I will fully admit I was wrapped up in party prep on Saturday when Fr. Gene called. We meet every few months at the abbey for my spiritual direction and I figured he wanted to move our appointment because he found out he had something else scheduled at that time.
Instead, he said, “I’m going to my homily on Tuesday about you without naming you. It’s about how a Polish woman from Chicago became devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe.”
Tomorrow, December 12, is both the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe and my birthday.
He asked me to recount how it all began and I found myself…. not remembering.
But as I began to piece the details together, maybe not all of them, but the ones that came to me, I was reminded how Guadalupe always appears around the time of my birthday. As I told Fr. Gene, “Things happen.”
I admit I was a bit tired on Saturday. While I was excited for the party, It also has been quite a six weeks or so of events and happenings. I’m near the finish line now, but there are still things to do before the break really comes.
As I kept talking, something occurred to me that I don’t remember thinking before– that Guadalupe is behind my creativity.
When I go to church, I always light at candle at her statue and ask for her help, guiding and leading me in both my writing and my prayer life. Fr. Gene had told me once that God speaks to me through Guadalupe and I joke that I don’t hear God so he figured out that was the way to reach me.
Since becoming aware of the presence of Guadalupe in my life in the last ten or so years, my creativity and inspiration have increased and feel endless. Now the challenge has been how to balance finding the time to be creative with the realities of making money and keeping the bills paid.
But on Saturday none of that mattered. She just wanted me to remember that she is here with me, that December is the time I feel closest to her and God even though they are never away. In December, I take the time to reflect on where we have come in the past year. And what’s ahead.