Thoughts

This week we were given the Vocation Chalice and asked to fill it with our prayers for all vocations. This includes those called to married life, single life, the consecrated life, etc. It was such an honor to pray for all to hear the call of our Lord for the plan He has for their lives.

Have you ever felt the nudge of the Holy Spirit working in your life? I'm not sure I always knew it at the time, but certainly in retrospect I can clearly see His work in my life. I was born to a wonderful mother and father. They, however, weren't so wonderful to each other and were divorced when I was 6 years old. Therefore, I didn't live in an environment of life-giving love. Sure, my mom and dad loved me, but I wasn't able to witness the daily sacrafices of married love. I believe that this fact gave me distorted expectations of what married love required. I was married in a civil ceremony at a very early age.

The Holy Spirit was calling me to married life, but I wasn't fully listening. My first marriage lasted 14 very difficult years, in which I had suffered 3 miscarriages, much verbal abuse and financial ruin. I lived the single life for a while, but the desire to have a family was overwhelming. I began to realize that I COULD NOT be the author of my life, I had to let Him do it and I began seeing the world and relationships in a whole new way..through Him.

Today I am the wife of a precious man who loves me in a way I have never been loved in my life. I am also loving in a whole new way. Our lives are so richly blessed. Our son is the center of our universe and we are so blessed to be able to live our vocation of married life as He intended.

I hope that after I am gone that my sons have beautiful lives. I hope that they remember what brought their mother and father strength. In other words, my prayer is that the way we answer the Holy Spirit in our lives gives them the courage to hear the call of the Spirit in their lives.