When I was a child, I was given a tiny statue. It came from my Great Grandparents. I cannot remember if it came directly from them, or if they had given it to my mother (their Granddaughter) and then she gave it to me. I know I had it before they passed away. They passed in 1973 at age 92 and 90, when I was 12. I think I received the statue in 1969 when I was 8. That is when I made my first communion. At that time, I was given a Bible and a rosary and a Miraculous Medal.
I liked my Great Grandparents. They lived on a farm and baked their own bread in a coal fired cast iron stove. They pumped water from a well. They were kind to us kids. They were very old. Great Grandma once made snow angels with us kids. The other adults were worried she would hurt herself getting down on the ground in the snow! They came to the United Stated from Belgium in 1924 and spoke Flemish as their first language.
All I knew about the statue was that it was from my Great Grandparents and that it came from Belgium. If I was told more about it, I do not remember. Perhaps I was told and forgot, or just didn't understand. I put it in a desk drawer. It was only about an inch high and did not stand on its own. It had a tiny metal case. For over 50 years it would remain in that desk. Once or twice a year I would find it when I was looking for something else. I would take it out of the case and remember my Great Grandparents and then put it away again.
In 2001, at age 40, I returned to the Catholic faith. I realized the small statue was Mary holding the child Jesus. Anyone who would have known more about the statue had passed away. The statue was a mystery. Did this particular image of Mary have a title? A story? A history? A particular devotion? I was unable to find any information. Until 2022.
(By the way, in 2022 I learned that my tiny statue is a "pocket shrine". Just Google "pocket shrine" to learn more.)
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