by Mary Lou Quinlan
Published February 12, 2012 in Letting Go, Love

In my family, we have always loved the story of my mom’s God Box, her little container of dozens of notes covered in her familiar scrawl—her personal petitions on our behalf. Mom loved so openly and felt so deeply that she took everyone’s cares into her hands from family to friends and even strangers. Whenever my Dad or my brother Jack or I had a concern or a wish or a worry, Mom would write it down as a letter beginning “Dear God” and she’d simply present what was in her heart. She’d fold the scrap of paper again and again until it was really small and then place it in her God Box. Discovering 20 years of boxes after losing her was like finding her all over again.
I know that I could have kept these notes tucked away, for just our family to sift through on holidays. I could have ‘minded my own business’ as Mom might encourage. But I knew my mother’s mind and heart so well: she always wanted to help others. If by telling her story, I can spread her little ritual for relieving stress and gaining the resolution that only comes from letting go…then I will have taken her gift forward, as a daughter, as a woman, as her best friend.
So, today, I am beginning the journey of the God Box project. I am opening the boxes and my heart and stepping into a world beyond my everyday business life, where words like “God” and “mother” and “daughter” and “love” and “faith” can sometimes feel out of place. But “The God Box” is about living our lives with compassion and hope and admitting that sometimes we all need a place to give over our cares and find release and peace. I hope you will come along.
Mom, here’s to you. Let the story begin.
Tags: Daughters, Love, Mary Lou Quinlan, Mothers, Self-Help, Spirituality, Women
share the love: