Sr. Mary’s 2025 Holiday Letter

Dear Friends,

We have often heard the story of Jesus' birth. Every Christmas, in song, in pictures, and in spoken word, the story is shared for all ages to understand. Over the years, reflecting on the retelling of the story has given me insights into our ministry at Blessing House, and I have come to understand that we are all part of the Christmas story.

We all can be the Innkeeper. Each day we are able to choose to help someone or ignore them, by holding open a door, greeting a busy cashier or server with a kind word, or being patient with a slow companion.

We can be the Magi, bearing gifts that we use to heal others. Though we don’t have the same gifts, we can offer our gifts of forgiveness for a wrong, presence instead of absence, comfort in place of anger.

We can be the shepherds who were people of HOPE. They noticed the new star in the night sky and set off immediately to follow it. Hope is grounded in holding fast to the goodness of God. We, too, can be people of HOPE when we share this goodness with those we encounter.

I love being able to spend time with our children. One of our children was having a hard time, when she began spending some time after school, talking to Grace, my Golden Doodle. This special treat was something she looked forward to each day, and soon she was laughing and filling me in on everything that Grace was telling her. She even began to help welcome the new children who arrived at Blessing House, knowing how hard it was for them to be separated from their families.

A young man stopped in to visit recently. It had been over 10 years since he had stayed with us. When he was young, he was in a particularly difficult home environment and really looked forward to the time he spent with us. Now as an adult, he stopped in to talk. I learned he had been incarcerated and wanted some help to get his life back on track. When his friend arrived to pick him up, he told his friend that he came here because “he wanted to talk with someone who really knew him.”

Help and healing bring hope. What difference can HOPE make? As time goes by, we are hearing more stories from some of the 2,000 children who stayed with us during our first 20 years. We heard from the young lady who is now in school to become a social worker because of her experience at Blessing House as a young child. Another young lady wants to start a nonprofit to help women. We heard from a young mom with her own baby, and a high school student ready to graduate and go to college. All of these young adults came to us as children in need of help, who received healing. And their stories continue.

We want to thank all of you who have become a part of our story. It is because of your generosity that children are kept safe and parents receive guidance and support. It is because of you that families that are homeless, dealing with substance abuse, mental and physical health issues, and violence in their homes receive guidance, referrals, and time from people who truly care about them. It is because of you that those who are suffering feel loved.

We have been blessed by our generous community, and today we humbly ask for your continued financial support that allows us to be God’s Project of Hope. We also ask for your prayers for all who are in need of hope, for there are many.

The Blessing House Staff and Board wish you peace and joy this Christmas season. May you and your loved ones be blessed.

God bless,