In case you missed it, you can listen to Al Kresta and me chatting about military stresses and strains and invisible war wounds in our conversation yesterday on Memorial Day: Here is a link to my recent radio chat: Just slide the marker to the “22:27” mark and our chat will begin just after that point. Enjoy!
Honor your soldier by wearing and praying with this beautiful prayer bracelet created by Donna-Marie and learn about the heroic military women with Donna-Marie’s brand new prayer book! Purchase this bracelet and book COMBO and $5.00 will be donated to the Wounded Warriors! Click photo to go to the book purchasing page on this website. PLEASE NOTE, other military medals are available. Click picture to go to choices.
YOUR PURCHASE BENEFITS THE WOUNDED WARRIORS!
Learn about the heroic military women, be inspired by reflections and prayers, wear or gift a lovely bracelet in honor of our soldiers, and help the Wounded Warriors all at once with this sweet deal!
Book description: Whether you’re together on a military base with your spouse or alone waiting for your loved one to return from deployment, you’re juggling the many endless, special, and often heartbreaking demands placed on military families – demands not addressed in most prayer books. And, like so many other military wives, you’ve often got to bear these burdens alone, and sometimes even silently.
Here you’ll find powerful prayers composed for your needs and also frank and inspiring testimony from fellow Catholic military wives. These are your stories, told with unflinching honesty, echoing your heartaches, your pains, and yes, your amazing triumphs in faith, both small and large.
On good days, By Dawn’s Early Light will help you thank God for the blessings of your spouse’s noble vocation; on bad days, it will help you walk steadily in your sure Catholic faith, grateful to be able to put one foot in front of another.
All too well you know that for you, heroism doesn’t remain on the battlefield—it’s woven into the fabric of your life.
By Dawn’s Early Light shines the healing light of Christ on that heroism, giving honor and praise to you and to God, as with Him you fulfill the duties and experience the joys of one of the most noble of all vocations: that of a military wife.
Click here to purchase and see other options.
I have created a new wrap style bracelet which you can see below. The difference between the WRAP style and the classic clasp bracelets are the way in which the bracelet fits around the wrist. There is less worry about a proper fit with the wrap style.
Here are a couple of new military styles in the NEW WRAP bracelet, as well as two classic (non-military style) “Prayerfully Expecting & Hoping” novena bracelets shown first with turquoise hearts and accenting beads in the NEW WRAP style. Secondly, with pink pearl beads and lovely tiny white pearl beads with silver accents.
You can see the history of these bracelets here and also see purchasing information. Every bracelet is comprised with nine major beads to symbolize a novena of prayer, a pregnancy representing human life, as well as the nine choirs of Angels.
I just spent some precious time with some of my very favorite people. I had the honor and blessing of speaking to the military women, AKA the MCCW, which is the Military Council of Catholic Women. They invited me to key note at their Worldwide conference held in Washington, DC. I was there from Thursday until Monday. It was a beautiful and intensely grace-filled time hanging with and ministering to about 260 Catholic military women.
I’ll write more about the experience when I get the chance. Meanwhile, take a look at this page of Novena bracelets I made for the military.
Donna-Marie at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas last summer wearing her pin as an honorary member of the MCCW.
I recently heard from Elizabeth, a woman I had met a few years ago when I was giving a talk to a women’s group at West Point in New York. Elizabeth wanted to let me know that she was enjoying one of my latest books, The Miraculous Medal: Stories, Prayers, and Devotions.
She shared, “It brought me to tears of happiness several times.”
Elizabeth told me that she wears “a bracelet containing medals of the saints who are especially important to me.” She went on to describe them all. There’s St. Barbara – patroness of the Field Artillery. Elizabeth wears that one because her husband is a field artillery officer. St. Michael the Archangel is the next medal. She said she wears it “To protect my husband.” Next on her bracelet is, St. Patrick (after her son Patrick). Then comes St. Joan of Arc “because of her strength.” St. George is next (because of her son George). Next is Our Lady of Perpetual Help “because I need her,” she simply stated. St. Anthony is next. Elizabeth loves him because “he is the great finder.” She has placed St. Francis next on her bracelet “because his zeal inspires me,” she shared.
St. Therese of Lisieux is next to the others “because her ‘Little Way’ is such a powerful witness.” St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is next on her bracelet “because I was named for her and born on her feast day and have always prayed for her intercession as a mother,” Elizabeth explained. And then there’s St. Thomas More because Elizabeth is a lawyer and asks for his intercession in her work.
To complete the blessed circle of medals is the Miraculous Medal which was given to Elizabeth by her grandmother. Elizabeth shared that her grandmother “was notorious for asking, with very knowing eyes, ‘Have you consulted the Blessed Mother?’” whenever Elizabeth spoke of a dilemma or concern.
One time Elizabeth’s husband was away at military training and Elizabeth was home alone with all of the kids for a month. After awhile, she got to feeling a bit weary being alone with all of their care. But she did enjoy reading about the history of the Miraculous Medal and modern-day Miraculous Medal stories too from my book whenever she’d get a few minutes of quiet to do so.
She shared that it was during that time that she became upset because, “While I was reading your book, I lost my Miraculous Medal.” It was nowhere to be found. “I was upset about losing this medal, and prayed that I would find it.”
During her husband’s absence, Elizabeth began to feel even more exhausted and worn down from all of her responsibilities and no one to help her. She felt lonely too, and started to feel just a bit sorry for herself. She at times didn’t remember to “consult” the Blessed Mother as her grandmother had suggested to her in the past. At other times, she indeed reached out to Mother Mary in prayer but still felt stuck.
One night after she put the kids to bed she couldn’t shake the feeling of not being appreciated for all she did in the home and frustrated that she couldn’t work outside the home. She was feeling too weary to cope with her feelings.
But, it was getting late and though Elizabeth was very tired, she knew that before she could relax and settle down for the night, she had to deal with some dirty dishes that were in the sink waiting for her.
“As I pulled on my rubber gloves at about 9:30 PM to finish the dinner dishes, I felt something strange in the finger of the gloves. I reached in the glove and found my Miraculous Medal!”
Elizabeth was ecstatic to have found her cherished Miraculous Medal given to her by her grandmother.
“What really struck me though,” she revealed, “is the small grace I received in finding the medal.” She continued to recount her experience.
“Bent over the kitchen sink, tired from a busy day, and lonely, I was reminded that this vocation of motherhood is something I share with our Blessed Mother, and she too, knows the simultaneous feelings of love and fatigue that motherhood entails.”
Elizabeth had much to think about as she stood by her kitchen sink that particular evening, drinking in the miraculous graces as she prayed for strength.
“I washed those greasy dishes and prayed for the grace to get through the next day. She, [Mother Mary] of course provided. Had I not been reading your book, I might not have been so aware or appreciative of the small miracle. Thank you very much for your continued ministry.”
My questions for you, dear reader…
What small (or big) grace has unfolded in your life? Might God be asking you to pause and ponder–to stop and reflect on His amazing presence in your life–maybe even amid the pots and pans and small details of life?
Have you “consulted” with the Blessed Mother for help and guidance in your life? Blessed Mother Teresa, whom I was so blessed to know taught me a simple yet succinct prayer: “Mary, Mother of Jesus, be a Mother to me now.” Mother Mary knows our hearts. Don’t be afraid to reach out to her.
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. (inscribed on the Miraculous Medal).
[PS Elizabeth gave her permission to share her story]
