Dear Diary,
This evening, as I turned the pages of my big picture book, my eyes rested on an old oil painting, its colors softened with time, yet still full of life. It showed a woman kneeling in prayer, her crutches set aside, as the Blessed Mother and Child appeared before her in golden light. I stared at it for a long while, the room around me fading, until I almost felt as though I had stepped inside.
Mini was with me, just as she always is, curled close, her warm little body pressed against my side. The tiles beneath us felt cool, and the candlelight flickered against the patterned walls. The woman’s face was full of trust, as if she had placed everything—her suffering, her fears, her very life—into the hands of Jesus and Mary. And then, as if carried on the very air of the painting, I remembered the words Sister Mary Claire and I had studied this morning:
"In Thee, O Lord, I place all my trust, my only hope, and I shall never be confounded."
How true those words felt now! The woman in the painting, though leaning on crutches, was not leaning on them in spirit. Her confidence was placed in something far greater. The Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, framed above her bed, seemed to burn with divine love, a reminder that no burden is ever carried alone.
Perhaps this painting was made long ago by someone who had also learned to trust in Jesus. Maybe they, too, had whispered prayers in the quiet of their room, hoping for strength and courage. And now, across time and space, that same trust reached me, wrapping around me like a warm embrace.
Evening Prayer for Confidence:
Jesus, my Lord and my King, I place all my trust in Thee.
Let me walk forward with faith, even when I do not know what lies ahead.
When doubts come, remind me that Thy love never fails.
Like the woman in the painting, let my heart rest in Thee, knowing Thou art my strength and my hope.
O Mary, my Mother, guide my steps and keep me ever close to Thy Son.
"Lord, increase my hope!"
With these words, I close my diary, feeling safe, as if the light in the painting has settled in my heart.
With love,
Kathy
This evening, as I turned the pages of my big picture book, my eyes rested on an old oil painting, its colors softened with time, yet still full of life. It showed a woman kneeling in prayer, her crutches set aside, as the Blessed Mother and Child appeared before her in golden light. I stared at it for a long while, the room around me fading, until I almost felt as though I had stepped inside.
Mini was with me, just as she always is, curled close, her warm little body pressed against my side. The tiles beneath us felt cool, and the candlelight flickered against the patterned walls. The woman’s face was full of trust, as if she had placed everything—her suffering, her fears, her very life—into the hands of Jesus and Mary. And then, as if carried on the very air of the painting, I remembered the words Sister Mary Claire and I had studied this morning:
"In Thee, O Lord, I place all my trust, my only hope, and I shall never be confounded."
How true those words felt now! The woman in the painting, though leaning on crutches, was not leaning on them in spirit. Her confidence was placed in something far greater. The Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, framed above her bed, seemed to burn with divine love, a reminder that no burden is ever carried alone.
Perhaps this painting was made long ago by someone who had also learned to trust in Jesus. Maybe they, too, had whispered prayers in the quiet of their room, hoping for strength and courage. And now, across time and space, that same trust reached me, wrapping around me like a warm embrace.
Evening Prayer for Confidence:
Jesus, my Lord and my King, I place all my trust in Thee.
Let me walk forward with faith, even when I do not know what lies ahead.
When doubts come, remind me that Thy love never fails.
Like the woman in the painting, let my heart rest in Thee, knowing Thou art my strength and my hope.
O Mary, my Mother, guide my steps and keep me ever close to Thy Son.
"Lord, increase my hope!"
With these words, I close my diary, feeling safe, as if the light in the painting has settled in my heart.
With love,
Kathy
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