Loveliness of Rosaries

When she introduced the Loveliness Fairs for this spring, Colleen explained the Loveliness of Rosaries this way: Praying the rosary is that moment when we encounter our Sweet Mother on the journey and share a quiet conversation with her. In the month of Our Lady, let's share our stories of her rosary and how it has shaped and formed us on our journey. And let's share the simple loveliness of rosaries themselves.

The rosary has a special place in my life. I remember learning it, haltingly. It was as unfamiliar to me as a new Catholic as the controls of my parents' car was when I was a new driver. The prayers sat in my mouth, clogging my tongue and distracting me from the mysteries. The counting and figuring out the beads distracted me from the prayers. The mysteries loomed impossibly before me. It was all a nice theory, at first.

And then, having given it up, I was inspired to pray like the dickens for a miracle. I was doing a lot of driving back and forth to grad school, and the rosary became my companion on the late night drive home. I think now that Mary might have been there with me as I sobbed and cried, my heart splintering as I prayed and my appreciation for the mysteries - and Mary's role in leading me to Jesus - deepening.

We all have a different approach to the rosary, just as we have different ways of approaching so many things in life. And so, with this collection of posts, let's pause together between posts and reflect together on the mysteries that hold the rosary together. You don't have to be Catholic to do this. You don't have to be familiar with the prayers or comfortable with the set-up. You can just amble along with us. (More information about the mechanics of the rosary, as well as links to some great rosary resources, are at the end of this post.)

Think of it as a walk in the garden with your mother. Her arm is around your shoulders, and as you get more comfortable, maybe you slip your arm around her waist. There's warmth there, between your bodies. You're going to the same place, though she knows the way far better than you do.

Image Source: Holy Cards for Your Inspiration

The Annunciation
"In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, 'Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!'" Lk 1:26-28

• In the National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother, Darcee finds peace in the Rosary Garden. She shares about this living, breathing rosary and how special it is to her.
• Virginia shares a piece of her conversion story that involves a lost rosary, found just recently.
  

Image Source: Women for Faith & Family

The Visitation
"In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. (...) And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her home." Lk 1:39-40, 56

• I found myself inspired by apron strings when I sat down to think about the rosary. My Mother has long let me tag along on her apron strings, after all, so it's no wonder!
• Bethany has quite a talent for making rosaries. She shares a rosary and pouch that are nothing short of lovely.
  

Image Source: Holy Cards for Your Inspiration

The Nativity
"And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn" Lk 2:7

• Elizabeth found that in the midst of a trying time, that God was calling her to pray the full rosary. How did she do it? And how did it change her life - including her family? Go, find out. (And wouldn't it be wonderful if we all joined her in that devotion?)
• Regina got me laughing with a lively description of her husband's brass knuckles rosary (followed by pictures) and then got me thinking with her rosary creed.
  

Image Source: Holy Cards for Your Inspiration

The Presentation
"And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, 'Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed." Lk 2:33-35

• Ruth was there, praying the rosary. And when she looked around, she saw all the hands...all praying the rosary together. Her unique perspective won't disappoint you.
• From Kirsten, we have a portrait of the rosary throughout her life, as the "prayers of her life."
  

Image Source: Seven Sorrows of Mary

Finding Jesus in the Temple
"After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions; and all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers." Lk 2:46-47

• Do you find, as Barb did, that you would like a new way to honor the Blessed Mother? She shares the Franciscan Crown.
• Kate's rosary is her "lovey." Though she admits she's far from perfect in her devotion, "I believe with every angle of my heart that Mary is a powerful intercessory who gives us the gift of a well-paved route to her Son. She's also everything I should strive to be as a mother."

Image Source: Holy Cards for Your Inspiration

The Baptism in the Jordan
"And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him; and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.'" Mt 3:16-17

• Jamie loves May, and in sharing all the reasons why, she includes helpful links for how to pray the rosary, free rosary resources, as well as the 15 promises for praying the rosary that were given to St. Dominic and the blessings of the rosary.
• Jamie also shares some beautiful handmade rosary projects here and here. She also couldn't resist sharing a story about a very special rosary.
  

Image Source: Rosary Page (Our Lady Press) - Luminous Mysteries

The Wedding at Cana
"This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed in him." Jn 2:11

• Michelle has a rosary for every occasion, and some extras. In the end, though, it's about a special bond with a special Mother, and the prayer she's leading you to, isn't it?
• Esther is a pro at praying the rosary. She's proof, though, that even a pro can find some great tips and then share them with the rest of us. See if her tips don't help your devotion to the rosary.

Image Source: The Legion of Mary

The Proclamation of the Kingdom
"Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the Gospel." Mk 1:14-15

• Marilyn planned, at the beginning of May, to get her family back in the habit of the family rosary. "Whenever we are trying to serve the Lord and pray more," she writes, "things get very difficult." With their family rosary, though (and she has a list of some awesome resources too!), they know they have some extra help from above.

Image Source: Women for Faith & Family

The Transfiguration
"And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain apart. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him." Mt 17:1-3

• Barb's post is titled "With God, All Things Are Possible." Though that sums it up nicely, do click through and read the amazing email she received after shipping some rosaries. See if it doesn't make you all shivery.

• Barb sent me another post, and in it she talks about the scriptural rosary. As a new Catholic, I found this version of the rosary particularly helpful - and as a distracted mother, I find it immensely helpful now. But then, what beauty and loveliness!, she shares a passage about the role the beads play - it's about more than just keeping count. Go see!

• Incidentally, Barb's generously giving one of these breathtaking rosaries away to some blessed person. We'll award it to a random person who leaves a comment on this post by Sunday. The winner will be announced Monday morning. Thanks for making this fair even more lovely, Barb!

Image Source: Holy Cards for Your Inspiration

The Institution of the Eucharist
"Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, 'Take, eat; this is my body.' And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, 'Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.'" Mt 26:26-28

• Here's one that needs only a title to make you skedaddle over..."Make Like the Pope's Secretary, and..." Why, what could it be? Thanks to Elizabeth for submitting it. (What are you doing still here? Go, find out just what you're supposed to be doing with the pope!)
• Lorri sends in the chronicle of the rosaries in her life, and each rosary (complete with pictures!) tells the story of the person it belongs to, whether by the beads or the colors or what materials are in it.
  

Image Source: Holy Cards for Your Inspiration

The Agony in the Garden
"And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, 'My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.' And going a little farther, he fell on his face and prayed, 'My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.'" Mt 26:37-39

• Jennifer struggled with the Sorrowful Mysteries. But God got her attention, and with the help of a CD, she found the place that is the rosary.

Image Source: A Catholic Life

The Scourging at the Pillar
"So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas; and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified." Mk 15:15

• Denise has many years of experience as a military wife. In her post, she will give you an insight on how you can help soldiers with the rosary by praying the Sorrowful Mysteries in a very intentional way.

Image Source: Daily Donna-Marie: A Dose of Inspiration

The Crowning with Thorns
"And the soldiers plaited a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and arrayed him in a purple robe; they came up to him, saying, 'Hail, King of the Jews!' and struck him with their hands." Jn 19:2-3

• Jen wasn't always an expert with the rosary. In fact, it's as though Mary herself led her to it. She says, "It is through Her intercession that I was led back to Her Son through my "reversion" to the Faith. She led me through the Rosary to where I am today."

Image Source: Holy Cards for Your Inspiration

Carrying the Cross
"So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha." Jn 19:17

• For Colleen, the rosary is a direct line to her heavenly mother-in-law. She paints a portrait of a relationship with Mary that reframed things for me, and introduced my dearly beloved husband into the equation in a way I had never before considered. See if it doesn't do the same for you.

Image Source: Wikipedia

The Crucifixion
"And when they came to the place which is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. And Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.'" Lk 23:33-34

• Karen shares a piece she wrote after her fifth miscarriage. "It's a piece about dashed plans and a broken dream," she writes. "But, it is also about renewed hope and strengthened faith, and I offer it today to anyone who has ever lost a baby."

Image Source: Orchard Lake

The Resurrection
"The the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not know the scripture, that he must rise from the dead." Jn 20:8-9

• On a lighter note, fitting for a different set of mysteries, Karen shares another little excerpt from her life.

Image Source: Holy Cards for Your Inspiration

The Ascension
"Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven." Lk 24:50-51

• For Laura, saying the family rosary is reminiscent of her days as a child. Her post is titled "Shut UP! We're saying the ROSARY!" if you're looking for a reason you MUST read it...

Image Source: Holy Cards for Your Inspiration

The Descent of the Holy Spirit
"When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." Acts 2:1-4

• As part of her conversion story, Heather shares how her daughter opened her eyes to Mary's motherhood as they prayed the rosary together.

Image Source: Holy Cards for Your Inspiration

The Assumption
"My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me." Lk 1:46-49

• Matilda has struggled with fostering a love for the rosary. But after hearing a homily that piqued her interest and touched her soul, she started saying a decade a night. She shares the touching moments this has fostered with her children - and herself.

Image Source: Holy Cards for Your Inspiration

The Coronation of Mary
"And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars." Rev 12:1

• Andrea made rosary boxes, and in her post, she includes pictures, a link to the original instructions, and some great game ideas.
  

Thanks for joining us.

If you're interested in more information on the rosary, you can find all you need to know - and even order a free CD of the rosary (this is how I learned it, those many years ago, driving back from classes) - at CatholiCity. You can also download it to your iPod or MP3 player or computer at Rosary Army.

Let the Narnia fun...continue!

You too can join the fun and find out which Narnia character you are.

Hat tip Danielle Bean

A Lovely Spring Carnival

Organ-ic Chemist is hosting this week's Catholic Carnival, and it's a doozy! I'd love to highlight my favorite posts for you...but I have to be honest - I won't have a chance to check it out until tomorrow morning when I'll be snuggling a baby and slurping coffee (and using many more capital letters than I am right now, I'm sure!). Right now, I'm putting the finishing touches on the Loveliness of Rosaries and heading for bed. But if I don't post this reminder NOW, it won't get posted, and then YOU, dear friend, will miss out on the chance to see what a panoply of posts awaits you. So, GO! (And then come back, because that Loveliness of Rosaries is sumpin-sumpin, lemme tell you!)

You might wonder just what a Catholic Carnival is. Well, that's a great question. It's a collection of posts, submitted by bloggers to a host. The host arranges them and then everyone posts links. This one is Catholic because the bloggers are, well, Catholic. Make sense?

Interested in submitting in the future? Well, as it happens, next week I am hosting, and I would love to have you join me in what promises to be a lovely adventure! It's as easy as filling out the online form or emailing me (peerybingle [at] gmail [dot] com) by Monday at 10 PM EST.

Really. That's all there is to it. You send me the link to the post you want to submit, and I include it.*

You might also consider subscribing to the Google group so you get the email alerts with the weekly call for submissions. All the details are here.

*Well, unless it's, you know, inappropriate. Not that YOU would send something like that. But just in case you were wondering.

51 Reasons

"In a very real way, our bodies need to become engaged in prayer just as our minds do -- and this is precisely how the rosary works. Outwardly we may be kneeling and reciting prayers. But, inwardly, we have a great opportunity to ponder the mysteries of the gospel and to know intimacy with Jesus. So, when we are praying the rosary, we are allowing our bodies to become occupied with the rhythm of the prayers so we can free our souls to draw closer to Jesus and treasure His love and His presence."

The Mystery of Christ

And then, there's this:


Thanks to Barbara at Praying for Grace for sharing both.

Being Blessed

It's May, and that means I'm looking around me at the wonder of spring in the Midwest and thinking of Mother Mary. They go hand-in-hand, spring and Mary. One brings new life in the form of bunnies and blooms, the other brought New Life in the form of the One who brings the new life. Seeing the transformed world, I'm reminded of what a joy May is (even when it's uncharacteristically chilly). Seeing the Church honor Mary this month, I'm reminded of what a joy her motherhood is.

So, this week, with Heidi's permission, I'm sharing another excerpt from her book Behold Your Mother. (Last week's was my favorite, the one that will become a refrigerator magnet, but this week's is on one of the many pages I dogeared.)

Blessed One

What was it like for you, Mary?
To hear the shout and feel the beginnings
of new life stir within you?
You had done nothing but obey,
and yet, weren't you embarrassed, still?
Did Joseph's anguish and the neighbor's clucking
ever make you wish you had not been
quite so blessed?

"Blessed are you," your cousin said.
"Hail, graceful one," the angel's voice echoed
within your wind-swept chamber.
At that moment, did you imagine the day
when from your loving mother's arms
God's most tender hope would spring forth
for all eternity?

Copyright 2008
from Behold Your Mother, by Heidi Hess Saxton

For the rest of the Poetry Friday round-up, be sure to visit Two Writing Teachers.

A Rosary Lost, then Found

Today's post is a gift to you from a dear, dear, DEAR blogging buddy of mine, Virginia. I "met" Virginia through her blog, and though I've never met her face to face, she has sent me enough kisses and hugs and prayers through email that it doesn't matter. You'll find this post in the upcoming Loveliness of Rosaries too.

Enjoy!

***

I did not grow up with Rosaries. But I amazed my very Protestant family when I was six by constructing an altar out of a half-lunette table, a cloth, some yellow Peace roses, and a mother-of-pearl Bible from the Holy Land. No candles. No Rosary.

There was room for one.

However, my Alabama grandmother, the same one who brought me the mother-of-pearl Bible from the Holy Land, also brought back dozens of inexpensive olive wood Rosaries. She, in her pure of heart innocence (she was Presbyterian and that denomination is quite anti-Catholic), found them pretty souvenirs to present to her many friends. Her daughter lived in Miami and a Cuban-Catholic friend became a recipient of one of those Rosaries. My grandmother was pleased in a quiet sort of way to learn that this woman had Masses said for her and her family in thanksgiving for the Rosary. Surely, she had prayed for conversions to the Church.

When I was 18, I started studying Catholicism. I asked to be baptized. But I was not Confirmed. And I never received a Rosary. Or found one on my own. I fell away from the Church in a matter of years.

After many twists and turns over 15 years, I began studying the Bible and theology. I was Episcopalian and took the amazing step of going on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Campostella in 1999. This is a very Catholic thing to do. Episcopalians do not do this. But I came across many Rosary praying people in Spain. I was given a medal of Maria de Pilar, the Virgin Mary of the Pilar, and I came back wearing an enameled Virgin and Child. Still no Rosary. But the mantle was there.

But I have a faithful, Rosary praying godmother. And by 2000, I returned to the Church. This time I got a Rosary because I got a job at EWTN, went to Mass most days, and well, you just had to have one.

I had several. One was given away. It was gold with many faceted, multi-colored crystals. One was lost. It was silver with garnet red beads.

I found it the other day. In the pocket of an old pair of blue jeans. I can't tell you how many times I asked St. Anthony to find it for me. But in the intervening time, I prayed the Rosary on my fingers. Or a few made from twine. I weaned myself from my love of gorgeous Rosaries. I learned to love the Joyful and Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries more. I saw how my life seemed to follow this turning wheel of the Rosary. Sometimes full of joyous mysteries, many times sorrowful, but more and more with the hope of eternal and glorious mysteries. And now we have the Luminous Mysteries. And I found my Rosary. Lost and then found. Like me.

World, Meet Catherine!

Jim has a video up of Catherine (and I'm only a week behind in posting it). Remember Catherine Therese? The little baby that could? You're still praying, right? Because, though she's a week old, she can still use prayers!

And I suspect her parents can too. Saturday was the first time her mom had a chance to hold her.

Read the latest at Real Life Rosary (there are more recent videos too!).

Abstraction

Well, I don't know about this...

Your Thinking is Abstract and Sequential

You like to do research and collect lots of information. The more facts you have, the easier it is for you to learn. You need to figure things out for yourself and consider all possibilities. You tend to become an expert in the subjects that you study. It's difficult for you to work with people who know less than you do. You aren't a very patient teacher, and you don't like convincing people that you're right.

What Kind of Thinker Are You?

...but then, there is that part about not wanting to convince others (why can't you just believe me?)...

Tip o the brain to SFO Mom.

A Guide to Elizabuage

In case you find yourself in our parts, and you can't understand the language...it is a special dialect based loosely on the English language...

Lemolade - a non-juice drink, regardless of lemon content

Yous (or Hims) - possessive, as in “I may wear yous shoes please?”

Butt-pankin - what you get when you tell Mommy “Duh!” or “Shut up!”; also, what Louie the Sheep Dog gets when he gets out and leaves the sheep (now, where she got this, I don’t know - we have never “butt-panked” Louie the Dog)

Dud-dud - the tall dark and handsome fellow who you admire above all others

Potter - a frozen treat which we eat obsessively in these parts

Loney - processed meat, preferably served in a roll or as a “Babby Special” (loney on bread, with a little bit of mustard and a slice of good ole American cheese)

Chalker nook - a beverage from cows mixed with our current favorite flavor (and one Mommy and Daddy highly approve of, as flavors go)

Mirrah - that which reveals how nice our ponytails look (though we’ll take them out in two minutes, if they last that long)

’Tend - as in “Let’s all ’tend I’m Junie B. and you’re Aunt Bo Peep!”

Marecoo Idol - the guilty pleasure show

I sink so - A response to an idea proposed by Professor Daddy, as in “Will we be able to brush the ponies?” “I sink so, yes!”

Hannah Tanna - aside from older girl cousins and young aunts, she who we admire (no, she doesn’t watch the show with any regularity - those older girl cousins introduced her to Hannah and what’s a mom to do?)

Washclausch - that patch of cloth we can often do without in the tub but which has such usefulness in other projects (as in the garden, for instance)

Slightly Delayed Loveliness Fair

It's the week of the Loveliness of Rosaries. This morning, I had so few posts I was wondering if we would have the fair. But thanks to the tremendous response from a few emails and posts around the blogosphere, the posts are rolling in, and it looks like it will be even more lovely than I envisioned.

From Colleen's original post about the Loveliness Fairs:
Praying the rosary is that moment when we encounter our Sweet Mother on the journey and share a quiet conversation with her. In the month of Our Lady, let's share our stories of her rosary and how it has shaped and formed us on our journey. And let's share the simple loveliness of rosaries themselves.

Feel free to comment here with a link, or email me at peerybingle [at] gmail [dot] com with your submission - newly written or from your archive. We'll go live with the fair on Saturday the 17th, so please have your submissions to me before then.

The Apron Oops

As it turns out, I must have been using last year's apron badge on my blog. National Wear Your Apron Day is...TODAY. (Sorry, Kitchen Madonna! I got the promotion all wrong!) Um, yeah. So I guess people will have legitimate questions for me on Wednesday when I'm all decked out...

My Mother’s Apron Strings

I wonder what kinds of looks I’ll get on Wednesday as I wear my apron about my daily duties. (What? You didn’t know that May 14 is National Wear Your Apron Day?) Thinking about that has led me to think about aprons in general. In previous musings, I said that I’m not the “apron type.”

But just what IS the “apron type”? Just who fits under that umbrella? I’ll only get into trouble answering that. You could have never told me, for instance, that my kitchen hook would be the happy home to an apron.

This week, I’m hosting the Loveliness of Rosaries, and as I was thinking and planning that beautiful fair (and hoping for entries!), something clicked.

I’ve been tagging along on my Mother’s apron strings for quite some time.

Her apron is made up of prayers and petitions.

The strings hold beads, which I use to keep track.

The harder I hold on to these apron strings - the more I pray the rosary and, really, the more I pray as part of my daily doings - the closer I get to my Father. Mother’s apron leads me to her Son and his Father. She doesn’t force me to follow, but, if I cooperate and just hang on to that apron string, she’ll lead me, gently, carefully, lovingly, to where I need to be.

I’ll never look at an apron the same way again. And should anyone ask on Wednesday (and they’re sure to - I’ll be at work in the parish office all day!), I’ll say that I’m wearing my apron in honor of my Mother - all of them (so, Mom and Mom and Mom (I have quite a collection of earthly mothers, because God loves me that much!), that includes you!).

UPDATED TO ADD:
I just found out, with a big slap to my forehead, that National Wear Your Apron Day is...TODAY (the day after Mother's Day!). Guess I should have been reading Kitchen Madonna's dates a bit more carefully...

To Mother Mary on Mother’s Day

Dear Mother Mary,

My first thought, on Mother’s Day, is of my husband. That seems odd, I suppose, but you understand it, don’t you? I think you and he have a special bond. He doesn’t talk about it much, but I see it there. I see it in the way he makes sure that I can go spend time with your Son. I see it in patience he exhibits with his own mother. I see it in the love he gives so freely, so unconditionally.

When I think of my husband, dear Mother Mary, I think of you.

You must have had your eye on me for a while. I don’t know how else to explain the many mother-figures I’ve had - and needed - in my life. Long before I was Catholic and started acknowledging your role in my life, you were there, doing what mothers quietly do behind the scenes, setting the stage for your Son even as your wayward daughter ignored everything you said and nearly everyone you sent.

But this one guy...I couldn’t ignore him.

You see, he looked at me that way. You know what I mean, don’t you? It wasn’t like he was trying to undress me; it was like he cared, like he was really listening, like he enjoyed my company.

This guy, Mary, took me to some pretty incredible places. One of them was a little church in a tiny little town, where I remember smelling Easter lilies and seeing sun stream in through the stained glass. That was also the little church where I first felt you hugging me.

You sure hug hard for someone I can’t see!

That Mass on Mother’s Day those many years ago, Padre was preaching about mothers, about the role they play, about their importance, and - of course - about you. In the way that only priests can, he touched my heart. And I started sobbing uncontrollably.

I had to leave.

I perched on the steep narrow staircase to the choir loft and sobbed. When Mass ended and Father processed out, he asked if I was OK. You can’t blame him for seeming a little worried. I was, after all Miss Know-it-all-rational-answers-for-everything. Or maybe he wasn’t worried. Maybe in his 30 years of priestly life he had seen that sort of thing before.

That was only the beginning (or the middle?). Once I acknowledged the joy of Christianity and Catholicism, you became the backdrop.

Don’t confuse my devotion for worship, though (not that you would). You are a hero of mine, that’s true, but everything you point me to leads me back to your Son. As I’ve called out for help, you respond, and you take me to the Cross, to that stable, to the Mount of Olives.

Mary, you have been the one who has shown me how a mother loves. As you’ve leaned me up against Jesus in my weak times, you’ve showered prayers all around me. As you’ve smiled down at my little victories, you’ve reminded me to thank the One who made my life possible. As you’ve shared my agonies, you’ve prompted me to pour out my heart to my Father.

It was never my intention to be a mother, Mary. Remember that? We can smile together over tea about that someday.

Now that I am a mother - and happily, I might add - I can’t think of better company to be in than yours. Happy Mother’s Day, Mom. Thanks for being the example I can always follow, and the one who unfailingly leads me back to the Truth.

Love (and baby drool),
Sarah

To My Husband, Again, on Mother's Day

This is a repost of what I wrote Prince Charming last year. And it's all still true.

Some things can't be said better, though they get better with time.

***

Dearest Husband,

On Mother’s Day, I always think of you. We haven’t celebrated it very much yet – only twice – but I feel like it is our day, the day we made possible. Act