A Gift of Gracias

It is January, and we have put away our Christmas Mosaic and have gotten the Catholic Mosaic out again. And I am so blessed that we did! Thanks to Cay, we have learned about Our Lady of Altagracia. Legend says she appeared in the 1500's in what is now the Dominican Republic. She is so beloved that her saint's day, January 21, is a national holiday.

We were introduced to Our Lady of Altagracia in the beautiful picture book, A Gift of Gracias. It is the story about Maria, who fears her family will lose their farm, and the help she gets from a beautiful and mysterious lady whom appears in her dreams. And as it say in the book, "Who was the magical woman who appeared in Maria's dream--and will Maria ever find her again to say gracias?"

After reading this wonderful book, we took Cay's suggestion from Catholic Mosaic, and made a collage of things that we are thankful for. (Ours is more like a poster) Mark and Grace both quickly came up with family and friends and Our Blessed Mother. They then spent a little more time thinking. My favorites are cheese and tomato soup!