just another day of Catholic pondering

This week, I’m geeking out on Mary with the Queen of All Saints and rosary failures.

On the one hand, we have my beautiful daughters, one who’s a spitting image of a younger me and one who’s a spitting image of my husband (who is quite the handsome fellow!).  When people tell me, quite infrequently, that they see my husband in the daughter who looks like me, I’m overjoyed.

Because what I want for my daughters is for them to be like their Daddy.  I want them to have his quiet faith, his surefire certainty, his courage to do what’s right.  I want them to be able to stay silent when that’s what’s needed.

Oh, I know I have good traits, and my husband could probably tell you the ways he hopes the girls take after me.

But this week, reflecting on Mary’s title Queen of All Saints, I couldn’t help but think about how she must want me to be just like her Spouse, the Holy Spirit.  Does she smile ear to ear when someone compliments me on my devotion (compliments I can only point back to the Holy Spirit and God’s grace at work in my life), knowing that I’m getting closer to her Son?  Though Mary knows my failures — and there are many! — she also sees my attempts.  My kids don’t try to look like their dad, but I hope someday they try to act like him.  And that’s just the example Mary sets for me as Queen of All Saints.

Speaking of failures — did I mention there were many? — here we are at the end of the Month of the Rosary.

SIGH.

Sometimes failures are a lesson.  And sometimes I’m measuring the wrong thing.  Maybe that’s what has happened this month, a month when I was going to write all sorts of beautiful reflections and tips about the rosary, encouraging others and hoping to inspire a love it in them.

Silly me.  How could I forget that I’m not the one driving?

I didn’t do anything special this month with the rosary.  Oh, there’s the Month of the Rosary giveaway at CatholicMom.com (have you entered yet?) and I have read and started The Rosary Workout (and I’m giving a copy away — leave a comment before the 31st!).  Those things don’t really count, though…not for what I’m talking about.  Did I pray my daily rosary with deeper devotion or better attention?  For that matter, did I work to share the devotion with my family, with those other people who live in the same house?  What about my attitude and that ongoing resolution to be more like Mary?

Nope.

It’s possible I’m being too hard on myself.  I bet I’m not alone, though.  If you find yourself at the end of October, glad that the rosary hounding will stop at last, let me offer you some encouragement in this week’s Mary Moment.  Now I need to go and believe the words of encouragement in my own life!  :)