Saint Anthony is, in a nutshell, the saint of lost things. Basically, if you pray to St. Anthony, he'll help you find something you've lost. It can be as concrete as losing your sunglasses to as abstract as asking for strength or courage to do something. DOH is a big believer in praying to St. Anthony when we can't find something. At first, when we were first living together, I'd laugh at him, blame our success on finding missing items quickly after his praying to St. Anthony on pure coincidence. I have since been freed of my disbelief. Here's why:
Example #1 - About a year ago I lost my engagement ring. Long story on how all that happened, but I ended up losing it and not being able to find it...for months. DOH didn't know. I didn't dare tell him. If he asked me why I wasn't wearing my ring I'd say it didn't fit me well any more because of some weight gain (which was actually true at the time). Finally, after being unable to find the ring for months and I was starting to get really worried, I told DOH the truth. His immediate action was to say a quick prayer to St. Anthony. The next morning I found the ring. Under my pillow.
Now before you get all synical and say, "Oh, your husband must have found it, blah, blah, blah," know this: DOH had to work that night. I found the ring before he came home. Sure, could he have possibly found the ring before I told him and put in under my pillow, but that isn't something he'd do. Plus, I made him swear on the life of our child that he didn't do it (and he's like a 12 year old, so he takes those sorts of oaths seriously), and he swore he didn't. I believe whole-heartedly St. Anthony (or something like that) put the ring under my pillow.
Example #2 - I didn't get my driver's license until last November. I went for my license three times. I failed three times. On the day of the fourth try I was a wreck. Couldn't eat. Couldn't sleep. Couldn't function at school. My classmates (I was taking courses still at this point) asked me what was wrong. I explained that I was going for my license (again). One of my friends, a devote Catholic, immediately said, "You need to pray to St. Anthony." I looked at her kind of funny, confused.
"Why St. Anthony?"
"Because you've lost your confidence and you need it back." She immediately e-mailed her mom who quickly responded back with the "official" St. Anthony prayer, we all (everyone sitting at our table) said the prayer. Then another friend said she was sure we could find a message board online for prayers to St. Anthony. Literally about five seconds later she found one and I submitted a prayer.
Needless to say, I got my license, feeling about a million times better at the time of my driver's test.
Example #3 - Last Tuesday I lost my keys. After looking for them for two whole days and part of today, I was feeling defeated and ready to give up. We, DOH and I, had said a prayer to St. Anthony last night. While I didn't expect to find my keys immediately, I figured once I got things picked up around the apartment they'd turn up. Well, they didn't. I had picked up all the rooms where I figured the keys must be, but they weren't anywhere. I went into Lizzie's room to pick up feeling disgruntled, thinking out loud, "Well, thanks for that one St. Anthony."
The very first thing I picked up was a bag I usually bring Lizzie's stuff to daycare in. All that was in there were her slippers and some wipies. But then, rather suddenly, the bag felt just a bit heavier. I took out the slippers, then the wipies, and then my keys. My keys. II cannot think of how they could have gotten in there. Lizzie hadn't been playing with the bag, so she couldn't have put them in there. I didn't use that bag on Tuesday, when I lost the keys. I thought I had put the keys on the kitchen table and the bag had been in Liz's room (cue Twilight Zone music). It was almost as St. Anthony was saying, "Quit your bitchin' kid, you've got your keys. Now let me move on to more important things, okay?" (And yes, I totally believe that St. Anthony would say "bitchin'". He's cool like that.)
I know there are lots of logical explanations to these three events and the numerous other examples I have of how prayers to St. Anthony have led me to missing things, but I'm not a logical person, and sometimes you can't be when it comes to spiritual or religious subjects, and I'm totally okay with that. And it may be St. Anthony who is helping me find my keys or summon the courage to not drive like an idiot, but it could also be the positive energy I am building up and sending out into the universe, which manifests itself in what it is I desire. Regardless, it's pretty cool.
And it's almost enough to make me convert to Catholicism. Almost. :-)
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