March 3rd

I feel I have been very fortunate in life. I was born into a family that wanted me and could afford another child. I grew up roaming in wild spaces and spent time in Pioneer Park where there were tennis courts, a pool, a skating rink in the winter. My neighborhood was safe, the schools I walked to were good. 

There were also aspects of my life that could be considered less than fortunate. My family went around and around on the merry-go-round of alcoholism before ways to recover from this addictive disease were well known. I was a puny, shy child who was encouraged to be obedient, so I tended to be afraid of risks, to avoid conflicts. I had a very disillusioning experience at a relatively early age. 

Now, as I enter my “golden years,” I am finding value and blessings in all of these experiences. Going through the pain of the less-than-happy events taught me things that I would not have learned otherwise - how to seek help, how to find the courage to change, how to forgive. 

Our tradition, it seems to me, offers a blueprint for accepting the fortunate and less than fortunate aspects of life. The rosary leads us through joyful mysteries - those parts of life for which it is easy to be grateful. Then it leads us through sorrowful mysteries - which seem to occur in all human lives. The rosary ends by commending us to see the glorious mystery  of life: that grace can be found in all of life’s ups and downs.