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!
Ruth and her Tom, who will be 3 in a month. One of the baby kittens is fluffy and now grey and cute with his eyes open. I am sad to say that my Siamese from the farm is now missing for 3 days and I am losing hope...
Stopped in to see Ruth with her Tom for lunch after taking the hay rack over to the men, who are baling corn leaves that blew in the huge wind last week. "We will feed these to the cows because they really like the husks."says farmer Pat.
Always a new kitten to take the place of the cats I make my house cat. It seems that I fatten them up to be cayote food or something. To make myself feel less sad - I tell myself that someone coming by on the road sees a special kitty and picks them up.
Ruth has 7 children from Tom's Godfather, 20 year old Simon, to soon to be 3 years old Tom. I keep telling her that she is so lucky to have special Tom time now.
Yesterday was St John Paul II's Feast Day! When I think about the first 27 years of my marriage this man is huge for us! A few months after we married in 1978 he was Pope and he showed us the beauty of The Catholic Church and he is my hero for LIFE and showed us how to share our Faith in our Domestic Church/family!
This morning at Mass praying and sharing it with my dad on the Anniversary of his death here in my home on Hospice.
Dad showing emotion at the funeral mass we finally were able to have for his wife/our mom, Nancy Cross a day after her birthday and 5 months after her passing in a day after falling in the morning and breaking her hip. Dad lived 7 months after mom passed.
Dad with seven of his 10 living children at mom's funeral in St Croix Falls, WI where mom and dad lived the last 11 years together until the last few months in Assisted Living in the Lodge of New Hope.
4 generation - my brother Dan, with whom he shared a birthday, his son, Sam, and grandson, Joseph. A verse that came to dad...
Dad's positive thinking Gospel. Jesus loves us where we are at, but he loves us too much to let us stay there. We are called to be Saints!
LOVE this so much! It says how comfortable dad and I are with sharing our Faith in Jesus, Mary, all the Saints and The Catholic Church for 53 years! What a gift to share in his religious life for the last 6 months of his life here in my 'Farm Monastery." Thanks Covid for bringing my dad here!
Some of the grandkids at mom's funeral 4 years ago - July 18,2020.
Dad annointed by Fr Denny just days before he passed on this day 4 years ago. He was so ready to go on into Glory!
My brother, Al with wife and grandkids came to say goodbye to our dear dad just a few days before he peacefully passed from this world.
My sister, Cheryl, and her son, David with dad 4 days before he passed. He had warned us he was close and then came back to pray with me and say his goodbyes.
My sister, nurse Paula, arrived with her entire family and helped dad get into his hospital bed the next day. Dad earing a popsicle and smiling just 3 days before he peacefully left this world for the next. Paula used this special keepsake for her Christmas card a few months later! LOVE!
The first snow in 2020 on October 20th! Dad was not impressed nor were we! Thankfully this year we are having a beautiful fall day. They are even baling corn stalk bales today!
Dad's rosary and prayer book - I now have the prayer books of The Catholic Church he left behind after being a Permanent Deacon in the Church for 44 years after he brought our family of !3 into The Church in 1971!
Many times in his prayer books he underlined and highlighted to continue to teach me! He had a passion for Jesus's name! Today in the Psalm taken from Isaiah 12 dad is smiling in heaven...
Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name; among the nations make known his deeds, proclaim how exalted is his name. R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
Psalm from mass today taken from Isaiah 12
The springs of water also remind me of the scripture verse - Isaiah 55:1-2 which dad was reading when the Holy Spirit told him to come into the Catholic Church!
“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. Isaiah 55:1-2
Dad got the 10 together for his funeral! We love and miss you dad! How we are blessed that you listened to the Holy Spirit direct our lives through you!
Truth!
My hero of LIFE and Domestic Church/Family!
Dad loved our home canning - Tomato soup and applesauce were most beloved, and he ate these the last few days he was with us. This is why we do the work!
This morning coming out of mass on the 4th Anniversary of dad's passing.
“We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has ever experienced. I do not think that wide circles of the American society or wide circles of the Christian community realize this fully. We are now facing the confrontation between the Church and the anti-Church, of the Gospel versus the anti-Gospel. This confrontation lies within the plans of Divine providence. It is, therefore, in God’s plan, and it must be a trial which the Church must take up, and face courageously . . . “
Elsewhere he stated: “We must be prepared to suffer great trials before long, such as will demand of us a disposition to give up even life, and a total dedication to Christ and for Christ. Through your prayers and mine, it is possible to mitigate this tribulation, but it is no longer possible to avert it, because it is only in this way that the Church can be effectively renewed. How many times, indeed, has the renewal of the Church been effected in blood? This time, again, it will not be otherwise. We must be strong, we must prepare ourselves, we must entrust ourselves to Christ and to His Mother, and we must be attentive, very attentive, to the prayer of the Rosary.”
—Pope St. John Paul II
My sister, Marty, lives close by mom and dad's peaceful resting place and keeps it nice and special for them. Thanks, Marty!
Nancy sharing the joy she finds having her youngest of 6 home with her - Gina will be 3 in 2 months.
Mom and dad join me each morning at Mass! I see them with the eyes of my heart!
My brother, Dan, this past weekend at the Catholic Church in Manistique, MI where dad was a Deacon for 11 years.
I was blessed for 3 years with dad being a Deacon in Colman, SD! Just 90 miles from his door to my door. How I loved that time! Dad learned first hand what farm life was all about. LOVE you so much dad, and I know the prayers are flowing from heaven to surround your very large family. How we depend on those prayers of yours - first and middle name! Jesus, we trust in you. Bless-bless, Barb and the 33
"When confronted with the abyss of evil,
the only response is the abyss of love.
St John Paul II
"We must understand that in order 'to do',
we must first learn'to be', that is to say, in the
My sister, Marty, after visiting mom and dad at their peaceful graveside, and preparing it for fall just a few days before dad's Anniversary of his death 4 years ago here in my home. Thanks to Covid, dad came to live with me for the last 6 months of his life here in my "farm monastery."
Dad is very much on my mind and heart as I recall the last days of his life, and how he was telling me that he was ready to leave this world and be with Jesus.
St Mother Teresa of Calcutta sees with the eyes of her heart the Truth of LIFE's value from conception to Natural Death. I had to stand up for my dad to have a natural death, when some wanted him to take measures to prolong his life at the end. We would have had to be discharged from hospice and enter the hospital rather than dying here in my home peacefully. I said "no, dad is ready." They later agreed that once he got into the hospital he would have been poked and prodded and not returned to the arms of his family!
Nancy is enjoying her 2 year old Gina Time. She has a wonderful ministry that is there to help parents and their children find the Truth and beauty of The Catholic Church in their Domestic Church/family!
Wow! It is the 12th Anniversary of grandson, Patrick's traumatic birth - born dead and brought back to life! He is now the picture of health as a healthy 12 year old as of October 9th!
I had the privilege of Baptizing Patrick when he was just a few hours old in NICU in Providence hospital in Downtown El Paso, TX! Here is the amazing story...
Patrick in a cool cap to protect his brain, and he just amazed all at how he got better with each new day.
Lots of time spent in St Patrick's Cathedral just down the street from Providence Hospital in Downtown El Paso. St Patrick pray for us!
Patrick is a living reminder of this Truth!
As is our son, John! He is a walking talking miracle of healing after he prayed a half hearted prayer for faith and got brain cancer 15 years ago! He was able to share his amazing story of falling love with Mary at Lourdes - Our Lady of Lourdes - yesterday at the Eucharistic Miracle presentation! It was so powerful to see many around him and looking at him with awe!
John Spirit Juice video now continues with wife and 3 children - the miracles continue!
So in LOVE! John in Lourdes after Hallel's first vows in 2011.
John with Our Lady of Lourdes!
Mary brings us to her Son and to His Catholic Church! "Pour the water over my head, because that is where I need the healing."
It was a beautiful sight to behold - John is a testament to prayers being answered, and Our Lady of Lourdes was huge in that happening 15 years ago, and bringing John to LOVE all The Church gives us in her wisdom!
John lectoring at 8a mass yesterday morning! He read this from Hebrews 4 - "So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace and timely help." John has been humbled over and over with the loss of many jobs due to the New John. Yet, he burns to share his story of finding Faith through brain cancer and all that means for him in his life!
How they looked at him and knew that he can speak of Lourdes from experience of falling in love with Mary and bathing in the healing waters that came when St Bernadette dug in the grotto as Our Lady asked her to. A short movie
After mass Tom and his family came down to see the wonderful display of 35 or more miracles of the hundred... It is so powerful and makes you realize without a doubt that Jesus is REAL presence in the Eucharist!
How we love our Faith - shared with all our family! All 34!!!
John is not a wonderful reader, but I think that people look at him as someone, who is putting his love of Jesus, Mary, and the Catholic Church in action and giving and serving!
One thing that struck me was all the Eucharistic Miracles in Italy and yet the churches are empty! Please, take note of Jesus calling out to us to and beseeching us to come and "eat my body and drink my Blood!"
Brother Dan at out beloved Catholic Church in Manistique, MI where dad was a Permanent Deacon for 11 years. They built a Vacation home/retirement home on the Big Lake there for us kids to have a week each summer. I am so sad that it is no longer. Dan and wife, Angela, now have a wonderful RV on their land by Beautiful Beach nearbye!
Healthy happy birthday boy, Patrick, on his 12th birthday on October 9! Farmer Pat and I have fake plans to go to visit him and his family next week... taking our canning on wheels with apples and tomatoes. We also will visit our nun, Hallel.
The crop is out so hubby is anxious to hit the road and visit family. We don't go South for the winter, but we love to spend time on the road visiting our family. Having two daughters in Kansas now just 2 hours apart is such a gift and a joy! Our military family have been on both coasts over the last years, so having them in Kansas is a blessing! Thank you, Lord and Lady!
From Pope Benedict XVI today - my mom left me this daily reflections that she had read for 10 years over and over and I am now on my 5th year! He is so intelligent and it never grows old in learning at his feet. Thank you, mom! Today he is reminding us to share our LIGHT with others that don't know Our Lord and the wonder of His Church!
John burns to share how the Lord touched his life!
Archbishop Sheen puts it out there in black and white!
The miracle that I shared about had original art work by Carlo Acutis!
About Carlo, who is on the path to Sainthood, and loved Jesus - knowing that He is truly in the Eucharist - REAL PRESENCE!
Michigan this past weekend - heavenly!
Our vote is important and how I pray that LIFE can be protected and cherished from conception to natural death!
Fall is my JOY! It certainly has been a beautiful Fall!
Yellow roses by Mary the Mother of God - reminding me of Spiritual Awakening with each new day.
How she convicts us with the Truth! Lord and Lady, hear our prayers and may those contemplating abortion choose LIFE! Jesus, we trust in you. Bless-bless, Barb and the 33
"Not where I breathe,
but where I love, I live." St Robert Southwell
"God gave Himself to you: give yourself to God."
St Robert Southwell (+1595)
The final song of our weekend and our TEC song a last year
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