St Therese

46 years ago, I was due to be born on the 3rd of October. My mother and father chose the name Therese Angela as the feast of St Therese was on the 3rd and the feast of the Guardian Angels on the 2nd. I was born on the 1st and years after I was born, the feast of St. Therese was changed to the 1st. Since my parents named me after St. Therese, I did have a small devotion to her and asked her often to intercede for me but I didn't really realise just how holy her life was.

A couple of times, I started reading her autobiography but  found it hard to read and just a bit too fluffy.  

In 2001, we moved away from family and friends for a job that Steve got with Catholic Education. The year was really tough on us. We were adjusting to living away from family and friends, Tom got type one diabetes, Amelia was born and Steve found teaching very difficult. It was a year full of challenges for us.

I was feeling quite annoyed with God and kept on asking him why we were dealing with so much. I cannot remember how I came across St. Therese's autobiography but I remember thinking that I should try and read it one more time and that maybe I could get something out of it.

The story touched me profoundly. I realised just how holy St. Therese was and that her little way was indeed something that could help me live a full life. I knew that been named after such a holy person was a real gift. I also realised just how rich the Catholic church was with patron saints to give us good examples in living the faith. They are just like big brothers and sisters encouraging us and leading us by example.

Thank you St. Therese for your little way and for being such a good example in living a life for God Thank you also for your intercession for my family and me.

Therese.