October = Holy Rosary

I have the rosary on the brain.

October is the month of the Holy Rosary, but I was compelled to start praying the rosary for the first time before I knew of the coincidence. It started week before last. I suddenly felt like giving it a shot in the middle of the day. Digging through my big ol' bag of books and literature, I located a pamphlet I had snagged from the church months and months prior. It was very well laid out and made all five decades go very smoothly.

A few days later, the urge hit again. This time I completed the prayer on my drive to retrieve my kids from school. It hasn't stopped there. Over the past two and a half weeks I have prayed the rosary five times. I'm not one to have patience with repetitive tasks, so I surprised myself by looking forward to this prayer time and not finding it tedious. In fact, it seems to go by rather quickly.

There are rosaries all over our house. The kids each have several that have been gifted to them. I received some beautiful ones myself since my conversion. Last month some family members took a trip to Europe and brought me back more rosaries from Milan. Every rosary has a memory or a person or an intention attached to it.

This one I purchased for myself. It stays on my bedside table. The large diameter of the beads and the overall size
make it easy to pray in the dark while falling asleep.

A sweet simple and light rosary from Spain, brought back by my father in law.
It's current home is the dining room table.

Another one from Spain and my father in law.

Shades of blue are my favorite and my husband and daughter had that in mind
when they gifted me with this rosary last Valentine's Day. It's place of honor is the windowsill
of the kitchen sink. I spend a lot of time in the kitchen and its easy to grab when I am needing
a minute to find my peace again.

This sweet crystal beaded one came from Milan and was picked out for me
by my grandmother in law. She is in her 80's and greatly enjoyed her trip to Europe.

And finally, my favorite one. Gifted to me by one of the dearest holy women in my life at
my baptism last Easter. It stays with me either in my car or in my bag and is the most used by far.

I'm fond of just keeping a rosary in hand during my daily prayers. It helps to center and focus my mind and body. As Catholics we believe in praying with our entire being, and just having something tangible to hold on to or orient yourself towards can enhance your prayer life greatly.

 Long long before I believed in our Lord, I still found comfort from religious objects. That should have been an indication that I was to experience a great change of heart and life and find my way home eventually.