A Mother's Love and Tradition

I began this blog to help me find unique ways to incorporate my Catholic faith in my children's lives. I was inspired by several other blogs that I was reading even before I had my own blog. Lately I have been thinking about what it means to be a good mother, which I guess is appropriate for the upcoming month of May. Mother's Day and Mary are honored during this month. I want to have my children know that I love them with every ounce of life God has given me. I want them to grow into the young gentlemen I see in my dreams. I know God has amazing plans for them to touch people's lives, they have already changed mine. My Baptismal Saint is Saint Anne, the mother of Mary. Recently I have found myself thinking about her and how she must have been such an amazing mother to be able to raise such a wonderful daughter like Mary to become the mother of Jesus. I feel so blessed to have children that are sweet and thoughtful. I can feel God's love when I watch them sleep or when they are playing together. Having children has taught me that I was a very selfish person as a young adult. I always felt that my "stresses" in life were so much larger than they actually were. Having my boys opened my eyes to the real world and popped the bubble I was living inside. When I experienced the unconditional love that comes with having a child I knew I was on the path to become the person I was meant to be.

Little Man has two Baptismal Saints that we gave him when he was born, Saint Michael and Saint Dominic. Saint Michael the Archangel was always special to me because he is my brother's Baptismal Saint as well and the church I spent my young adult years had a special devotion to him. Saint Dominic's mother had a dream about him before he was born and he grew to have a close relationship to Our Lady of the Rosary. I also had dreams about my Little Man before he was born and I knew he was going to be a very special child. Little Man loves when we say our rosaries together and talks about Mary and Jesus all the time. I know he has big things destined in his life.

Squishy's Baptismal Saint is Saint Joseph, the husband of Mary. We chose Saint Joseph because he is the Patron Saint of families. We had a miscarriage just before we found out we were pregnant with Squishy. It was a very difficult time and I was very nervous during my pregnancy with him. We knew he was such a special addition to the family and we have asked Saint Joseph to pray for him as he grows. We prayed for this little boy so hard and we knew he would teach us to embrace all the crosses we have been asked to carry in our lives. Losing our precious baby before him was hard and I will always remember the day we said goodbye but I know we will meet again.

Lately I have been trying to think of some ways to make a special gift for my children that I can give them when they reach special milestones in their life. I think I would like to make them a journal/ scrapbook. On special days like birthdays, anniversaries of their sacraments to document milestones in their lives. I would like to write them letters and place them within the journal with pictures and cards from other family members. I think it could be a humbling gift for them when they reach their adult years. I am learning to find the small pleasures in life and I hope this little gift will illustrate my personal growth as a mother and the special place each of my kids has in my heart.

Until then, I will strive to be the kind of mother God has called me to be and raise my children the best way I can, with God as our center. I hope that the month of May is a time for great spiritual growth. I hope this little journal can become a tradition for my family.

Prayer to St. Anne

With my heart full of the most sincere venerations, I prostrate myself before thee, O glorious Saint Anne. Thou art that creature of privilege and predilection, who by thy extraordinary virtues and holiness didst merit from God the high favor of giving life to her who is the Treasury of all graces, blessed among women, the Mother of the Word Incarnate, the most holy Virgin Mary. By virtue of so lofty a privilege, do thou deign, O most compassionate saint, to receive me into the number of thy true clients, for so I profess myself and so I desire to remain throughout my entire life.

Shield me with thine effectual patronage and obtain for me from God the power to imitate those virtues where with thou wast so plentifully adorned. Grant that I may know and weep over my sins in bitterness of heart. Obtain for me the grace of most active love for Jesus and Mary, and resolution to fulfill the duties of my state of life with faithfulness and constancy. Save me from every danger that confronts me in life, and help me at the hour of death, that so I may come in safety to paradise, there to sing with thee, O most happy mother, the praises of the Word of God made Man in the womb of thy most pure daughter, the Virgin Mary. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be, (three times).