As the calendar turns to May, I can't help but remember Mary. As a child, this month brought May Altars to our home and praying of the rosary. We would take great care to put a beautiful cloth on the bookcase at the end of the hall and then set our plastic Mary statue on top of it. Through out the month, we would adorn the altar with home made tissue flowers, dandelions, or lilacs. It was an act of reverence to the Mother of God that holds meaning to me this day. At school there would always be a special prayer service where we would process with flowers, ending up at a large Mary Statue which would be crowned with a ring of flowers.
During this month of May, take some time in your household to remember and connect to Mary. There are more than a dozen stories in the Bible where Mary appears, acts, or speaks. Read one of them and see what new insights you can gain about Mary. Perhaps you would like to create a Mary Altar of some kind in your house. Commit to saying the rosary (or 1 decade) once a week. Maybe you could pray the Hail Mary in place of your meal prayer this month. Another fun activity would be to do a search on line titled "Images of Mary" and see a number of different ways that artists portray Mary. However you choose to do it, spend a little time this month remembering this wonderful follower of Jesus. Let her life inspire you to say yes to God like she did.
