thank you rita!!!

it's been a while since st. rita has come up the thread list on the forum, but i just wanted to share a special little story that i've experienced last week, and felt the touch of this powerful saint.....

my family and i have been praying st. rita's novena for a sometime now for help with my son's illness. we have been getting desparate in finding something that would work for him and bring the disease into remission.

he had been going thru drugs one by one, none working or showing a glimmer of hope, we were at the end of our rope. everything we tried had not been working in spite of all the claims and hopes.

we prayed harder than ever, making an especially strong appeal to dear st. rita!

as the days passed, and things looked bleaker, it seemed all i was just praying for was a sign of hope from rita. in my mind, i thought of her symbol, the rose. a rose, perhaps, in an unexpected place would give me a lift.

rita had other thoughts in mind, it seems! yes, the rose is her symbol--but one that is more important to her is the bee. this symbol escaped my mind altogether.

the days were ticking down to begin the latest treatment. the doctor had only moderate hopes that this would work. if it did, it would be days before my son noticed an improvement. to keep my mind off the hospital checkin the following morning, i stayed busy doing errands at the market, the dry cleaner, anything to get out of the house.

later, there came a knock at my door. it was a concerned neighbor. while i was out and my kids home, there was a huge swarm she said, of honey bees above my house! she was w orried, and watched these bees with other neighbors. never had they seen so many at once, perhaps a thousand, and why were they swarming and swirling above our house?

my husband and i combed the yard, the house and attic looking for a hive of some sort, or a place or reason why these honey bees would be swarming. we searched and searched, but could find nothing.

not only were the bees behaving oddly, but they were so many. we were baffled by this occurance, not only is it strange that honey bees would do such a thing, but there is also the strange 'colony collapse disorder' which has GREATLY reduced the bee population. florida has been hit particularly hard. given this a rare occurance, AND the fact that there are so few bees anymore, this seemed like an impossibility to me.

and then i thought of rita. yes, her symbol was the rose, but her most well known symbol is the BEE. rita, my friend, roses would have been easy....we see roses everywhere. however, the symbol you sent to us with the honey bee left NO doubt who was sending a sign of hope.

with rosary in hand, we spent the whole next day at the hospital. my son was tired and had no appetite, which is usual. as the drug entered his system, we noticed a turn around in a matter of hours. hungry, he told the nurse who brought him lunch....hungry again on the drive home....hungry again at dinner....snacking all night.

the next day his appetite was full force. a typical breakfast for him is a bit of orange juice and a small bowl of oatmeal. not today! a BIG vegtable and cheese omelet, bacon, toast, juice. i can't remember when my son ate so much!!

on top of that he's feeling well and NORMAL. i can't ask for more.

Mary,
thanks be to God! and st Rita for her intercession.

how is your son these days?

blessings
rita s

Good point about the bee as Rita's true symbol. Perhaps we should all consider this to be a revelation of what she has come to represent.