"I felt peace as soon as I set foot in Lourdes..."

As I grew up, I grew more and more anxious. I worry a lot about small things and I am always stressed. In England, I have a very busy job and I am active in several charitable organizations. I don't take any time for myself and my family, and I keep churning thoughts in my head. But when I go back to Lourdes every year, as soon as I set foot in Lourdes, all those concerns are gone. I am at peace with myself. The people there are always ready to share your problems. They want to help you understand them so that you can heal not only in your body but also in your mind.

The grace that I have received here, and that I continue to receive every time I go there, is peace with myself. I usually feel as if I am walking around with a weight on my shoulders, but in the Lourdes Shrine that weight is lifted. I can breathe normally, whereas when I am in England and busy all the time, sometimes I feel like I'm suffocating.

Anyhow, every year, thanks to Lourdes, I learn how to become a better person, how to deal with my worries, anxieties, and difficult relationships. Every year, I learn a little more about what I need to do to feel better. lt helps me not to worry about coming home. For me, the grace of Lourdes is to perceive, at the Grotto, that Mary, our Mother, listens to my prayers and that the weight of my worries is lightened. What strikes me is the atmosphere—the calm—as soon as you enter the Shrine. You have to go there to experience it.

Testimony from Jessica.

Published in the Journal of Graces of Lourdes issue #4 - June 2016