Glories of Mary

Dear Diary,

Oh today was so wonderful I hardly know where to begin! Sister Mary Claire brought out an old book from the cedar chest—the one that smells like lavender and keeps our Christmas linens—and gave it to me. It’s called The Glories of Mary by St. Alphonsus Liguori, and she said it’s been in the family for a very long time. The pages are thin and yellowed and some are even marked by someone long ago, maybe Grandma. I’ve been reading Chapter One all day long, sitting by the window and under the quilt, and I feel like something inside of me has been lit up. It says Mary is not just a queen, but our Queen of Mercy, and that she especially loves the poor and the sinners and the forgotten ones—which made me cry a little. It means she loves me, even if I’m just a farm girl with smudgy knees and chores to do. I want to get closer to her. I want to be her little servant and publish her, just like it says in the beginning. I don’t know yet how I’ll do that, but maybe I’ll copy her stories into my scrapbook or tell them to the hens while I feed them. She’s my queen now.

Dear Blessed Mother,

Thank you for being my Queen of Mercy. Please help me to love Jesus more and more like you did. I want to be yours forever. Show me how to tell others about you, even if it’s just through my little hands and quiet heart.

Love,

Kathy