Memere's Rosary
When I was preparing for my first Profession (just this past August 16th) I asked my friends and family not to give me gifts. Their presence at the mass and their prayers would be plenty enough. But secretly I really wanted one memento to mark the day: a wooden rosary from Vermont (my home state). I told no one but God. I was not surprised (but admittedly also a bit disappointed) that I did not find such a rosary among the few mementos of the day. What I'm realizing now is that this gift was coming. It wasn't presented to me one the day of profession because it was still being sweetened by the love, prayers, and suffering of another.
When I asked God for the rosary I envisioned a new one. But now, sitting in chapel during Adoration, I hold my inheritance from my beloved Memere (my French-Canadian grandmother). As I pray for the first time on her rosary, I look down and realize is made of wood. My mom gave it to me when I went home to Vermont for the funeral. Mom said this was the last rosary on which my grandmother had prayed. This is none other than the wooden rosary from Vermont for which I had asked God. It is a realization that is full of sorrow and joy.
God took Memere to heaven on September 2nd. It was hard to say goodbye, but I was so blessed to have the opportunity to be with her twice during her short illness. In those visits home Memere taught me so much about living by how she died. God offered her so many graces during this final part of her earthly journey. With loving gratitude Memere lived this grace. In so doing she generously shared it with all those whom she loved. She asked that we not make her out to be a saint. And so that is not my intention here. What I want to do is to celebrate God's gift to us, her family, through her living and her dying.
God was present in the love shared between her and her loved ones as we came to visit her and as we cared for her. Her thank you's and goodbyes were filled with so much more than those simple words. I am so thankful to have been present with her for a short time during her final days. The seeds of grace shared with me at that time will surely continue to grow for years to come. I am trying to live as she died: with peaceful surrender to God's will.
I am compelled to mention and celebrate her choice of hospice care when she was diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer. As a Vermonter she could legally have chosen to explore physician assisted suicide. All the beauty, peace, and love we all experienced from God during her final days would have been lost. Her funeral was surely a time to mourn our loss, but our great consolation, hope, and joy was that our God who generously blessed her choice of life with a terminal illness would also bless her with eternal life.
The gift of this inherited rosary is priceless. It is for me not only a reminder of the vows I have made, but it also keeps alive the memory of my Memere. It assures me of her constant, prayerful support. What a gift to be given as I begin my life as a professed Sister of Christian Charity! God surely gives to His beloved!
