The Pat and Barb Verly family and their 5 children, in laws and grandkids along with many prayer warriors have been drawn together by John's cancer... sharing daily for 8 months started this blog- Family Soul Story - Our faith, family, farm and now our cancer journey called HEALING have colored and deepened our world. WE continue to share and depend on the support of our prayer warrior community, that has lowered us into the Lord's presence for His healing!
Johnny and Jude yesterday with grandma Anne's statue of the Immaculate heart and St Therese over his shoulder. John and I had just studied together for his anatomy summer on line course and we were preparing to do our prayer with water from Lourdes to help him on the tests he was soon to take.
It was powerful and wonderful to have 4 month old Jude there sharing in this prayer for the first time! How we relied on this many times over the last 10 years and once again we find ourselves asking the Lord through Our Lady and directly to show John his path as we know there is one just for him!
Water that we brought back from our 3 trips to Lourdes while in France for Hallel's habiting, first vows and final vows a year ago with 21 of us!
We always have to go and see her and John has now bathed in the healing waters twice - Fr Craig took him in a wheelchair just a couple months after he was diagnosed with brain cancer, and he went in with his dad 2 years later!
He brought his wife, Bobbi, of only 2 1/2 months, who was pregnant with Jude to Lourdes to celebrate her 30th birthday on August 17th a couple days after Hallel's vows! The lines were too long to go into the bathes, but we had a constant day drizzle so they were wet in waters in Lourdes.
Today we are having Sunday rain as Pat says so that we can have a day off from haying. Many prayers for the farmers this year and this seems to certainly be an answer to prayer for a day of family and of rest after sharing mass to start the day.
Hallel was very tired after her huge occasion of taking her final vows as a bride of Christ! "I promise unto death!" But she took her huge family to Lourdes even when she would have preferred that we go without her. We appreciated the time with her and her knowledge of the place she has been to many times while living in France. She is now there with The Community for 2 months and how we are knocking on the Lord's door that she may return to KC for this next year. We love to share our lives with her and her's with us!
Yes, Jude, you have been to France and to Lourdes!
When we prayed Jude and John bathed in the miraculous and healing waters and shared the prayer trusting in Him answering our prayer according to His Plan for John! "And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. .. how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?" Luke 11 - the Gospel for today
Sweet boy giving grandma love with his looks into my eyes and my heart while dad took his tests... so very hard and how we pray and study and trust!
How we Trust in Him and ask knowing of his Mercy for us out of an ocean of unconditional LOVE! The reading from Genesis portrays how we can be bold and seek his mercy down to the last man standing... or should I say as we stagger dragging our Most Cherished Cross down the narrow path!
My assistant and her mommy waiting to pick up bales and a nice visit... grandma had to use her hair tie to get her hair out of her face... a grandma top knot that mom doesn't think much of...
Ruth is reading Uncle Tom's Cabin, so we had a sharing about how life is not respected in slavery, concentration camps, and abortion and how far the taking of innocent life in the womb has come to the point of full term babies. Lord, hear our pleas... knocking, asking, seeking! As Ruth says; "That they will see the Truth of it being a life to protected and cherished on matter the cost from conception to natural death!"
Paul baling after Pat rakes... Joy was excited to see two of her favorite men out working making hay for the cows and calves!
Lots of grass after our big rainy spring and now summer!
A bale is born!!!
The second reading speaks of ; "...he brought you to life along with him, having forgiven us all our transgressions; obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims, which was opposed to us, he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross." Col 2
Father Todd talked about how we should pray - ACT
A - adore
C-confession
T -Thanksgiving
Yes, Jesus nailed our sins to the wood of the Cross and we can nail them there in the confessional and go forth armed with His Spirit to love and to serve and to return the unconditional love and forgiveness we have been given - most especially to those the closest to us in our domestic Church/family, as those the closest to us we treat the worst!
John and Bobbi in a French café a year ago... now they are parents to a wonderful son and are asking the Lord to show his plan for John's future - we know and trust in the answer!
One of our last meals with Hallel after Nancy and family were in Lourdes for some days, Ruth and Paul and Maria and Joseph were in Rome. Intimate time with our nun after she had her final vows!
Missing my brother, Al, who missed the picture... 21 strong for Susan/Hallel showing how important and wonderful this occasion was for her and her loving family! There were 7 left at home as they were too young, and 3 were present in the womb! George, Hector and Jude were in France!
A change of venue today... breakfast at my house as the flies are not as thick due to only have 4 chickens and a cat on my farm...
We got to hear about Mary's time at her Beloved Camp with 70 girls with my cute red barn in the background. She had a great week and grew in her faith and is definitely asking the Lord to show her his perfect plan for Mary Angela Lanoue! Including thinking about being a nun...
Grandpa doing the beverages at our wonderful porch and table!
Joy with the pretty "appreciation flowers" her dad got me for taking her along in the pickup while we pick up bales.
Jesus, we know without a doubt that you are in control of our lives and have a plan for us! May we trust and give you all the control as we ask, seek and knock! Jesus, we trust in you. Amen and Hallelujah
Thank you, Joy. It is special to spend those hours with you as you sing and smile to fill the time pulling those bales.
The triddium of pictures...
I o
I only took one of Ruth, but I sure love having her so much in my life. She is a wonder woman with all that she does so beautifully and gracefully and willingly on the farm. A farm wife of the first order!
This happened a month ago now, and I still hold onto this sight knowing that it could be another long stretch in time before they will be together again!
The two are from the group of 3 girls, who are just older than the group of boys born in 6 weeks... Evangeline and Josephine. They seem to appreciate the LIFE we have in abundance! Each of them is a big sister to one of the boys! So wonderful to have more siblings to share our lives with and not caring so much about the stuff, which is passing and nothing in comparison!
Hector with his fingers in his mouth is the sweetest!
Now George, who is now leading the pack at 5 1/2months,and lives much closer to us by the Cities. Next weekend we will be visiting their new house on the way to celebrate my parents' 70 wedding anniversary on Sunday and my mother's 90th birthday. We now have our place to stay in the Cities again.
Joy picking up bales with grandma last evening in her new boots!
Ruth/mom shared that Joy loves to be out and about, so when the tractors and bale wagons are busy it just is so much safer to have Joy with grandma in the pickup. She played with her new boots, ate popcorn, sang songs, and smiled a lot. She gets very excited when she sees mom driving the tractor with the big bale rack which holds 14 bales, or dad picking them up in the big red tractor, or she loves to say "Hello Papa" into the two way radio while grandpa is taking the bales off our rack. It makes grandpa smile and wave at his sweet little girl!
Cows, pigs, sheep, and chickens with barns, butterflies and flowers and bugs... true farmgirl boots for Joy the outside loving farm girl!
Singing her joyfilled songs about mommy, daddy, and her new boots which mommy got for her in the bag sale!
"Offer to God praise as your sacrifice and fulfill your vows to the Most High; Then call upon me in time of distress; I will rescue you, and you shall glorify me." R. Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.
Psalm 50 from mass today seems to apply to my happy sweet companion and also in the future of her life with the ups and downs that come to each one of us. Always give your concerns and challenges to Jesus, and when we see his fingerprint on our lives - thank Him with the sacrifice of praise to lift us up and bring us closer to Him and heaven forever with Jesus, Mary, The Angels and Saints!
3 year old Josephine this morning at their county fair... "They really liked the rabbits." Maybe 4H in their future?
They will be coming down in a few weeks for our county fair in which Nancy showed beef and geology and photography and it was part of what made her the person she is today. 4H along with Catholic School led her on the path to presenting herself and self-confidence!
I came across these today from last winter - Hallel with Nancy's 4 in KC sharing the School of the Word.
It has been so wonderful to have our two daughters living in and around KC... for them to share their lives and with each other and for us to visit both of them when down there. That has now changed and our new normal is that Nancy and Bill are just 2 1/2 hours away in Delano. Hallel is currently in France - gathering with her entire Community of the Lamb for two months. We hope that she will return to KC in September, but we need to wait and see.
The desert train is always at the end of our meals shared with The Community... the children carry desserts and march around the tables to the singing of the Little Sisters and Brothers. A very special tradition we have been blessed with my our Family of the Lamb!
We discovered when Maria and I went down to spend a few days with Hallel after Nancy had moved away... we can live with them in Lumen Christi/LIGHT of Christ Monastery!
It was really special and wonderful to live right there and have deep spiritual times in the chapel with both girls just walking down the hall to the LIGHT filled chapel!
Hallel had to cook for all of us... but she did have some great helpers, too!
Living there, eating together, helping with the cooking and the clean up, praying together and School of the Word shared...
It was super special to bring Berna and Gus back to KC to see the s. They loved this special time right there with Hallel and The Community... a crown made from rose petals after we sorted through a lot of flowers they got from a grocery store...
Three meals a day with this bunch!
Romeo in the middle seems to be a natural... LOVE!
The grandkids that got to share in this special time living with our Family of the Lamb by the Grotto of the Nativity behind the Little Brothers' Monastery - the LIGHT of Mary the Mother of God!
I can envision our families... Ruth's, Nancy's, Maria's of John's going to have some special time living right there with Hallel and the Little Sisters! Oh yeah, Pat and I also!
The 10 who shared in this close time with Aunt Hallel… 14 year old Simon has a hollow leg, and Hector doesn't eat yet other than mom milk... so they about evened out in food consumption!
The boys helped (?) Aunt Hallel with the mowing, too!
Even 2 1/2 year old Evie helped in the kitchen. "My life is prayer and dishes." Hallel is famous for saying and we got to share in that life!
Did I mention flowers?
Lord, we know not how it will look, but we have no doubt that future family times will happen and be filled with deep love... sharing our LOVE for you and for each other. Jesus, we trust in you. Bless-bless, Barb and my domestic Church/family!
"Wounded, I will not cease to love." Motto of The Community of the Lamb... may we live this by dying to self so that you may live in us.
This man of mine loves his grandchildren so much! This one of him with the 3 youngest granddaughters, who are each about 5 months apart within the same year, speaks volumes of how much they know they are loved by farmer grandpa Pat!
Little red head Joy Jean is speaking slowly, but now has mastered "Pappa" for him since she is his sweet little pet and each day on the farm starts with spending some time with his Joy and getting her hugs and kisses!
On Father's Day with his oldest Ruth and her youngest, Joy.
Today is a special day for all grandparents as it is the feast day of Mary's parents and Jesus' grandparents - Joachim and Anne! After having the amazing experience as a mother of learning at the feet of my 5 children... now into the years of grandparenthood with now 18 making our love grow so much and being amazed by what they are doing in our family to bring our faith deeper and stronger.
The Magnificat this morning put it this say; The parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary gives reason to rejoice in the gift of family life and to reflect on the mutual responsibility parents and children have to love one another and lead one another to holiness... Painters favored the triad of Anne embracing her daughter Mary and grandson Jesus... "Children's children are the crown of the elderly..." (Prv 17:6)
Grandpa with his wonderful healthy and happy 3 new grandsons! Even his big arms could not hold them...
Happy 4 month birthday today to Jude. Grandma has fake plans to spend the afternoon over there with him and his dad today as we study for a big test.
Hector and Jude did fit in grandpa's big arms - Hector is 2 1/2 weeks older than Jude.
It goes without saying that St Anne learned at the feet of her child, Mary and her grandchild, Jesus! It seems that when you have a home and family that shares your Faith with JOY... that there are a bounty of blessings including the young ones leading you deeper into your Faith! So many times I have experienced a ah-ha moment with the little ones. There is a good reason that we are told many times over to be "childlike" in our journeys of following Jesus down the narrow path.
Sweet 11 year old Therese meeting Jude for the first time about a month ago now. She loves little ones so much and is a second mother to her siblings at home. They just welcomed Hector Joseph on March 8th, too!
When I ponder my grandchildren and their pure love for our Lord and His Bride, the Church... Therese has taught me so much from a young age. She has always had a heart for the poor and from about 3 would pass out homemade pictures around a few dollars to those begging in El Paso with her small voice saying; "God bless you." How that touched hearts including my own!
Pat adores her love and her hugs show how much she loves her grandpa Pat!
Joy is pure sweetness and light to her old grandparents. Yes, we realize that with those the closest to her in her own family she can have "ginger snaps"/tantrums to get her way, but we feel that she is the embodiment of her name...Joy!
A kiss too!!!
Reading the first reading today from Exodus - the 10 Commandments really convicted me, and made me realize that I have allowed some of them to become gray and not black and white in my life. It reminded me that I need to get to confession soon and really get some of those sins off of my heart and strive to do better with the help of His unconditional forgiveness and love. Go forth as a better example to those in my domestic church/family and spread the Good News more fully and sincerely!
"I, the LORD, am your God,
...You shall not have other gods besides me.
You shall not carve idols for yourselves... "You shall not take the name of the LORD, your God, in vain.
For the LORD will not leave unpunished
him who takes his name in vain.
"Remember to keep holy the sabbath day.
Six days you may labor and do all your work,
but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD, your God.
No work may be done then either by you, or your son or daughter,
or your male or female slave, or your beast,
or by the alien who lives with you.
In six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth,
the sea and all that is in them;
but on the seventh day he rested.
That is why the LORD has blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.
"Honor your father and your mother,
that you may have a long life in the land
which the LORD, your God, is giving you.
"You shall not kill.
"You shall not commit adultery.
"You shall not steal.
"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
"You shall not covet your neighbor's house.
You shall not covet your neighbor's wife,
nor his male or female slave, nor his ox or ass,
nor anything else that belongs to him."
Yes, Lord, I need to do better and forgive me my weakness and sins. You died for me, yet I still must lay my burdens at your feet and die to self so that you may live in me and I may serve without counting the cost. Keeping these commandments solid and true in my heart, mind and soul... loving and serving YOU alone in my life!
Sweet baby Hector adoring Our Lady with her Son, Jesus Christ! How much happiness does this grandma find by sharing our Faith with all our children and grandchildren? I cannot begin to express how much joy I am filled with, and so many prayers that they may all make the True Faith their own!
Always love Jesus and his wonderful Mother of heaven and earth, Jude! You cannot love her more than Jesus did.
Special grandma time with Joy as we pick up bales morning after morning. We share time with rosaries and she loves to say; "Hello Pappa" or "Hello daddy" or sing songs about momma and dadda into the hand held radios.
Jesus, how we love to honor your wonderful grandparents today and how they put their trust in God and we given the gift of Mary! How we love her and bring all our petitions to her through the beautiful rosary. Such a gift with each new day! May we always find comfort in the storms of life in her arms of motherly love and care. Jesus, we trust in you. Hold all our children and grandchildren close to your heart burning with love for them. Amen and Hallelujah
Jude is our first of the 18 that sucks his thumb! After all 4 of the girls were the best babies thanks to being thumb suckers... this is a delight to me! Bless-bless, Barb
Mary is such a blessing in each day of my life journey! I am now heading into pray for my hour with 7 Sisters for Fr Todd! How I love this hour of deep peaceful prayer in front of the taberacle in our beautiful church.
So true - may we die to self so that you may live in us, O Lord!
Happy "Grandparents' Day." Sts. Joachim and Anne, grandparents of our Lord Jesus Christ, Pray for us!!
Happy Feast Day Saint Joachim and Saint Anne with the Child Mary Feast Day: July 26 Patronage: Grandparents, Holy Families, and Marriages Saint Joachim and Saint Anne are the parents of the Virgin Mary and grandparents of Jesus Christ. Saint Joachim, whose name means “Yahweh prepares”, was from Nazareth and probably rich. He married St. Anne from Bethlehem and Mary was promised to them by an Angel. They are honored as role models for parents.
Danielle Rose - The Saint that is just me
O God, who willed that your Only Begotten Son should be born from
among humanity so that by a wonderful mystery humanity
might be born again from you, we pray that, in your kindness,
you may sanctify by the spirit of adoption those you have fed
with the Bread you give your children. Through Christ our Lord.
