Holy Water

Last night, we used the very last drops of the holy water we collected from the Virgin Mary’s house in Turkey, said to have healing, fertility, and miraculous powers.

Me, 12 years ago, exploring Ephesus, Turkey, before heading up Mt. Koressos to the shrine, where the Virgin Mary is said to have lived after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Last night, we used the very last drops of the holy water we collected from the Virgin Mary’s house in Turkey, said to have healing, fertility, and miraculous powers.

It lasted 12 years, through cancer, infertility, car accidents, five continents, two hemispheres, one dog, one marriage, and three children: healing, love, good fortune, good health, abundance, protection, safe passage, courage, resilience, and grace. Blessings upon blessings upon blessings.

Outside, the shrine has a wishing wall, where visitors tie their notes in hopes that the Mother Mary will kindly grant their requests. This is my husband tying his wish on the wall. It’s still a secret to me after all of these years.

Now what? What will we do without it? It’s currently impossible to travel to Turkey to refill it, and substitutes aren’t easy to find. Isn’t it interesting how we become attached to our things? How some things become irreplaceable?

During #quarantinelife, our family has been confronting our dependence on stuff. According to The Psychology of Stuff and Things, our possessions become extensions of ourselves. We use our stuff to signal to ourselves, and…