Growing Up Catholic...

Grew up Catholic.  Eight years.  All girls school.

While I no longer believe in or follow any organized religion, I am so thankful for those days and years.  Our house was full of craziness and violence.  I found peace, calm and love at school and in the many church celebrations.  And this was not even from the nuns...who could in those days still hit us.  Matter of fact, this little girl wondered "many a day" why so many of them were so mean and angry...and also wondered if God could see...and why wasn't he "scolding" them at the end of their working day.  Ok, so I was only about 6 or 7. :-)

Anyhoo...I posted this elsewhere too inside another thought.

I found in my teens, that if I couldn't sleep, repeating the Hail Mary in my head was like "magic."  Next thing I knew I would be waking up to the sunshine.

But now in my adulthood, knowing what I know now about the Catholic church, religion, pope etc. (and no, I am not capitalizing it...) I no longer felt good about my fave prayer.  So I changed it.  :-)  I now say the below version and no longer feel disconnected from my Sister-Friend Mary. (It is on my mind to share today, because just last night/early morning, I was in bed repeating it in my head to get back to sleep...noticing that FINALLY I have my new version engrained in my brain.)  Instead, I feel just as loved and connected as I did in childhood, when I felt the prayer recited my beliefs...because once again...it does. 

I know now...that Mary and Jesus, along with many...never intended to be "worshipped" by us.  No, no, no.  They came here to "show us the way."  It excites me to know...there are finally the MANY seeing the way...the Many that they had hoped to Awaken 2000 years ago.

Hail Mary

Full of grace

The Lord is with Me

Blessed are we

Amongst women

And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus

Holy Mary, Mother of All

Pray for us sisters

Now and at the hour

Of our return

Amen