May

Jesus, Lily of the Valleys
Mary, Queen of May
Joseph, Patron of Laborers.
Pray for us.

A happy May day to you! We have birthdays, end-of-school, and the beginning of beach-time to celebrate. But first, time to finish some work! Here's where a little help from St. Joseph comes in very handy. 

Most of the pictures of the male saints tend to effeminate. But in my mind's eye, I picture St. Joseph to be big and strong. After all, he was a carpenter and would've had to carry beams of wood throughout Nazareth to build houses, just as His Son did. He was given the task to guard and protect Mary and Jesus, so I imagine him to be up to the task quite well. 

Although I am partial to old paintings, I fell in love with this modern painting above and bought it for our home. Love the very obvious foreshadowing. Below is a lovely prayer to St. Joseph the Worker, whose Feast Day we celebrate today. Although we grouse about the work we have to do at times, we are deeply grateful for it as well. This prayer is a wonderful reminder.