Happy Feast of St. Anne!

I can't go to bed tonight without taking a moment to honor St. Anne.

For those who may not know, she was Mary's mother, and Jesus' Grandmother.  Think of a grandmother's love for her grandchildren. Think of how St. Anne must love us.

My most beautiful memory related to St. Anne took place on Mackinac Island, where my husband and I spent a long weekend celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary, four years ago.

We were there on Friday for the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and we went to St. Anne's Church on the island for Mass.  It was a beautiful Mass, and afterward we went to the gift shop to find some things for our children.  Something about the church and Mass touched my heart so deeply, I didn't want to leave.

While in the gift shop, I began speaking to the clerk, who also had done the day's readings.  I shared a bit of my history -- that we had four young children at home.  She shared that she had five children.  She encouraged me to be open to a fifth child, saying that her youngest by a few years, a daughter, was such a joy in her life.  That daughter was a freshman at the University of Michigan at the time, and had blessed their family in so many ways.

The woman's encouragement struck my heart especially deeply, since I had miscarried our fifth child the previous year.  I had thought maybe God was telling us we should be done having children, but her enthusiasm and passion, as well as the way it touched my heart, suggested otherwise.

That Fall, I became pregnant again; sadly, we lost Benedict at 21 weeks gestation.

And in January 2011, I learned I was pregnant again.  The joy Nicholas has brought into our lives is exactly as the woman described.  I cannot imagine our lives without him.

The memory of that day at St. Anne's remains so vivid in my memory.  It was something so apparently random -- a stranger encouraging us to have another child.  But I felt at the time that God had encouraged her to speak; I am so glad she did!

Also, I have felt St. Anne's prayers and presence with us at many time over the past four years.  She is such a beautiful example as I strive (and stumble) to love my family, and to serve them, in a way that can help bring all of us closer to God.

Thank you, St. Anne, for your prayers and your love!