In June 2010, my sister and I met for a long weekend in Ireland. During those three short days, I fell in love with Dublin. It was beautiful and friendly, and there were so many treasures waiting to be discovered. One such treasure rested at the Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church.
This sweet place, which looks less than special from the outside, is home to some of the relics of St. Valentine. St. Valentine is an interesting "character." Little is known about St. Valentine, and many believe that there were in fact several St. Valentines. What is agreed upon, though, is that he was martyred in ancient Rome for his role in the Church.
As I knelt before his relics, I could not have cared less who he was. I prayed the prayer that was becoming my mantra. I asked St. Valentine, whoever he was, to pray for me. To pray that I would get pregnant. To pray that Andrew and I would know the joy of becoming parents. To pray for peace and perseverance on our journey. And I believe he did. His prayers joined those of our family, our friends, and ourselves, as he pleaded with our Lord to grant our request. And just to remind us that he was on our team, St. Valentine made February 14, 2011 extra special. On that day, we heard both of our children's heartbeats for the first time...the sweetest sound imaginable.
Happy heart day!
No comments:
Post a Comment