St. Rita returned!
Unfortunately, so did the abdominal pains. Actually, the abdominal pains came first. They followed their usual pattern –waves of pain that intensify by the hour until it makes me scream (worrying my husband and scaring my kids), soon accompanied by violent vomiting. Not the easiest way to spend the night.
In the midst of all this, I prayed for relief. The last time this happened, I prayed to St. Rita and offered a trade: ANYTHING instead of this pain. At that instant, the pain vanished and my nose started bleeding like a faucet.
This time, I tried praying to St. Rita without trading: Just help me. But my pain remained. Maybe she answered my prayers. Maybe the answer was, “No.”
In desperation, I finally offered the same trade as last time: ANYTHING instead of this.
The good news is that the abdominal pain disappeared, but I immediately needed to vomit again. Suddenly, my throat burned intensely from the stomach acid. Seriously? I now couldn’t swallow and was up the rest of the night dealing with that. Okay….we are where we are.
It isn’t that I don’t appreciate the help. I do. But St. Rita and I can surely find a way to work together that doesn’t involve my getting hurt. In the dark of that night, I decided that I needed to ask my friend (who has some big connections to St. Rita) for a better way to pray to her.
The next day, before I could contact my friend, a package arrived in the mail. From her. Inside, she wrapped a bottle of blessed oil from the Shrine of St. Rita AND a prayer to go along with it.
What are the odds?
Four days later, I am still trying to heal my throat. I can drink only some liquids, and slowly. I can eat very few solid foods. Though it is both painful and inconvenient, it still beats the abdominal pain. I stand in awe of how events are linked and our wishes granted, albeit in unexpected ways.
Thank you for your prayers on my behalf, and know that, if stuff like this is happening in my life, it must surely be happening in yours. Please call for help whenever you need it. I pray that it comes through right away, and without a trade!
Love, Marie
Adventures in Spiritual Living 