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THREAD: About a year before I fell pregnant with Francis, I had begun to rediscover my Catholic faith in a big way. I read a lot of material, gave it enormous thought, and I began to pray again and attend Church. In spirituality, people talk 'hearing a call' and this was mine.
It's hard to explain it exactly. It's like a niggle, an itch that's needing to be scratched, a feeling that something bigger than you suddenly has its sights on you in that very moment. You maybe try to ignore it, you try to explain it away, but it keeps niggling.
In that year I decided to give it a shot. I decided that this presence must want me for something, and I embraced it, whatever it was. There was a change in me, although I only recognise it in hindsight. And unexpectedly, soon after, I found out I was pregnant, a major event.
It's thanks to my pregnancy that I moved to a bigger flat - an old Glasgow tenement flat that turned out to be huge. Within months my wonderful Father had fallen ill and I brought him to live with me. And then a pandemic happened. We went into lockdown just after Francis arrived.
As stressful and devastating as the situation was, I knew that we were all where we were supposed to be. The paths had led us here. It was like pieces of a jigsaw coming together. My faithful Father spent every day of his last four months with his first grandchild.
My Father had a grandson, I had a flat big enough to accommodate us and I had enough financial security to sustain us in that time. It was like an act of mercy from God for my Father. Many, many things happened that felt entirely from another place.
It's popular to talk about our political beliefs and our cultural beliefs with passion and conviction, but not our spiritual beliefs. Friends of mine have talked to me about their faith and spiritual ideas but confided that they fear they'd be laughed at.
So I'm just putting this out there as a wee show of solidarity with other people, and to try and remove the apparent shame that comes with having faith. And if you hear that call, maybe give it a try :)
