(Photo © Scott P. Richert)

After a rocky start (I uploaded a picture that was too hard to see at that size), last week's Wordless Wednesday contest attracted a number of guesses. Beth Peterson, the About.com Guide to Pottery, got all the elements right (and using the hard-to-see picture to boot!), but the first full and correct answer came from Kelly Faehnle (IrishButterfly, for you Twitterers out there). Honorable mentions go to Nancy Parode, the About.com Guide to Senior Travel, Connie Barwick, the About.com Guide to Cross-Stitch; and Martha Bakerjian, the About.com Guide to Italy Travel. You can read the answers in the comments to last week's post.

There's no contest this week, just a picture of my three sons cutting down our family Christmas tree. This was the first year that Henry, our youngest, joined us; if you look closely, you can see him sitting on the tarp in the background.

Christmas is only ten days away, and it is time for our to make sure that we are spiritually prepared for the arrival of Christ. With that in mind, I have chosen for our novena this week a beautiful traditional prayer, The Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

With its mix of Scripture verses, prayers, and the Marian antiphon "Alma Redemptoris Mater" ("Loving Mother of Our Savior"), this prayer is the perfect way for us, individually or as a family, to make our final preparations for Christmas. Begun on December 16, this novena will end on Christmas Eve. The novena could be combined with the lighting of the Advent wreath or with Advent Scripture readings.

The time is near. Let us join with the Blessed Virgin in expectation of the arrival of her Son.

Last Friday, I invited readers to share their stories of their conversion to Catholicism. The response so far has been breathtaking, both in quantity and in quality.

The first reader to take up the challenge was Christie Martin, who runs the blog Garden of Holiness. Christie has a fascinating story of her conversion from the Church of Christ of her youth to Catholicism, by way of neopaganism, New Age religions, and Kabbalah. Christ told His disciples that "the truth shall make you free," and in Christie's case, the truth of Christianity brought her freedom in an instant.

You can read Christie's conversion story at From Neopagan Priestess to Faithful Catholic. Check out other submissions in Why I Converted to Catholicism. And if you have a conversion story of your own, please share it with your fellow readers!

Are you a convert to Catholicism? If so, the story of your conversion might help others considering the Catholic Faith and encourage Catholics who are struggling with their own faith.

Would you be willing to take a few minutes to tell your story? What were you before you became a Catholic? What convinced you to become a Catholic? How did you go about your conversion? And what advice would you offer to others considering the Catholic Faith?

Please share your conversion story in our new feature, Why I Converted to Catholicism. And check out the stories offered by others, and check back often for new ones!