They never forced me to do anything against my will, yet they were always there to help pick me up when I fell. This is not to say that life was idyllic at home. In fact, peace was the one thing we did not have. My father was an alcoholic in denial (indirectly we consented to his addiction). I often fought with him. Many times we brought each other to tears. More than once I urged my mother to leave him. But there were also many times when I felt how much my father loved me and how much the two of us needed each other in order to grow spiritually – each at our own pace.

Even as a teenager I decided I wanted to remain chaste for marriage. Later on, thanks to Love One Another Magazine, I joined the Movement of Pure Hearts and placed my family in the care of Saint Joseph. It was under his auspices that I prayed every day for a good husband. And my prayers were answered! Pure Hearts gave me the courage and strength. I had made a promise to Jesus, my Best Friend; and I could not disappoint Him.

I struggled to remain chaste trusting that the Lord would put the right man in my path. God answered my prayer sooner than I imagined – while I was still in high school, but I did not believe it at the time. Still, the Lord did not give up. He gave me more time in which to come to know myself and understand my own heart. It took a while for it to dawn on me that the man I had been praying for so fervently, was very near – an arm’s reach away. Twelve months elapsed between the moment of “dawning” and our wedding day. Taking God, our family and friends as witnesses, we administered the Sacrament of Marriage to each other in the Marian month of May of last year.

Saint Joseph saw to it that I was able to offer my greatest gift to my husband. In return, my husband presented me with his most beautiful gift – one that I had scarcely dared dream of – his own purity! A shower of blessings descended upon us. In His goodness and confidence in our mutual love, Our Lord blessed us with an early pregnancy. But He did not spare us a severe trial either. Evidently He wanted to teach us to trust in Him completely. It turned out that my pregnancy was in danger. To carry my baby to term, I had to lie in bed throughout the entire pregnancy. We had to abstain from sexual intimacy. What a hard time we had of it! In my bedridden state, I felt worthless, unwanted. But my husband was always there at my side, helping me, taking care of me. He told me that lying in bed was my mission – a mission to bring our child safely into the world. We came through that trial. As a reward we got our little daughter, who is now sleeping peacefully next to me. My husband and I delivered her together. This also brought us closer and strengthened our love for each other.

Today, I give thanks to God for the gift of my family. I know there will be times when we will have to fight for it again. But I no longer fear this prospect, for I know that it is possible to survive all trials that the Lord allows us to undergo – just as long as we trust in Him. God blesses families, so let us fight for them as hard as we can!

A priest once told me that motherhood and the married state mean giving one’s all to other people. I want to give “my all” to my family. Now that I am a mother and wife, I have a greater understanding of my parents’ relationship and also the words of our own marriage vow – “till death do us part.”

I am telling my story for the benefit of those who are not yet convinced of the benefits of chastity. Because we saved our purity for marriage, we were able to survive nine very difficult months and thus to understand what is really important in life. The greatest miracle of our purity is our little girl – a light that God brought into our lives. For this I thank the Lord with all my heart.

Holy Family! Watch over all families and be an example to us! Holy Family, watch over of us, for we have entrusted our homes to you! Amen.