Last Updated on September 29, 2019 by Ginny Kochis
My Grandpa was a carpenter. He was small in stature, gentle but grizzled. His hands bore the mark of his trade: his rough palms sprouted stubs in three places where fingers once had been. Even after retirement, Grandpa wore the sweet, slightly earthy scent of pine and cedar like a fine cologne. His pocket held a favored rosary, the chain broken and the dull black beads polished by decades of daily use.
When I was ten, Dad inherited Grandpa’s rosary. I held it in my hand, turning the beads in my fingers.
The sudden scent of pine filled the air.
Our Lady of the Rosary
Grandpa carried his rosary everywhere. My father did the same after it came into his possession. It was a connection to the man who raised him, the man who led a family of six through the struggles of the Great Depression, the tragedy of World War II, the turmoil of the 60s, the false gods of the 8os. His rosary was the physical embodiment of a deep devotion to Our Lady. He passed that devotion on to his son, who passed it on to me.
The rosary is our connection to the Blessed Mother. When we pray the rosary and meditate on its most sacred mysteries, we are uniting ourselves to her joy, her grief, and her glory. We walk with her as she walked beside Jesus, taking her outstretched hand on our journey toward home. Who better to follow in our path to heaven than she who opened wide its gates?
Learn about the rosary. Pray the rosary. Teach your children to pray the rosary, too. I will, in the hopes that someday, they will pass on a humble, broken, shiny-beaded treasure to their own grandchildren, and with it, a mother’s great love for her son.
Family Activities
- Pray the rosary with your children
- Plant a rosary garden in the spring
- Make your own child-friendly rosaries with pipe cleaners and beads
Family Prayer
Our Lady of the Rosary, you long to connect us with your beloved son. Pray for us, that our devotion to him will increase through our devotion to the most holy rosary. Amen.
This post is part of the Write31 Days challenge. To read the other posts in the series, click here.
What a lovely reflection! You really painted a picture in my head with your words. 🙂 The rosary has become a bigger part of my life lately so I’m eager to read more of your posts this month. I am curious at the suggestion to make rosary garden. Is that just a regular garden named for Our Lady? Thanks for linking up! 🙂