Mary’s Story

Years ago (during my first go around as a Catholic), my husband bought me a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I appreciated it, but never felt or chose to be devoted enough to Mary to really grasp the greatness of that one random act of kindness.  

My husband is not Catholic, yet he chose to spend money on an item that he believed would mean something to me. That was love! So I accepted the gift, placed the statue in my living room, then mainly forgot about it unless I caught a glance here and there. I would look at that statue of Mary and be reminded of my husband’s love for me.

One day, the Mary statue fell and the base busted. I was pretty irritated because it happened due to my kids’ rough housing. I was probably not kind to them about it. Yep, I did not used to look at the big picture (and still struggle to do so now) but would get worked up over small moments. Probably typical for tired mommas. At any rate, I glued the base and put “her” back on display. In 2010, I left the Catholic Church.  

During my years away from the Church, I would look at that statue of Mary and get annoyed, but I kept it on display for a while. One day, I’d had enough. I had to convince myself that having that statue was wrong, that I was idolizing an image of a person who wasn’t really THAT significant. Goodness, was I ever misguided in my thinking. I took the statue, thought long and hard about throwing it away, then decided to put it in a corner of our bedroom with the face turned to the wall. 

I almost threw that statue away SO MANY TIMES, but never could bring myself to do it, mainly because of who bought it for me and the selfless gesture that really was. When I returned to the Catholic Church in 2021, I still didn’t understand Mary’s significance, so I thought about giving the statue to a sweet person struggling with infant loss to remind her of the wonderful mother that she was/is. I never got around to it.

After a few months of being back in the Church, I decided to start praying the Rosary daily. It was a game changer for me. I learned so many things through that prayerful meditation, but the single most important one was this: Mary’s sole purpose is to point us to Jesus. No more, no less.

So here I am, many years after my husband sweetly bought that statue of Mary, writing of my devotion to her Immaculate heart and feeling SO GRATEFUL that I still have the reminder of her significance in Jesus’s story sitting on top of my piano. 

I sure do love and appreciate my husband for that. 

And that statue reminds me daily just how much he truly loves me.

*Update* It is time for the Mary statue to be “rehomed,” and I know that the story surrounding it will continue to be significant. ❤