Really lovely essay here. Must admit I laughed at the first descriptions of a Catholic household because I grew up with all of the statues, even a Prie-dieu in the 2nd floor hallway, with the Blessed Mother (sad, like the one you referred to) and candles.

But my favorite conversation on YT was with the poet-songwriter Leonard Cohen, interviewed a few months before he passed into heaven. He remarked how God's voice had changed in his lifetime, that it was soft, kind, and supportive as he approached his life's closing. He regretted that it took him so long to recognize what he felt was the true voice of God.