"....mourning and weeping in this valley of tears".

There is a prayer at the end of the Rosary - the "Hail Holy Queen", that has this rather dramatic line in it - "To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve, to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears."
I felt the meaning of those words for the very first time in late October 1951 as I knelt in the living room of a 5th floor walk up on Linden Street in Brooklyn. The family gathered at Marie O'Donnell's apartment in an attempt to support each other through the most excruciating pain imaginable. I remember knelling with the rest of the family as they cried and recited the rosary together. Marie had just received the horrendous telegram confirming the news that we all dreaded (since no one had gotten a letter in many days) that her husband, First Lieutenant Joseph T. O'Donnell, had been killed in action in Korea on 13 October 1951. He was 29 years old and the father of two little girls at the time of his death. He was Marie's childhood sweetheart and the long-awaited, only son of Margaret & TJ O'Donnell.
I was only 6 & 1/2 years old when we prayed that rosary together in 1951 but I learned without a doubt what it meant to be mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. I began to understood that life is filled with sickness and pain and that sadness and death are unavoidable. I also learned that we need to celebrate the special times, and make the most of every moment together.
This past week has zapped my energy. My dear little grandson, Connor, had a wicked case of gastroenteritis and I was far from brave when I saw him looking so ill. You would think I'd be braver, considering that I am a nurse . But I am not brave at all rather I a real coward when it comes to such things. My daughter, on the other hand was great. She is a wonderful mother and kept calm and collected throughout the entire ordeal. I am happy to report he appears to have made a complete recovery. It is taking his Grandma a little longer to recover!
During this past week, the day after the big snow storm , we also went to Long Island to honor and celebrate the life of my mother's sister, Maureen. Along with Maureen's son, Tom, I prepared and delivered a Eulogy for my Aunt Maureen. Although it was an honor and a privilege for me, it brought up so many memories that it left me wiped out emotionally. After the services, we went back to my cousin, Laura's, ( Maureen's "baby") home and we spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening reminiscing. Possibly, if anyone is interested, I'll share a copy of my memories of Aunt Maureen in a future blog. Hopefully we have had enough mourning and weeping for awhile.
By the way, this is one of the reasons I like to do positive things "for Lent" rather than look for more ways to suffer. I think human beings suffer enough without looking for specific ways to suffer more. Just my opinion.
Mary Beth