As a convert, I had some Issues with Mary. The standard issues, nothing really new or exciting. I decided that my issues weren’t bad enough for me to not enter the Church, so despite my issues I entered in 2006. I tried many different things to overcome my issues. And while I did finally understand the Church’s teachings on Mary, I still found it hard to cultivate a relationship with her.
Attending the Mass of the Immaculate Conception in 2006 was when I realized that the man I married would indeed, be the man I married. I took that as a clue and assumed that the Blessed Virgin was trying to get my attention. She sure did. We were married on the 90th Anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima, and were blessed with a Honeymoon Baby. Our joy turned to tears when our baby was born in Heaven at five weeks gestation. In my grief, I told the Blessed Virgin to take care of our baby until we could be reunited.
Not long after our miscarriage, we conceived Elise. Naturally, we were a bundle of nerves. We prayed and prayed for this baby to stick, and were encouraged when I started getting morning sickness. In the early morning, during my morning sickness, and the fatigue; I tried my best to do God’s will. At this point, I started talking to Mary more, you know, since she did God’s will. I figured she could help me.
I eventually found a site devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe, where one could post requests for her intercession. So, I asked Our Lady of Guadalupe to take care of our baby, to help me accept God’s will if He wanted our little one home with Him and our Honeymoon Baby. I asked for peace of mind and to be wrapped in her mantle.
On January 28th, 2008; we were blessed to hear Elise’s little heart beating, loud and clear. My OB warned me that she probably couldn’t pick it up on the Doppler since I was only 10 weeks along, but there it was – it was the most beautiful sound in the world. When we got done telling our parents, I posted a thank you to Our Lady and asked her to see me into the second trimester. I also found a prayer to dedicate one’s children to Our Lady of Guadalupe, so I dedicated Elise and our Honeymoon Baby to her.
As the pregnancy progressed, I posted requests for her intercession and thank-yous for that intercession.
Elise’s due date was August 25th, but I was hoping that she would arrive on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin. It seemed only fitting, since Our Lady has been quite a fixture in our marriage. Our Elise decided that the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin was a good day to be born, and at 6 in the morning; she was put into our waiting arms.
This isn’t the first time that I’ve had help from Our Lady, but definitely has helped me with the Issues that I had. Greg and I have been praying a Rosary every single night since November 1st. I attribute that to a great grace from God since I can pray a Rosary without hang-ups, but one every night for more than a couple nights was pushing it. And it’s not like I buried my head in the sand, rather; I asked God to help me and took a look at what was hanging me up. And yes, I have had a lot of my hang-ups hung up for good. 
