  "Master, I want to see."  "Go your way; your Faith has saved you."  Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.  Mark 10:52

The healed man followed Jesus on "the way!"  Yes, that is where the "Wonderful LIGHT" dwells as we follow Jesus towards Heaven forever with Jesus, Mary and The Saints!  Today is a wonderful Saint, who is described as a man of humor and overflowing JOY!  St Philip Neri, won many over to Christ by sharing this wonderful LIGHT through JOY!

His wonderful LIGHT! 

I am having too much fun with old pictures today thanks to losing the ones I had taken this morning...  Considering the times in my life when Christ answered my plea to see... What comes through the darkness is when we called France to tell Hallel that we had just been told that John had "something/a tumor" in his brain.  "Mom, do remember the Gospel for today (Father's Day 2009)?"  "Yes, it was Jesus calming the storm (Mark4:35-40)."  "Well, this is the storm and Jesus is in control."  Out of the darkness of fear and doubt came the LIGHT that He would carry us and hold us close to His Heart burning with love for us!  Give it to Jesus!

http://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/johns-cancer-stories.html

Gathered around for yummy apples!

Jesus, I want to see!  All the bumps in the road we face, and the true storms of life that knock us down in the bottom of the boat and threaten to toss us overboard, yes the waves crash over us and we think we will never find our way to the surface again... but if we look up through the water over our heads we can see the light above and come up to find your Truth to chase away all the fears in our hearts, minds and souls.  Each moment of each day with every breath that we take and with our every beat of our heart..."Jesus, Jesus, Jesus... we long to come and see YOU in your wonderful LIGHT and leave the darkness behind.  The first words from our first Pope Saint Peter in I Peter 2:2 today - Like newborn infants , long for pure spiritual milk, so that through it you may grow into salvation, for you have tasted that the Lord is good.  Yes, we see your fingerprint upon us over and over in our lives and we want only to be yours, O Lord!  We only want to come into your LIGHT no matter what it reveals to us and the world around us of our weaknesses and sinfulness.  We will not stop calling out to you!  "Jesus, have pity on me a sinner!"  Jesus, we trust in you.  Amen and Hallelujah!

I was remiss in not wishing my sweet grandson, Augustine William, a happy birthday yesterday... #5!  We love you Gus!  You are surrounded by such an amazing Family of LOVE/LIFE/LIGHT including Hallel's Community of the Lamb!

Surrounded by her Family of the Lamb - little Josephine a couple weeks back!

Bless-bless, Barbara Luke

Happy 43rd anniversary to my sister, Marty, and her husband, Steve!  Your wonderful family is such a testament to your love!  Soon you will welcome grandchild #17!  So amazing!

How we need to appreciate the loss of life and love for our country!

Newsboys - we believe

Danielle Rose - If I touch him

The Word of the Lord remains forever. I Peter 1:25

How I adore the LOVE Scott Hahn shares for Jesus in The Word!  If anyone is aware of his story of conversion - His Study of The Bible led him into the True Church even with much preconceived notions about Catholicism holding him back!  He has come to embrace the whole package and written many books to back each part up!  He wrote about coming to terms with our devotion to Mary, and The Eucharist, and each stumbling block that Protestants have with The Church!

Here is one of the Utube videos of his conversion... only 10 minutes.
I am so blessed to have him as a friend on FB and share most every post he puts there.  He says things much better than I and when I read them the inner LIGHT turns on and responds whole-heartedly to his words of wisdom and truth!  We are kindred followers and totally in LOVE with The Church.  We are not shopping cart Catholics - we love and believe all without reservation.  For Scott there is the added ministry of putting into eloquent words the enlightenment he has received through the journey The Holy Spirit has led him on!  Thanks to his being open to the Truth - many others have had their eyes of Faith opened, also!

They call her great-grandma with candy, and there is a reason for that.  "Please" and "Thankyou" is involved in getting some candy when you are leaving her home.

The words of St Peter today in I Peter - the first reading... "All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of the field; the grass withers, and the flower wilts; but the word of God remains forever."  Looking around at the full bloom of spring/summer and the seeds springing forth from the earth in the fields and my gardens - there is always that feeling of appreciation that the long winter is past, yet we know that this all passes so quickly and soon we will be facing the fall and winter cold once again.  It is truly passing!  Yet, as Scott wrote this morning - This book is a long love letter from The  Father to his beloved children still on their earthly pilgrimage.  Wow!  Don't you just feel that LOVE envelope you when you read the readings from each day in The Church?  Knowing that they are being read all the world over and preached on and meditated on and chewed/mendicated on, and The Holy Spirit is leading us in LOVE to follow after Jesus carrying/dragging our most Cherished Cross down the narrow path leading to LIFE forever with Jesus, Mary and all the Saints in Heaven!

The cattle going out on Sunday!

I personally love to read the thoughts of the great Saints and those that have given their lives over to study of The Word.  Those that have been named Doctors of The Church over the centuries as they bring us deeply into the Truth and Wisdom and we are asked to trust them in taking us ever deeper and stronger into our Faith!  There are many Ah-ha moments for me when I read my Saint Pope John Paul II - although I must admit sometimes he is way over my head.  I also love to read Venerable Thomas A'Kempis, who was huge in my early Catholic days - Imitation of Christ!  I have shared numerous times that there is so much to bring us to this place of filling ourselves with LIGHT and Truth that we cannot take it all in!  Each day we learn and grow and know that we are loved with unconditional LOVE and forgiveness through our reading of the Word!

Rose and Grandpa Larry helping to turn the cattle to go up the shoot and onto the truck.

Pat, Paul and Ruth... the cattle farmers at the end of the road for this year's calves!

This love letter we find in The Word is not one of lollipops and pussy willows... today in the Gospel Jesus reminds his followers that we are called to serve, and we all know how hard that is!  To leave our desires and wishes and hopes and dreams according to the world for all that is bright and beautiful.  We are called to constantly put our Faith first and ask him for his path we are to take - Barb's path and journey is where I want to be and that means that I need to serve without counting the cost and die to self so that Jesus may live in me and use me to his honor and glory no matter what!

Rose taking it all in!  Farmgirl through and through, and happy with the big change!

Jesus, I am overwhelmed by all that you give me each day of this journey!  All I am asked to do is to put you first and all the rest will fall into place!  In order for you to be first in my life... I must die to self and allow your Spirit to work through me.  How do I do this with the constant ongoing battle within?  When my selfish desires rear their ugly head, when temptation strikes, when I want to say no to those that ask of me... help me to look to You and partake of your Sacraments, spend time each day in prayer, read Your LOVE letter to me in your Word, and ask Your Mother and the Saints to help me!  There is so much always there to help me!  Jesus, I trust in you.  Amen and Hallelujah

The final journey - life and death on the farm is truly a lesson on the passing of our lives here on earth... so short and temporary, how we long for eternity with Jesus!   Bless-bless, Barbara Luke

Such a sweet picture of Pat and his mom sleeping and holding hands on Sunday together. 

yes!!!

Yes, yes, yes!!!

It was so great to have John home for the weekend!  Sharing Sunday dinner with my men is a gift!'

The storms of LIFE - Jesus is in control!

Casting Crowns - Praise you in the storm

Casting Crowns - If we are the Body

Eric Clapton - Holy Mother