This Too Shall Pass

For the past week and a half I had intended to write a blog entry about the importance gardens have played through the dawn of time and to compare it with my own, and how we cultivate family and friends in our own personal garden. Well that's it in a nutshell. It would have been the topic, but God has a way of letting you know when he has a different lesson to learn.

"This too shall pass". That phrase keeps popping up in my head. It spilled out onto my tongue as I was driving to the cemetery on the one year anniversary of Mom's passing. As I watched the almost black clouds building over the direction of Mount Olivet Cemetery, my cell phone rang. It was my sister, who asked if we shouldn't wait to go after mass. "This too shall pass" came into my head and I said "no, it will be all right". I think I am the only one who didn't drive through any rain. I waited and thought of the times my Mom had said "This too shall pass" when I was all worked up over something very temporary. The storm clouds passed and I used the phrase to compare the dark clouds to the strains and pain of mourning. Somethings pass quicker, but all eventually does.

As I mentioned at the beginning, I have been working on my garden. Planting seedlings of tomatoes, peppers, carrots and sunflowers. Thinning out my raspberries, and planting geraniums, salvia, marigolds and various other blooms. I Thought of the garden of Eden, of Christ in the garden. My angel figures made it so peaceful to work and think. Then, like every year, I forgot about my spring allergies. I have been coughing, wheezing, and sneezing as my eyes watered and my head filled up with pressure. I got worse each day and was popping medication and drinking home remedies. I was miserable!

Then I stood at my window looking out at the new buds on my clematis. The clematis likes to tease me every year. Everyday it looks like they will pop open. But they just love to build up the anticipation of their beautiful blooms. I told myself to be patient, it will be worth it. In the meantime I sat at the computer with a box of Kleenex, waiting to find myself with a better, more positive outlook toward spring and my garden. I looked up the origin of "This too shall pass". I'll let you find out the story of King Solomon and the ring, but the thing I learned that it is a double edged sword. This allergy attack will pass, and I will feel better. But my blooming garden will also pass, and I will be digging up dormant bulbs and dead roots in the fall. My life too will come to pass. And I hope to be remembered for the garden I cultivated and not the coughing and sneezing I put up with to do it.

Happy Mother's Day!

On this day when we pay homage to Mom's everywhere, let's not forget the Mother we most often turn to in difficult times, but often neglect when everything is going good.

Taking on the task that God asked of her and giving herself fully to Him, Mary set an example to all mothers of faith, love and sacrifice. She truly earned the honor of being the "Blessed Mother" to us all.

Today as we thank our mothers by bringing her gifts or cards, by taking her to brunch, or by placing flowers on her grave, take a little time to say "thank you" to the Blessed Mother, for the sacrifices she has made, for the unconditional love she has for us and for her strengthening our faith in God. And especially for guiding and watching over our own mothers.

Happy Mother's Day!

My Rosary

In seeking the soothing faith of my grandmothers, I familiarized myself with a source of their comfort, the rosary.

When we die, a rosary will be placed on our hands as if we are in prayer. But do we actually pray the rosary? Do we remember how? A few years ago I found the rosary that came with the little book my parents gave me for my first communion. I went on line and downloaded a page detailing me on how to pray the rosary (my cheat sheet.) My Grandma used to tell me that when she couldn't sleep she would take the rosary to bed and she would never finish. I tried it and it worked. Unfortunately one evening I must have pulled it apart because I found a long row of beads with one missing when I woke up. Fortunately it was lovingly replaced by a beautiful one from my Godchild. And since then the rosary has become more than a sleep aid.

In my difficult year my new rosary became an accessory, resting in my pocket much like a security blanket, guiding me through prayer when the troubles of the world seemed to hinder my happiness and connecting me to the Blessed Mother, always a gentle soothing balm for a soul in need of cooling down.

There are days when I tell myself I will pray the rosary, but don't get around to it. And I often put it off as if it was a chore. But in time I eventually find my way to the little box on my nightstand and release the link of smooth beads that will glide through my fingers as any ire disappears and my focus turns to the gentle lady who watches over me and guards my faith.

So many people these days don't even remember how to say the rosary. I didn't, but it was worth learning. And you can cheat! I still do. But the end result is a resetting of your priorities. A cleansing of your anxieties. And who doesn't need that these days?