Mirabel Madrigal is the only member of her extraordinary family who didn't receive a magical gift. If you've walked the road of infertility, you know exactly what that feels like. Young Mirabel approaches her magical door on the night she's supposed to receive her gift. Her family gathers. And then... nothing. The door disappears. She becomes the only Madrigal without a gift in a family where gifts define identity and value. I remember my own "door ceremony." Each month, the

A huge part of carrying the cross of infertility is feeling like we have so much love in our hearts with nowhere for it to go. While nothing can replace motherhood, not having children does not mean we have nothing to offer the world. The Holy Spirit endows each of us with special charisms intended to build up those around us. We are not without mission. We are not without purpose.

Visio Divina is simply sitting with an image and taking time to reflect on the deeper points of faith that the picture is guiding us towards. By meditating on these three paintings of Mary, we hope you can enter into a deeper relationship with not only our Mother, but her Son that she always points us toward. God can speak to us and nourish us in images as much as in quiet prayer or scripture.

May is the month of Mary. For many of us, that sentence lands differently depending on the season of life we're in. If you're in the thick of infertility, loss, or grief, the month of May can feel like a quiet ache. And yet, here she is. Our Lady. Waiting. If your relationship with Mary is complicated? Good. You're in the right place. That's where most of us started, too.