I faced a Monday that was going to be busy, with various appointments and things I needed to do. I was also expecting an important package from UPS that was supposed to be delivered. UPS had attempted to deliver it the Friday before, but the package required a signature and no one was around to sign for it so the driver did not leave it. They were attempting a second delivery that day and the person who had sent the package was awaiting confirmation that I had received it.
Looking at my schedule, I realized that I would not be around when the UPS truck came. I asked the people I live with at the Lord’s Ranch to keep an eye out for the delivery, but I also know that people get busy and may not hear the knock at the door or see the truck. So I stopped and prayed a prayer. This is a prayer that I often pray when I am faced with a busy day: “Blessed Mother, please be my receptionist and take care of all the details of this day. Work out any possible conflicts or overlapping of appointments, and remind me of any obligations that I need to fulfill. Let it all unfold smoothly and peacefully for the glory of your Son. Amen.”
We’ve all had those days where nothing seems to go right — meetings run overtime, we’re not in the right place at the right time, we forget a commitment we had made, we get stuck in traffic, we can’t find our car keys or cell phone, etc. etc. It’s so easy to end up frazzled and frustrated, which can lead to sharp words spoken, tempers lost, and frayed relationships. However when I take the time to ask Our Lady to help me, she never fails to answer my request.
At the end of that hectic Monday, I learned how the Blessed Mother had worked things out in response to my prayer that morning. One of the men was working at a far corner of the Ranch. He finished what he was doing and drove up to the main house where packages are delivered. At the very moment he pulled up, the UPS truck pulled up as well. He was able to sign for the package and later bring it to me. I could then let the sender know it was safe in our hands.
I share this story with you because there is no detail in our lives too small that Heaven is not aware of or interested in. Our lives are full of common, ordinary, mundane tasks — what the Servant of God Catherine Doherty called “the duty of the moment.” Our Lady is well aware of the practical details of our lives and I think she enjoys being asked to help sort them out. I’ve learned to trust her and ask for her help to be where I need to be, to attend to whomever the Lord brings into my path that day, and to serve her Son faithfully in the ordinary. I have found that she is an amazing organizer and the best receptionist in the world.
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