A psychiatrist, an engineer, and a physician got lost in the Canadian wilderness. Stumbling upon a cabin but getting no response at the door, they went inside for shelter and awaited the owner's return. In the corner, sitting on a crude platform at waist level, was a wood-burning stove. Besides warming their half-frozen bodies it also became the center of their conversation. The psychiatrist posited that the stove's unusual positioning was evidence of the trapper's psychological problems brought on by extended isolation. The engineer saw it as an ingenious form of forced-air heating. The physician surmised arthritis and that it was too painful to bend over and put wood into the stove. When the trapper finally returned, they asked about the stove. "It's simple," said the trapper. "My stovepipe was too short."

How often do we speculate instead of discovering the facts? How often do we fill in blanks which may not even exist? How often do we react or overreact instead of thoughtfully responding?

Today we honor the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the place where she held the many mysteries about her Son while she pondered them and which was pierced by sorrow as she watched her son die upon a cross. Mary did not always understand, but she trusted in God and believed in her Son. She allowed her understanding to deepen and unfold in God's time. What do we do whenever we are confronted with situations not to our liking or to our choosing?