UNRAVELING MY FAITH: The Rosary Made It's Appearance

This post is part of a series I wrote over the last 6 months and am just now publishing...

I can't help that on the same day I decided to write a post about leaving Buddha in the woods...my rosary showed up.

Shall I back up? Yes. I probably should.

I've dabbled in Buddhism off and on for many years. Appreciating its non-commitment, wonder, beauty, and overall message of kindness and of course that reincarnation thing sounds kind of nifty if you are terrified of there being nothing in the afterlife. So this Buddha charm has been hanging from my rearview mirror for years.  A few days after attending my first RCIA class I looked up at it and it struck me...You shall have no gods before me.  Well...okay then. I took it down that instant and put it in my console. Then a few days later, on a short solo hike in the woods, I left it. An offering if you will. A sign of submission. I left it where it would be easily spotted by another forest wanderer and maybe it would be just what they needed at that moment. It was no longer what I needed and I was at peace with that.

Now fast forward a few weeks...  The rosary had been on my mind. I wanted one but I didn't actually want to purchase one for myself. I wasn't sure exactly which one I wanted and while I looked at several I kept putting off the actual buying part of it. I told myself to be patient. I would find the right one eventually. In the meantime I studied how it was prayed and listened to a few podcasts on the subject. Then...on the day I meant to write about leaving the Buddha charm in the woods, my rosary showed up.

It came in a box of stuff sent to me by my best friend who relocated about a year ago to Tennessee. She will periodically send things she is purging from her house to see if the kids or I can use them. The box had been just sitting because I had been busy and not all that worried about sorting through it. On this day though, I opened it and came across a red wooden rosary. My heart swelled and my soul shifted. Draping it around my neck I had the urge to check and see if that was appropriate. According to this.... as long as you are wearing it for the right reasons then it is okay to wear it.

I called my friend immediately and asked her where in the world she even got it. She could not remember how it came into her possession. She is not Catholic or even religious at all. But she knew when she was cleaning and organizing and came across it that it was meant for me.

I'm slowly learning how to pray it. I'm very grateful it made its way too me. And being the first one I have received and from a soul very dear to me makes it that much sweeter.