Our Lady of Fatima Has a Hold on my Heart

Image credit: Flickr (2011), CC BY-SA 2.0[/caption] Every May, my thoughts turn towards the feast of Our Lady of Fatima, which we celebrate each May 13. There are lots of other exciting things going on in May: May Crowning at my children’s school, my daughter's birthday, Confirmation season, Pentecost, the long Memorial Day weekend ... all wonderful things that I cannot wait for. Always though, my mind turns to our Blessed Mother, and the role she is known for her appearance among three young Portuguese children in the early twentieth century. There is something about her that has become special to me in my adulthood, and in my role as wife and mother. That image of her is so appealing to me, so filled with tender understanding.

Image credit: By Shaun C. Williams (2009), Flickr.com, CC BY 2.0[/caption] The week before Holy Week, I stopped in at our parish for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, as I had been dealing with the aftermath of a few difficult emotional situations. For someone with a personality like mine -- very gentle-natured, always wanting to please others, experiencing a great deal of empathy for others at all times -- it's difficult to climb out of a dark abyss like that. It's difficult to feel like myself again, because my mind always wants to take me back to things that have hurt me and that I cannot control. It's something I've dealt with my whole life, but as an adult it has helped a bit to realize that these qualities about myself are not only God-given (and thus, I cannot change them even if I wanted to) but they are in fact positive characteristics that I should not view as weaknesses. I should revel in being compassionate, loving and trusting, and in the resulting beautiful and lasting relationships I have in my life. It has given me a lot of peace to focus on those things. As I received the grace of this healing sacrament, I felt a sense of serenity wash over me. Confession always provides a clarity of mind immediately afterward, and I felt so grateful that God allowed me to see all of these things. And so, as I was leaving the confessional that week late in Lent, I was struck by inspiration: Our Lady of Fatima. Her feast day is in the spring, and I felt compelled to carry her with me on a day-to-day basis. I sent a message to my good friend Allison, a rosary maker, to see if she would accept a custom order for a one decade, spring-colored rosary with an Our Lady of Fatima center. I now indeed carry Our Lady of Fatima with me each day, and it reminds me that in addition to my loving and fabulous father and mother here on this earth, I have a tender and compassionate set of parents in heaven.

Our Lady of Fatima Chaplet. Copyright 2019 Tiffany Walsh. All rights reserved.[/caption] I love one-decade rosaries for the ease of being able to tuck them into my pocket. If you need a little extra courage or strength on a given day, you can easily reach for the rosary and feel the solace that it offers. I'm so thrilled with this specific rosary and the association I have with it for Our Lady in a particularly sweet, motherly role. I am relying heavily on Our Lady of Fatima this spring. Do you have a devotion to Our Lady of Fatima, or is Our Lady under a particular title special to you in any way? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!