The Grotto

matt and francis at the grotto
Originally uploaded by ..Sally..

A few weeks before we left Chicago, we visited Notre Dame for one last time as midwesterners. We spent a little while at the grotto — a replica of the grotto at Lourdes. It’s a special place, and I spent a lot of evenings there asking for guidance and peace in one form or another. Francis and I found one open space for a candle, and I asked her what we should pray about. At first, she was silent, so I asked her what was most important to her.

“The new baby,” she said, and then lit the candle. We had told her about the baby a few days earlier, but we weren’t sure she understood. We were touched to discover that she not only understood, but placed it at the top of the list. Sally’s pregnancy wasn’t public knowledge at the time, so we didn’t blog it then.