A Mary Moment Monday post
It doesn’t take much for me to long to be where the grass (appears to be) greener. Every so often, though, I get a chance to actually go where the grass is greener.
Like across the street.
Into a brand-spankin-new (to us) house.
We are still shaking our heads over this. And now that we’re here, we see just how green the grass really is.
There’s new carpet. There are walls with drywall and studs. There’s insulation. There’s even…wait for it…a GARAGE, with an OPENER, that is ATTACHED.
Oh, and did I mention there’s a dishwasher? And that it’s not me? 🙂
These are just the tip of the new house iceberg for us. Though this house is about 30 years old, that makes it at least 80 years newer than our previous home.
There’s charm to an old house. The charm, though, comes with a price. In this new house, I find I can relax as I cross “hunting down the wasps before they sting someone” and “worry about swarming bees but leave it in God’s hands” off my daily to-do lists.
We are thrilled. We’re past the hump of not believing we’re really here. I’ve hung some pictures and have even tried my hand at a wee bit of decorating (with some help).
A friend, when discussing my decoration strategy, mentioned that it seemed to have a Marian theme.
She’s right: it does.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Our Lady of Grace, the Holy Family, and a bust of Mary are all within sight of me as I type from the couch in the family room.
I have just the spot for a big statue of Mary (when I can find and afford just the right one) between my kitchen and family room. And there are places in the front room, my office, and the bedrooms where we will certainly incorporate the Blessed Mother.
At first, it might seem like an obsession. I think of it, though, as a reminder to all of us of who our model is and where she points. When I see Mary, I smile (even if I am in the middle of ranting at her Son), because I know she can take whatever I dish her way (and so can her Son; he had a good teacher in that regard).
The many Marys in my house remind me how much I am loved. Just look at this palace, this house that is so much nicer than what we were unable to build the three times we researched it (and gave up on it–the most recent time less than a year ago). Just look at these children, at the family beyond our doors, at the many other blessings.
Mary points me to the power of God’s love for me and the amazing things that will happen if I step aside. She shows me, again and again, the joy of Yes, when that Yes is said to God (and even when it’s said with a bit of a hesitation, with some grumbling, with a frowny-face).
This post reminds me of when we moved into our second house. At the time, we had 6 kids and my mother living in house with ONE bathroom and a yard the size of a postage stamp. Before we moved, a large wooden statue of Mary that my mother had bought for her mother only came out at Advent/Christmas. During the rest of the year, it was stored on top of a steel filing cabinet in a hallway closet. We commonly referred to her as “Our Lady of the Filing Cabinet.” When we FINALLY moved into a larger house, we were able to keep Mary out all year. Even though we moved again since, she has remained on a stand in a corner of our dining room. It’s a GREAT thing to be able to surround yourself with things that remind you that we are all, and at all times, surrounded by a “great cloud of witnesses,” the saints and angels we hope to follow into the arms of God.
Beautiful, Jaymie. 🙂
I love “Our Lady of the Filing Cabinet.” Do you think she enjoys Office Max shopping sprees as much as I do???
Excellent!