The Feast of the Expectation of Our Lady...

"Send victory like a dew, you heavens, and let the clouds rain down the just. Let the earth open for salvation to spring up" (Is 45:8).

~The Antiphon for the Feast of the Expectation of Our Lady.

I feel very tearful.

Of the good sort.

I was visiting Jackie's blog over in England, Catholic Mom of 10 and saw her recommendation to visit a new blog called The Expectation of Our Lady but what really drew me in was the beautiful image above and the reminder that December the 18th (yesterday, two hours ago...I have middle-of-the-night-insomnia at present..) was this beautiful feast, "The Expectation of Our Lady."

I cannot say how grateful I am to know this. I know that St Gratian's feast was yesterday, the day Chemai had her ceasarian scheduled - his name meaning 'son of thankfulness' which seemed so appropriate to her but THIS beautiful feast? What a revelation!

Chemai's maternal expectation had been drawn out with great suffering and trials over four months but with great faith in God to draw greater good and many blessings from everything and I really saw that faith and resignation.

When I think of Our Lady's expectation on this day - when she would have been travelling under difficult circumstances, heavily pregnant with the Lord, cold weather, a donkey's back.. and yet to experience all the hardships of finding a place to give birth to the Christ Child I could just weep at the connections there will be for Chemai to ponder upon when I tell her of yesterday's feast.