Happy May! I'm a Big fan of Mary...

...like, I mean, a really big fan. Mary is always there, always. As the guardian of the America's we need her now more than ever. As the Queen of Peace (the name of the statue above) we need her now more than ever. As our spiritual mother, as our guide, as our intercessor, we need her now more than ever. 

Sometimes, I think that when people aren't keen on Mary, it is because they don't fully understand just how much we have in common with her. Just how much her "yes" changed history, just how much she has brought people closer to her son. Mary always, and in  ALL WAYS points toward Jesus. And then I want to ask them, "Do you know what you're missing?"  I am convinced that for some people there is a misappropriation of attention and affection for Mary, and perhaps that is what the people who don't rely on her wisdom see. That isn't good, we are not meant to worship our mother, we are meant to love her, to seek her wisdom and to pray for her guidance because she is the one who was chosen by God to be "full of grace"-- grace, God's self-communication. She is the one who is in every other way just like you and me. She is the one whose faith, as the first disciple, we can even come close to emulating. But, I get that discomfort. I get the need to remind people where our mother points. But it is important to honor your mother, in this case, the instigator of the first miracle, the exhausted and devastated mother at the crucifixion of her son. The one who is closest to our Savior.

But for me, Mary is my standby. She is the one who I check in with when I need help being the woman I want to be. I turned to her when my eldest had whooping cough as a newborn and after 2 weeks of sheer terror thinking that she would die if I went to sleep, I handed her over in bereft exhaustion to my mother Mary, the mother of all mothers that she is, I placed Meg in her bassinet and I prayed Mary would watch over her. When I woke in a panic 3 hours later, certain that in my weakness I had let my baby die, there lay Meg sleeping soundly, not a cough out of her in those 3 hours, and in fact, she never whooped again. Years later, Meg would talk about "the lady" that she saw in her room at night. I would sing Hail Mary Gentle Woman before I put her down every night. So yeah, I am a huge fan of Mary. And that is just one story. 

So in this month dedicated to our Blessed Mother, I invite you to share any special stories you have. I invite you to pray the rosary and to remember that she will always listen, and she will act as a mother does, on your behalf in the way that is best for you. 

Enjoy this prayer.