Happy Monday! It’s been a little bit since I have written a blog post. I feel like last week flew by. We had family in town the past two weekends and have been enjoying time with them. This week is Spring break for Gabriel, so today we have been relaxing at home which has been nice. It worked out great that Spring break is the week after daylight savings time so the kids and I can all adjust to the time change before getting back into our usual routine. Now I just need to find some fun activities to do with the kids this week.
Part of my daily routine (most days) is praying the Rosary in the morning. I usually try to watch and pray the live Rosary with @manyhailmarysatatime each morning. One of the things that a lot of the guests talk about in the interviews is the grace that praying the Rosary brings to their lives. I have not had a particular moment of experiencing a specific grace from praying the Rosary, but since praying it I have felt more connected to Mary and have really developed my relationship with her.
Today, I had a particular moment where I can see the grace bestowed upon my family from praying the Rosary almost daily. Recently, (and you’ll know this if you have been following along with my blog posts), I have been feeling a little overwhelmed with my kids and their futures. I have been feeling the pressure to make sure that they are raised right and turn out to be decent human beings and good Catholics. It is especially overwhelming when they have bad days where their behavior (totally normal for their ages) is not the best. I have been worrying about what type of person they will be when they grow up.
Also recently, I have been teaching them the Hail Mary prayer. They have been praying it before bed time with the guardian angel prayer. A few weeks ago, as I was tucking Gabriel into bed, he asked to pray with me. So we prayed some Hail Mary’s, Angel of God, and he asked to learn a new prayer too. Now, I think he was partly trying to stall bedtime, but I also think he was generally interested in praying! We had just gone to mass in person and I could see the grace of that in him too.
Today, Gabriel had gone into the kitchen and pulled out two rosaries. When I noticed them I asked him why he got them out. He said he wanted to pray the Rosary with me <3. So before naptime, Gabriel and Rebecca got their rosaries, and we prayed the first decade together.
Later today, I was frantically trying to get the kids ready for bed. It was chaos. Gabriel wanted help going to the bathroom, Theresa was making her way into the bathroom to play in the toilet, and I was changing Rebecca into her pajamas. I was frustrated and losing my patience with the kids. Gabriel noticed and looked at me and said, “Mommy, you be happy!”
I was taken aback. So I looked at him and said “Yes, I’m stressed out right now. I’m sorry I have been losing my patience with you”. And then we all started playing and laughing. Afterwards we prayed our bedtime prayers, and the second decade of the Rosary together. At bedtime Gabriel told me he was scared, so we prayed the Guardian Angel prayer again, and the St. Michael prayer together.
Kids notice so much more than we realize. I get stressed and feel pressured to make sure that I am raising them right and teaching them about God. But I sometimes fail to realize that God also wants the kids to teach me. I am doing my best to make sure they become saints, but they are also helping me reach sainthood too.
By praying the Rosary daily, we invite Mary into our lives, and ask for her graces to guide us. I have never tried getting the kids to pray the Rosary with me. It has been a goal of mine to incorporate family rosaries, but I have not tried yet because the kids are still pretty young. However, the kids know that I pray the Rosary, and sometimes they see me praying as well. Mary used those graces from the Rosary to bless my family, and open my heart as well as my kids’ hearts to her and her Son. And today, I got to witness her grace bless Gabriel when he asked to pray the Rosary with me today. And yes, my mama heart melted!
God sees our effort. When we feel discouraged, or worried, turn to Him, and trust Him that everything will be ok. When all else fails, pray to Him, open your heart! Go to His mother, and let her grace fill your soul.
I hope you all enjoy your week.
Beautifully written, Michelle! I love how you’re teaching your children how to pray all these prayers! My hope for my future children is to do the same, just as how my parents taught and raised us in our faith as a very young age!