It's Mary's Birthday!

Today the Church celebrates the nativity of the Mother of God.   Mary has such a special role in my life and has brought me so much closer to Jesus than I could have ever come on my own. I know she has roped me with the graces of the rosary, so it makes me want to celebrate this day in thanksgiving for all she has done for me.  Here is a wonderful conversion story by Edie Loughmiller that starts with some profound words on Mary:

There were three key factors that brought me into the Catholic Church nine years ago. The first and most compelling was simply that Mary Won My Heart. As a protestant, my choice of church generally was based upon whether or not I could feel the Holy Spirit at work in worship and at Bible study, filling my lamp with oil to keep me going in my daily life. Generally, I was disappointed in this quest. Then, a friend from work invited me to RCIA, giving me an opportunity to learn about the Catholic Church. At the time, I felt like nothing else was helping me spiritually, and that I should certainly give it a try. After I learned from other Catholics about the apparitions of Mary at Fatima and Lourdes, I began to say the Rosary. To my surprise, the Holy Spirit filled my heart as I was giving my heart to the Blessed Mother in prayer and meditation.....click to read the rest of Edie Loughmiller's conversion story found on Catholic Fire.

 For our celebration of Mary's Birthday, we used Lacy's craft from Catholic Icing and made a cake for Mary with paper and puffy paint.  This activity was so fun and easy and the kids loved it!! But our cakes looked nothing like Lacy's!  Tonight we will be going to a birthday potluck party for Mary at the church.  Following the party is a holy hour, which would be great to attend as well, but alas, the little ones will need to come home for their bedtimes.

Happy Feast Day to you all!

Sometime in the next few days, I will post about the mysterious story about how I woke up with a rosary around my neck...