#8, Day 2: Calling upon the Patron Saint of all things Lost

After reading yesterday's daily prayer, I reflected on St. Anthony.  In the Catholic Church, we believe that a saint is someone who lived a holy life and who's already in heaven.  Saints are considered role models for people still on Earth, and are capable of interceding with God on someone's behalf when a request for help is made in prayer. So don't think of Catholics as praying TO a saint- we pray WITH them.

Now whether you are Catholic or not, we all have someone that we look to when we need help with a situation...That call to your best friend to cry your heart out.  Having a deep conversation with your spouse.  Or praying to God to ask him to help you understand, grieve, or process a difficult time in your life.

So putting aside the "Catholic" part of it, I wanted to look further into St. Anthony's history.  For even if you don't believe in the word saint, Anthony's life was what every Christian's life should be- "a steady courage to face the ups and downs of life, the call to love and forgive, to be concerned for the needs of others, to deal with crisis great and small, and to have our feet solidly on the ground of total trusting love and dependence on God" (www.stanthony.org).

Anthony's history included a near ship wreck (or a perfect storm :)) and his willingness to preach to those in need, even though he was more of a solitary man.  He has become the patron saint of fisherman and travelers, as they pray that he may help keep them safe along their way.

He can help us find what has been lost from our own perfect storm.

So as I researched more and more, finding many reasons to deem St. Anthony as Hunter's patron saint, I wanted to find out his feast day (typically the day the saint passed away).

Now I believe in divine intervention, and I believe in things happening for a reason, and I believe in signs...and I have to admit, what I found out next blew me out of the water.

When I googled "Feast day of St. Anthony," here's what I saw:

June 13th.

Hunter's birthday.

St. Anthony is known as the great miracle worker of the Church.  He is often associated with blessings of lilies, which remind us of St. Anthony's purity (surrounded around a story of lilies showing up at a destroyed church in Revolutionary France on his feast day).

Lilies are also the Easter symbol of new life and hope.

I texted my mom to ask her if she knew much about St. Anthony, and she responded that my dad's mother was devoted to him and had a huge picture hanging in their house.  She believed that he brought her and my Grandpa Richard together.  My Grandpa donated a huge stained glass window of him to a church in FL, and they have pictures of the beautiful artwork.

And then she said, "Grandma Maggie said to pray to him when you lose something, and it will be returned."

We have been searching for four years for something that has been lost: our normalcy, our son, our family, our true happiness.  One of Hunter's teachers had written to us after we had shared Hunter's video, "You will regain everything that has been stolen from you!  Don't give up and God bless you for helping others with your story!"

Sidewalk Prophets "Help Me Find It" resounded many times at the start of this journey, and I truly believe we have found more than answers;

we have found ourselves.

HELP ME FIND IT- Sidewalk Prophets
http://youtu.be/CsjZ94K7UQs

I don’t know where to go from here
It all used to seem so clear
I’m finding I can’t do this on my own

I don’t know where to go from here
As long as I know that You are near
I’m done fighting
I’m finally letting go

I will trust in You
You’ve never failed before
I will trust in You

[Chorus:]
If there’s a road I should walk
Help me find it
If I need to be still
Give me peace for the moment
Whatever Your will
Whatever Your will
Can you help me find it
Can you help me find it

I’m giving You fear and You give faith
I giving you doubt
You give me grace
For every step I’ve never been alone

Even when it hurts, You’ll have Your way
Even in the valley I will say
With every breath
You’ve never let me go

I will wait for You
You’ve never failed before
I will wait for You

[Chorus]

I lift my empty hands (come fill me up again)
Have Your way my King (I give my all to You)
I lift my eyes again (Was blind but now I see)
‘Cause You are all I need

[Chorus]