Nine...exactly how many days are remaining until Easter Sunday!  This would be a perfect opportunity to start a novena today. 

EWTN defines:

A novena is a nine-day period of private or public prayer toobtain special graces, to implore special favors, or to make specialpetitions. (Novena is derived from the Latin "novem", meaning nine.) As the definition suggests, the novena has always had more of a sense of urgency and neediness.

Here is a great collection of novenas if you are looking for one.

Yesterday, March 25th, was the Feast of the Annuniciation.  I found a beautiful Nine Month Novena that starts on the Annunciation and ends on Christmas Eve.  It would be a challenging way to focus on the gift of Jesus taking on his human nature and becoming a little baby, and on the nine months that Mary like all pregnant women are with child before birth.  This novena would be a daily reminder and opportunity to offer prayers for the unborn, for pregnant women, for the elimination of abortion and for all life issues.  I think I will give it a try, want to join me?