If I can do it...

We've had a very special guest staying with us for a couple of weeks. She's a couple feet tall, wears a blue mantle, and sits high on our mantel.

As I mentioned in a previous post, a traveling Our Lady of Grace statue found its way to our home recently. And she couldn't have come at a better time, which shouldn't surprise me in the least.

The kids were very excited to have her and I decided to start saying one decade of the Rosary every night with them while she's here.

Let me first say that as much as I wish we were one of those families who says a family Rosary, we are not. I think maybe we had previously said it a total of two times together with the kids, and that was before they were toddlers because I have no memory of trying to contain them during it. And I'd remember that, let me tell you.

But I have always loved the sound of it. We're about to say our Family Rosary....We say a Family Rosary....Once, during our Family Rosary...

Bedtime prayers were enough for me. I always think how if a non-Christian neighbor happened to be listening in on me during our nightly prayer time, it'd probably be enough for them to never convert. Stop that right now and tell Jesus you love him!!!!!!!!!!! I'm sure I come across as a poster-child for the faith.

So a part of me probably thought I had lost my mind when I decided to start saying a decade a night. It's hard enough doing bedtime on my own (Ryan works evenings) with a boy who hates sleeping, but to add this into the mix? But I think that was key - we'd say just a decade. It's manageable. The perfect amount of time. And we'd light candles. Oh, the candles. I knew that I'd get them with the candles.

And I was right. It's not just the lighting, but the promise of blowing them out at the end. Like a mini-birthday every night. But only if they sit nicely and pray (there's a LOT of wiggle room in that, though.. usually as long as they engage in a couple prayers and don't do anything naughty, they get the big reward).

It's been amazing. Crazy. There's still some yelling to be heard. But amazing.

They're supposed to stay on the couch due to the candles. That usually lasts 30 seconds.

I really think they like the ritual of it all. Pulling Mary down, setting up the candles, lighting them, picking out their Rosary. They look forward to what's coming. And I discovered that first night that they know the Apostles' Creed. I don't even have that memorized! They must have learned it from their favorite videos, or else have been sneaking that copy of the Baltimore Catechism we don't have in our house. No, I'm not on the company's pay roll, I swear, but seriously. I'm not kidding when I say I never learned that prayer by heart. And my TWO-year-olds know it. Clearly, TV isn't all bad.

Sorting out Rosaries, a constant task during prayer time

Don't get me wrong, they're not perfect angels while we pray, but they are surprisingly well behaved. And by "well behaved" I mean only sometimes does Luke use the Rosary as a weapon. And by "weapon" I don't mean the spiritual kind.

I truly believe they are receiving graces from it. I think we all are. It happened to coincide with a time when we really stepped up our prayers for a specific intention having to do with our possible adoption, and I believe it helped. Luke has also been going to bed better since we've been saying the Rosary. Sure, it might be a coincidence, but maybe not.

My kids have always had a devotion to Our Lady. They talk about her, they are excited to see images of her, and ask about her . I didn't do anything to start that, they just have always been that way, especially Luke. Now, when we start talking about bedtime, they immediately ask, "Are we going to say the Rosary?" Or, during the day, Luke will spot her up on the mantel and beg to get her down to pray. It's awesome. And I really hope it lasts. Which is why I want to help foster it now.

He told me he was "skating" for her here

Believe me, if I can do it, anyone can. I have little patience when it comes to praying. I'm not sure why, I have just always been that way. It's hard enough to concentrate on my own, let alone trying to wrangle two toddlers to pray with me. But now that we pray the Rosary, my patience is growing. Amid the chaos, I love our nightly Rosary time. I look forward to it. We say it even if it's late. I don't feel the need to rush. And I always feel great after.

And even though Our Lady of Grace will be leaving us soon, we're going to keep up our nightly decade. I don't think the kids would let me stop.

I swear we don't pose for pictures with her all the time

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.