Woman with devotion to St. Therese writes Catholic Shopping .com - What she said will make your day!

Occasionally we get letters and emails from our readers and shoppers from our website, Catholic Shopping .com. Today we received an email and a phone call from a client named Mary, who was very pleased with an early Mother's Day gift from her daughter. Mary was so moved by her gift that she took the time to write to us and called to say thank you. We decided we would, with her permission, share her email with you.

We'd also like to invite you to visit Catholic Shopping .com to see if you can make memories like those Mary had to share!

Dear Catholic Shopping .com,

My name is Mary, and I have been a proud Catholic all of my life. I am a mother of two daughters and four grandchildren, all of whom I adore. Unfortunately, my daughters have moved across the country for their husbands and work, so family gatherings are rare.

This distance makes holidays especially poignant. We often have to be satisfied with phone calls and sometimes I receive a gift in the mail, usually pictures or a nice card.

Get your own saints medals in time for Mother's Day here!

Yesterday however, I received an amazing gift from my youngest child, my daughter who is in her early thirties and has two kids of her own. She lives in Minnesota while I live in California and I haven't seen her in nearly three years.

Despite the distance, we talk every week and she knows that my faith is important to me. She also appreciates my special devotion to St. Therese of Lisieux.

When my eldest daughter was a teenager we went through a very troubled time. My husband passed away suddenly and she took the loss quite badly. Her grades suffered as well as her social interactions. My own sanity was greatly tested and within a year I lost my job of nearly 30 years, which at that time was in retail management. Even worse, I began to notice signs of arthritis in my hands.

I turned to my priest for help in this difficult time and he shared with me the example of St. Therese of Lisieux. We discerned that my life was full of complication and distress and that I needed to simplify, both physically and spiritually.

I memorized a quote from St. Therese which goes, "my way is all confidence and love."

I realized that I could not make my daughter change the way she was in, the friends she had or everything she did. All I could do was support her as she went through her own process of grieving and recovery. For myself, I could not reverse my aging, but instead I had to live in the moment rather than aspiring to be and do what was not in God's plan for me.

I adopted a devotion to St. Therese and I have worn her simple pewter medal around my neck for over fifteen years.

Yesterday a package arrived, quite by surprise, with a gift from my youngest daughter. It was a beautiful gold version of the medal I have worn in pewter for so many years! When I saw the medal, it made me cry because I recalled all the struggles, the prayers and the times I called upon the intercession of St. Therese to aid me.

We Will Pray with You: Light Your Virtual Prayer Candle

I called my daughter to thank her and she said she was surprised at how fast her gift was shipped. She expected it to take longer, but it didn't, which is why I got my gift so early! We had the longest and best conversation we've had in years.

I truly believe St. Therese hears my prayers and answers them. This medal is also an answer to a prayer that although my daughters live far away, I believe things will be alright as I retire from my current work and transition to my golden years.

I am so lucky to have my parish family, the blessings of God, St. Therese, and my daughters. I thank you for making it easy for my daughter to buy such a wonderful gift for me in anticipation of Mother's Day. I am truly happy.

Thanks again for your wonderful website and shopping page. I am truly blessed by this gift.

May St. Therese pray for you too and may God bless you and all that you do!

Mary N-
Sacramento, California

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