My Mary Story

Since I was a young boy, I've had a STRONG devotion to the Blessed Mother, and I can thank my earthly mother for that. I can still remember sitting in my mom's lap and listening to stories about Jesus Christ, who died for my sins, and His great and holy Mother, Mary. We used to be friends with a nun who lived in a convent here in Grand Rapids. I can remember that upon entering the house, there was a life-size statue of Mary with her arms extended. Each time I saw her, I would run up to her and embrace her. As time went on and I grew, my love for Mary grew stronger and stronger. I learned all of the familiar prayers every Catholic knows, I went to Mass every Sunday with my family, and I prayed with my family before meals. My interest in Mary bloomed when I was eight years old. One night, after going out to dinner, my mom started to tell me the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the car. She told me how Mary left a portrait of herself on the cloak of an Indian and how everyone in Mexico loved her. I asked my mom if she could get me a picture of her, and sure enough, a few days later, my mom took me to the local religious store and bought me a few holy cards with images of Our Lady of Guadalupe on them. I treasured them. I felt as if Mary was with me when I carried them with me. To this day, I still have the well-worn cards. My interest and devotion to Mary did not end there, though. To my family, Mary was just another statue placed on the piano in our living room. To me, Mary was a mysterious woman, lovely in all aspects. I HAD to know about her. I had let Christ into my heart, so why not let her in, also? I would check out books from the library and surf the web to find information on Mary. I would get looked down upon by many people around me. People would criticize me, saying, "You're not old enough to read a book like that; what are you trying to get attention or something?" or "Your fake devotion to her will disappear after a while, so you might as well stop now." I did not let such negative talk get to me. When I entered fifth grade, I knew every major apparition of the Blessed Mother here on earth, I knew the dates of the apparitions by heart, the names of the people who saw her, etc. My friends around that time realized that I was a little different than everyone else. While other students would be reading books like "Holes" or "Where the Red Fern Grows" during silent reading, I would be buried in a book on Mary. My homeroom teacher, a devout non-denominational Christian, frowned upon it, but did not force me to stop. By this time, I learned how to talk to Mary as I would speak to my own mother. I knew that as my Mother in heaven, she listened to me when I needed something and would be with me when I was in desperate need of guidance. My devotion and love to her was strong until I was a junior in high school. I have been very close to my only grandmother since I was a child. She and I would spend a lot of time together and a lot of that time was spent talking about Catholicism, Jesus, Mary, the Saints, etc. She seemed to be doing great until that year. She developed dementia and suffered greatly from it. She eventually lost all of her memory, even forgetting who I was. I had prayed numerous times for her and prayed countless rosaries for her, relying on Mary for help. It didn't seem to help at all. So, one night, I begged Mary to take care of my grandma and commended her to Her care. One night, a short while later, I went to sleep. I had a mysterious 'dream' that I will never forget. I was sitting in my backyard, crying pitifully over my grandma's condition. Suddenly, a bright light caused me to look up, and there was Mary, dressed in white and shining with a heavenly radiance, smiling down at me. She put her hand out and helped me up. She wiped the tears from my face and held me in her arms like any mother would do. She asked me why I was crying, and I told her. She responded, "You asked me to take care of her, and I have been doing just that. So then, why are you crying? Do you not have any faith? Trust in God and trust in your Mother." And just as quickly as the dream began, it ended. A few days later, my grandmother died peacefully in her sleep. I know for a fact that Mary was there with her at the moment she passed into the next world, and for that, I will be eternally grateful. By that time though, I was angry. I hated God and I hated His mother. They had taken away my best friend, a woman I was so close to. I tried my hardest to ignore all of the statues of Mary and religious images around my house, but I could not. I remember one day after school, I locked myself in my room. I stood in front of my largest statue of Mary and began screaming at her. I told her how angry I was. I told her that my grandma didn't deserve all of the suffering she had undertaken. I told her I hated her. But, Mary has had her arms around me since childhood, and she wasn't letting go now! Shortly after my grandma died, we received a large sum of money she had left behind. My mother and I tossed around the idea of making a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, and soon, we had decided that we were in fact going to go. Thanks to my grandmother, we departed for eight days in February 2008. I have to say, though, that before going, I was a nervous wreck. It felt like I was going to visit the Mother I had 'abandoned.' I was scared she wouldn't want to see me. How foolish I was for thinking something like that! Just as God never EVER leaves us, neither does Mary! Once I got to Mexico, a sense of calm came to me. When we laid eyes upon the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, I bawled. I was so sorry for all I had said, felt, and done. I had sinned by saying such blasphemous things to God and the Blessed Mother. I could FEEL Mary's presence in the church. I uttered a quiet 'thank you' through the tears, and I know she was smiling. I could just see Mary opening her arms to me, inviting me to embrace her. She is TRULY present in Guadalupe. I'm telling you...if you want to see your Mother and spend some time in her presence, GET DOWN THERE! :) Well, enough rambling. There is SO much more that has happened but I feel this sums it all up...for now. I hope to share more of my experiences with the Blessed Mother with all of you because the stories here are not the only ones. God bless you all!