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| Madonna at San Xavier del Bac |
Today is the last day of posting a virgin a day. My posting is late on this,the 12th day, but not without mindfulness and intention.I have kept Mary in my heart throughout this entire celebration.Not being a religious person, I hesitated to participate in this at all. Then I found out that it wasn't about religion it was about sharing.
Mary has not been a part of my life as I was raised in a patriarch based faith and was never taught much about Mary. Then lost my religion a number of years ago. However I do seek to follow grace. Mary is the perfect representation of grace and LOVE. She will forever be in my heart.
Thank you for this beautiful experience dearest rebecca.
And thanks to all of my friends here.
My love to you.
gemma
linked to rebecca @ recuerda mi corazon
I would love to see the folky angels in the background here, closer.. I love your words "I do seek to follow grace" i can relate to that I think it is what i do too, only i didn't really ever know what it was i was doing, borrowing a little here a little there, raising my children with traditions from everywhere just because we see ourselves in them, nonCatholics in a Catholic school (as was I) Waldorfy childhood;and yet we find our way and as you say.. we seek grace. Thank you for those words and all your posts, i have just reviewed them as i missed some of yours. xxxx
ReplyDeleteA perfect finish, Gemma.
ReplyDeleteBut you know I am not finished with Mary...
or you!
Love, Lisa
Thanbk you for sharing those personal thoughts. I thought like you did for years. I discovered there is a very big difference between a spiritual life and religion. I thought I failed myself, buit found a path that made sense to me. It has brought me closer to God than any organized religion could ever do. I have appreciated all your submissions for A Virgin a Day. You have shared well.
ReplyDeletePeace
I posted the very same image this morning,although I took mine from a different angle than you did yours. How lovely that we have both seen with our own eyes this amazing representation of Mary!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you particpated, Gemma. Mary never denies her love to anyone and she has great tenderness in her heart for the wounded.
ReplyDeleteI have not participated for the past four days, being out of town. However, I was in Little Saigon (in the L.A. area) yesterday and found something entirely new to me. I will share her when I get home.
Christmas blessings,
Annie
I was not raised with any knowledge of Mary at all, but when I converted to Catholicism at 21, I became aware and fell in love. The divine feminine is for human kind, religion or not.
ReplyDeleteIt has been such an honor to visit your blog for the past few days. You've helped to make it a remarkable journey! Thank you for sharing your images and stories. I am blessed. Hope we get to do it again next year.
ReplyDeletePeace be with you
Gemma,
ReplyDeleteYour posts have touched me a great deal. You have a heart for those who have little in this world but who are great in spirit. Your images have been of shrines created out of love and faith by people who have little money but a lot of devotion. Your own art is beautiful and I have enjoyed that tremendously. I was raised Catholic but left the church and then later became and Episcopalian. I am not devoted to Mary in the same way as many here are on a daily basis, but I have come to love her more deeply as a result of participating here, and feel more connected with her and with the divine feminine. I am glad to have shared it all with you.
Peace and Light,
xo,
Noelle
Dear Gemma, you spoke my own thoughts. I find it difficult too because I spent twenty years of my life in a very strict religious organisation from which I fled. Art has been one way of coming to terms with my past and also sharing with others who hold the genuine principles of love close!
ReplyDeleteThank you for these last 12 days of sharing your own beauty.
Sue x
dear gemma,
ReplyDeletei love your grace and your beautiful heart. your words conjure up an experience long ago when i was a very small child perhaps 8 or 9. i remember going to bed and falling quickly asleep. in my dream my dream parents were tucking me in. the love and care that surrounded me was so comforting and when we prayed, our words were to buddha. i realized in that moment that i knew the love of jesus because i was born in the united states and my parents passed on the teachings they were raised with. i realized that if i were born in india i might have loving parents that would teach me the wisdom of buddha and we would be buddists, not christians. more importantly in that moment i realized that loving parents around this great earth we all share teach their children what they know. feeling the profound love of my "dream parents" i saw quite clearly that i could just as easily been born into a Buddist, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Christian...any faith family...
in that very moment my heart flooded with the profound realization of divine love, love that includes everyone. i find that divine love of acceptance is the grace your speak of here.
thank you for the deep sharing that has been offered for the last twelve days, for the stirring of hearts and the tending of grace.
I've enjoyed all your virgin posts and I'm definitely not a religious person.
ReplyDeleteI love that Mary will be in your heart.. She has been in mine for years - xoxo
ReplyDeletethank you dear friend,
ReplyDeletei have posted my gratitude to you and all today at recuerda mi corazon with a special invitation.
warmly,
rebecca