The first miracle i remember happened when i was in the fourth grade.  My father had gotten us a dog.  He had never owned one; had no idea what to do with one, but he got us a beagle to raise in the middle of Providence.  We named him Tippy because of the white tip on the end of his tail.  Beagles don't belong in cities; not even small ones like Providence.  Tippy didn't know he was in the city; he did know that there was a pretty little female six city blocks away.   The first spring Tippy took off we were frantic.  Who knew an intact male would go looking for a female in "heat" first chance he got.  Tippy was gone for a week, forever in the mind of a seven/eight year old.  Grandma had given me a pair of rosary beads for my first communion, I put those beads to good use that spring night. I remembered the nuns telling us if we really wanted something ask Mary to ask Jesus for us.  I prayed a rosary, no small feat for rookie like me and fell asleep before I finished.  As I sat eating a soggy bowl of Lucky Charms,  I heard Tippy's tags clinking together.  Tippy was back!  The Blessed Mother had worked the first of many miracles for me.