A Mary Moment Monday post

It feels like we’re more than halfway through the summer, but maybe that’s because I had myself a wee bit busy in June and it was gone before I could blink properly.

We’re moved into our new house and last week I even hung pictures. I’ve been thinking about decorating, which is so unlike me that I have had to stop and check to see if I’m breathing.

In our old house, I had lost hope. I felt like we were stuck, like it was a sinkhole, like all we could do was wait. I don’t defend that thinking, but it’s where I was.

And then, wow! Hey! The house down the road came up for sale and suddenly, we were moving. We kept waiting for the sale to fall through, for something to not work out, for it to be too good to be true. And…it never did. Here we are.

This house is one of the most visible signs of God’s love I’ve gotten in a while (barring my children). The last one was my husband’s job, which came out of nowhere almost four years ago, just as we were having our middle child (literally–they called him for the second interview while we were in the hospital).

Though my office remains a pile of boxes and there are odds and ends that I’ll be unpacking for probably months, we’re pretty much here. So much so that we’ve even gotten into a bit of a daily grind, a routine of sorts that is starting to feel familiar.

In that familiarity, I’ve been thinking of Mary. Part of it is that I have images of her all over my kitchen. Part of it is that familiarity has a way of leading me to taking things for granted and even to a sort of boredom.

I am a study of contradiction: I want things to change! change! change! but I abhor the new and different. I’m mired firmly in my way of doing things, but I’m always looking for something better.

My constant is Mary. Through the rosary, I feel like I’ve been gripping her and letting the chaos swirl around me. In the comfort of her embrace, I open my eyes to see none other than her Son.

There’s nothing boring about what she offers me in her Son. She urges me to say Yes, and to remember that she is always with me.

When we are down and out, we can turn to Mary. Sharing our pain and embarrassment, we can find in her a wise and gentle friend. Mary understands because she has walked the same challenging road we’re on. She can give us counsel and support because she has been there herself. She can guide and direct us because she has finished the course. Even more, she can give us her prayers. When we are too tired to pray, too disillusioned to hope, too afraid to try again, Mary is there, as is God. When we feel more like children than like mothers, Mary consoles us.

Jaymie Stuart Wolfe in Expecting a Miracle: A Companion Through Pregnancy

I’m turning to Mary, especially as I embrace what the rest of the summer holds for me (rolling with a new manuscript, primarily, and lots of daily grind).

—

Don’t forget that the next cycle of Total Consecration begins this Wednesday, July 13, and ends on the feast of the Assumption, August 15. You can order free materials from MyConsecration.org or use the free online resources at TotalConsecration.com.