And, sure enough, whenever we would do this, good things would come to pass. For this action was more than just putting a statue in the right place; it was putting our HEARTS in the right place before God.
So, all this week and last, Our Lady has been sitting on my window sill. And my heart has been particularly prayerful.
The reason is because my dear Grandmother took an unexpected fall and broke her hip on February 2nd.
Thank God for my wonderful parents, Aunt Tess, and Uncle Fred who have kept a constant watch over my Grandmother for at least the last 2 years, never letting her be alone, lest she should fall and hurt herself.
When this terrifying moment came as Grandmom tripped over a blanket in the bedroom, Mom and Dad were already in place, nearby in the living room. What a scary moment this must have been for all three of them, my grandmother especially. She was rushed to the hospital where she underwent surgery the next day.
Praise God for the snow day we had, for the cancellation of school allowed me to see my grandmother before she went in for surgery. She asked me to pray the "Hail Mary" many times for her, and so this I promised, praying the Rosary with my mom and father while she was in surgery.
She got through surgery just fine and spent 1.5 hours recovering before the doctors said we could come back and see her. With joy, we headed to her recovery room.
But, as if she was waiting for us to be close, we were just three more steps from entering her room when her vital signs took a plunge. Her heartbeat and blood pressure dropped rapidly and significantly. The nurses hit the emergency switch to sound the Code Blue Alarm, which sounded throughout the entire hospital.
Everyone went into a panic. Doctors and nurses came running down the hall. Grandmom's tiny hospital room became crowded with the bodies of 20 people, all of them calling out to Grandmother and checking with each other as to what they could possibly do. Someone even asked us if we wanted her to go on life support, given that she was already 94.
My dear aunt sunk to the floor with wailing tears. My uncle held her, and my father held me. Mom darted past the doctors to be at by Grandmom's side and hold her hand. And I prayed more fervently in those moments than I ever have in my entire life.
Indeed, my entire body became a prayer. Every fiber of my being was praying, and when I realized this never-before-felt feeling, I came to understand what is meant when the saints say that "through prayer, all things are possible."
Even though I was a few steps away from her doorway, I could not resist holding my hand out in Grandmom's direction, nor could I silence the prayers that were coming steadily from my lips.
The prayers gave me peace and strength, and my father joined me in saying them aloud. Despite the commotion and flurry of the doctors running about, I could feel my grandmother telling me, somehow through those prayers, that her presence here on earth was strong and that she was not going anywhere.
With fervent prayers to God, I said innumerable prayers of the "Our Father" and "Hail Mary" and called upon the intercession of Our Lady, St. Philomena, St. Joseph, and Venerable Pauline-Marie Jaricot. And with just three invocations of St. Philomena and her spiritual friend Venerable Pauline, a miracle happened.
With unexpected joy at seeing Grandmom's stabilization, the remaining doctors and nurses suggested we move her to the Intensive Care Unit on another floor. As her bed was rolled out, Grandmom opened her beautiful blue eyes to me, and I verbally promised more prayers to her.
Down the hall, I followed behind her, my legs feeling strong and incredibly grounded, my hands still open at my chest as I continued to pray in her direction.
At the elevators, the doctors told my family and I that we would need to take another, and this we did. One of the doctors called out to me, just before the elevator door closed. He yelled, "Keep praying!" I responded with, "I will!"
Eventually--and I'm not sure how long it really was that I had prayed, for it certainly could have been at least an hour--I felt a peace about stopping. Grandmom had whispered her thank-you to me, and now she was sleeping. I knew that all would be well.
I will never forget a special moment I had, when I was looking at her closed eyes as she laid on the hospital bed, recovering from the surgery. From her face, I could tell that she was working hard at that moment to endure the pain and to heal. And I thought about how strong her petite body was. Indeed, her small stature was deceiving. This is a woman who has endured 94 years of life. She has triumphed over all the challenges of life that God has permitted her to have. With that little body, she has loved us, she gave birth to us, she has fed us, she has encouraged us, she has prayed for us. She lived through the Depression and held all of us together as a family, happy and healthy and clean. My grandmother is, dear reader, a living legend!
As of two days ago, my Grandmother is out of the hospital. As a result of three strength tests, she qualified to begin work at a rehabilitation center (instead of being sent to a nursing home). At the rehabilitation center, she endures physical therapy to strengthen her leg and recover from the surgery. Her spirits are great, she is never without multiple family members by her side, and yesterday she walked 136 feet with a walker. She also has learned to use a wheelchair successfully!
Throughout this entire ordeal, she has been pleasant and strong.
As she was being moved into the ambulance on the night of her fall, she profusely thanked all the EMTs that were helping her.
She has been kind and very appreciative of every doctor and nurse that has helped her.
When she moved to the rehabilitation center, she told me that she will miss the faces at the hospital that first helped her.
And, even when it is painful for her to walk during her therapy sessions, she does the work without complaining and celebrates when she has reached her daily goals.
I praise God for His mercy and His miracles. I praise God for his saints, always ready to help us. I praise God for my grandmother and her precious demeanor of gentleness and strength. I praise God for blessing us with more time spent with my dear grandmother. And I praise God for my incredible family and the wonderful example that He's given me with my outstanding parents.
And I pray that one day soon Venerable Pauline-Marie Jaricot may be acknowledged as the saint that I believe she is!
