Mother's Day Blessings

Last week had been a rough couple of days for Jimmy and me, recounting the days of Daniel's surgery and his post-operative decline.

And I think the anticipation of Mother's Day, personally, gave me a whirlwind of emotions, too.

But the Holy Spirit definitely spoke to me last weekend, at Mother's Day Mass last Saturday.

One of the readings was from Ephesians, and it included the scripture verse that I'd selected, months ago, for the header of this blog homepage! Do you see it?

"May the eyes of your heart be illuminated, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and the wealth of the glory of His inheritance with the saints" - Ephesians 1:18 

Of all the Bible verses, what are the chances of that? I kinda felt like the Holy Spirit was telling me everything was okay up there. And then on Sunday, I truly felt at peace and was able to spend Mother's Day enjoying time with my family at the beach. It was a happy day.

Last Monday, I drove up to New Smyrna Beach to give my testimony to about thirty Christian women from a group called Belong. 

It was an incredible experience, and for once I didn't feel nervous while speaking. Well, okay...maybe a little nervous. But nothing compared to my usual speaking phobia. I suppose because I felt quite humbled and honored to present at their Mother's Day luncheon to share our family's story, and my journey to motherhood--which includes my journey to a deepened faith. And I truly loved the way my presentation came together, thanks to help from the Holy Spirit and my devout friend, Carrie. I now feel like, based on the feedback I received, that I should actually break out of my shell even further to glorify God and entertain more speaking engagements. I'll work on that...

As usual, through the sharing of Daniel's story, I made some great new introductions. One woman, who was one of my "eye contact people" during my presentation, came over to tell me that her nephew owns an art gallery in Delray Beach. Of course, I had to know his name, and when she told me, Salvatore Principe, I knew exactly who he was!

In fact, one of the main subjects he's famous for painting...are you ready for this?  

Hearts. Yes, we have one of his hearts hanging in our bedroom!

I also connected with an older woman who suffered a similar loss of a young child many years ago, and just recently found Jesus. I was thankful that she related to our story, but more thankful that she had finally felt the peace and comfort that only our eternal Father can give.

And another woman approached me to say that her daughter's family is just beginning an adoption process!  Oh how I hope she'll contact me if she needs any support along the way!

Encounters such as these are what keep Daniel living and giving in my heart. I am amazed at how his little light shines and makes me a better person with each experience. And I am so eternally thankful that the Holy Spirit continues to lead the way in this journey.