La Virgen de Guadalupe

She’s everywhere.

Dangling from my rearview mirror,
she is a constant companion,
journeying with me from place to place,
a reminder to be patient with the drivers
and with my husband sitting in the passenger seat.

On a prayer card,
she is a gift from my madrina on the day of my Baptism,
a reminder that I belong to the Church,
and that the Church belongs to me.

On my rosary,
she is a brazen testament to my Catholic faith
and my continual identification with Mexico,
even generations after separation.

Standing beside the altar,
her gaze lovingly fixed on her son,
God’s beautiful mother reminds me
to ponder, discern, affirm, and magnify our God.

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