The memory is etched in my mind like a carving on an old, solid oak tree. I was in my bedroom, on my cellphone, eager to tell my friend Selena of my pregnancy. The response was not what I had expected. “I’m pregnant, too!” she said, and I could picture her smile as I heard her cheery voice. We were hundreds of miles apart, but we were closely connected — by our pregnancies, by our hopes for the future, and by our faith. She was the first to offer me a remedy for my morning sickness (really all-day sickness): graham crackers (that ended up being my go-to morning snack during the course of my pregnancy). Joys multiplied In Selena, I found a pregnancy buddy who offered me support and unconditional love during the most memorable time of my life. Joys multiplied, and crosses seemed to be cut in half, with Selena only a phone call away. As an older mother, I felt like Elizabeth, with Selena ministering to me as Mary had cared for her cousin. We ended up giving birth just three days apart, with Selena going into labor ahead of me. God blessed her with a lovely girl she named Jane, while God granted me the privilege and honor of becoming mother to a sweet gal I named Gabriella. Soul sisters Selena and I were girlfriends, but more importantly, we were soul sisters, striving to be the best Catholic mothers we could be. We commiserated over breastfeeding struggles, diaper deluges, and mountains of laundry. We were joyful comrades in both motherhood and the Church and shared stories of our babies’ developmental milestones. I call these “Mary Moments”: grace-filled opportunities to share the Gospel in a concrete way. Over the years, as our babies have grown, our hearts have also swelled with the love of Jesus and Mary that we share. Mary Moments are precious because they help to strengthen our connections not only with other women on earth, but with Mother Mary in Heaven. They fill us with joy because we know we are helping other women achieve their potential. The ability to serve is a phenomenal gift, and research in the area of positive psychology indicates it can even help alleviate a case of “the blues.” In giving of ourselves to others, we solidify our own sense of self-worth. We can imagine the Blessed Mother smiling above us as we pursue Mary Moments here below. We also need to recognize that Mary Moments can occur in the aftermath of a woman’s grief following the loss of an unborn child to miscarriage. Special attention also needs to be paid to women who have undergone abortions. And Mary Moments can occur when women serve as spiritual mothers in reaching out to other women. Excerpted from Joyful Encounters withMary: AWoman’s Guide to Living the Mysteries of the Rosary by Maria V. Gallagher, just published by Marian Press. To order, please visit ShopMercy.org/b54 (Product code: B54-JYMY) or call 1-800-462-7426. By Maria V. Gallagher Look for ‘Mary Moments’ Marian Helper • Summer 2022 • Marian.org 29 New From Marian Press ‘We were hundreds of miles apart, but we were closely connected — by our pregnancies, by our hopes for the future, and by our faith.’
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