Ave Maria (Latin for “Hail Mary”)is a beautiful song about Jesus’ mother, Mary.  It is Grandma’s favorite church song.  It is slow and can sound kind of sad if you hear just the music.  The words are enchanting. It is usually sung in Latin – whether the church singing it is Catholic or not.  Here is the translation:

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

I can just imagine sitting in a beautiful church in Italy listening to this song and looking out the stained glass windows.

The kids REALLY enjoyed coloring their windows.  They are all sitting on their desks drying so we can put them together tomorrow before we leave for Christmas break.

Take a few minutes now and imagine you are standing next to me… We are in a church in Rome and we are looking up at the exquisite stained glass windows of the cathedral.

As we stand on the cobblestone floor, you take my hand. Then, a beautiful voice begins to sing…

https://youtu.be/RiQqPy6qPA0

I’m still with you, sweet girls.  My love is endless.  My grip is strong, but flexible.  I love you no matter what.  You will always be my beautiful girls.