Devotion to Panagia is one of the crown jewels of The Church here on Earth. For us Orthodox Christians, the idea of living and working without the close proximity of our icons of Panagia is very nearly unthinkable. She is in every way the shining example of a Christian life lead by a loving mother who is the fully human example of complete theosis. I have always thought it a great tragedy that so many Protestant Christians neither share nor understand our devotion to her.
When I was a child I went to Catholic elementary school. When the nuns taught us to pray the rosary, they also taught us the "Sorrowful Mysteries". My wife, who for the past 29 years has been very Orthodox, grew up a Congregationalist. After we were married she read the "Sorrowful Mysteries" and after the birth of our much loved second child with Down Syndrome and a serious heart defect, her devotion to Panagia blossomed as she recognized in her a mother who had endured great sorrows for the glory of God. When her very old father lay dying a few years back during Great Lent, my wife attended all the Akathist services at our parish. As she put it, she just sat there crying to her mother Panagia because she knew "she understands".
On a side note, in Orthodoxy we celebrate the Dormition (Falling Asleep) of the Most Holy Theotokos on August 15th. While virtually all Orthodox Christians believe in the Assumption, it is not taught as dogma but rather as a theologoumenon, or "optional" pious belief.
That's a beautiful story. Many former Protestants have trouble understanding Our Lady when they become Catholic or Orthodox, but I have often seen them have some experience that suddenly makes them understand - and then they become the most devoted of all!