In 1970, my parents bought a home in Plainview, Long Island. Shortly after moving in, they purchased a beautiful statue of the Blessed Mother which was placed on the front lawn under the large bay window. More than twenty years later, my parents retired and moved to Vermont. The Blessed Mother statue moved with them. When they moved to North Carolina to be closer to my husband and I, the statue moved too. Eventually, when they moved into our home in North Carolina, the Blessed Mother statue was moved to our backyard.

Throughout the years, my father painted the statue to ensure she looked her best. Before moving to Florida in 2018, I did the same.

When I first toured my home in Florida, I knew exactly where I would place the Blessed Mother statue. Outside the pool cage, facing the back of my home, is a tall horseshoe shaped bush. I could see immediately that this was where the statue belonged. Because the parts of the statue were quite heavy, I had the movers take the statue from the moving truck to the backyard and place it in the center of the bush. There she remained for the past seven years.

During a recent assessment of my backyard, I realized that the Blessed Mother statue needed to be repainted.

She was in bad shape after spending seven years under the hot Florida sun.

There are three parts to this statue. The base is the heaviest, and I knew I could not move that on my own. The grotto sits on the base and the statue of the Blessed Mother stands inside the grotto. I first moved the statue to the inside of my pool cage near the back porch. I was then able to move the grotto. This was quite heavy. With every step, I prayed – Please don’t let me break this 55-year-old statue.

After a good scrubbing with Dawn dishwashing detergent and hot water, she was ready for painting. I purchased several colors from Lowes and began the project.

It was the first week in May and we were all preparing for Mother’s Day. What an appropriate time to be working on a Blessed Mother project! Although I did not complete the project in time for Mother’s Day, it was completed on May 13, the feast of Our Lady of Fatima.

Fatima is in Portugal, and it is my next European trip. I do not yet have a date planned for this trip. I am waiting for my son to give me the date for his military retirement. Once I know that date, I will be planning my trip to Portugal and Fatima.

In 1917, three shepherd children – Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta – reported seeing the Blessed Mother six times beginning on May 13. The children described the woman seen as “a Lady more brilliant than the Sun.” The last apparition reported by the children occurred on October 13. On this day, before a vast number of people, what is known as the Miracle of the Sun occurred. It was reported by all those in attendance, including newspaper reporters, that the sun appeared to “dance” or zigzag in the sky. The sun also seemed to be advancing to the earth and emitting multicolored light.

During one of the apparitions, the Blessed Mother taught the children a special prayer. This prayer, known as the Fatima prayer, is added to the end of each decade of the Rosary.

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins,

Save us from the fires of hell.

Lead all souls to heaven,

Especially those in most need of Your mercy.

I am looking forward to finalizing plans to Portugal and Fatima and will be sure to write all about my experience in this blog.

In the meantime, I am enjoying the beauty of the Blessed Mother statue in my yard – especially at night.

The Feast of the Visitation on May 31 is right around the corner. This is another beautiful Marian feast that provides an opportunity to reflect on the life of the Blessed Mother.

May is a Marian month and a time to deepen your love and devotion to Mary, the great Mother of God.

Stay tuned for upcoming books and travel blogs. God bless!