I was already 43 when we got married, and my husband was 54.We were open to having children and solely desired God’s Holy Will in the matter, as with everything else in our lives. Our prayer was, “Whatever glorifies God,” whether it meant having children or not. We left it all to God and placed our complete trust in HIM and in HIS Mercy.

Some years ago, I found myself at a retreat—single, quietly nursing the wounds of past relationships that had left me feeling deeply unworthy. I didn’t realize how much of that pain I was still carrying until the Lord met me in the most unexpected and tender way.

In our family, we’ve been learning to practice something simple yet profound: discerning God’s holy will, even in the small things. It’s not always clear, and often, it requires patience, prayer, and a willingness to listen deeply.

At the beginning of my missionary journey, I found myself in a close working relationship with a leader in the community—someone in a position of authority. From the outset, I struggled with disappointment. In my eyes, she wasn’t fulfilling her role as I expected. I was judgmental, critical, and deeply hurt. My expectations clashed with reality, and the emotional toll was heavy.

One day, I was praying my regular Chaplet of the Divine Mercy when the Lord showed me in my heart who I was to pray for. As I kept praying “For the sake of HIS Sorrowful Passion,… Have Mercy on us and on the whole World” over each bead, names of various people came into my mind like on a ticker tape.