I am not Catholic, but I understand that rosary beads are
used by Catholics as a guide to prayer.
Each bead represents a prayer. I
have my own version of “rosary beads,” and it is a ring.
About 20 years ago, my children gave me a ring with each of
their birthstones in it. The ring was
configured to allow for additional stones to be added. A few years ago when the ring needed to be
re-sized for my aging knuckles, I decided to have the birthstones of my
grandchildren added. There were 8 at
that point, so four stones were added on each side of the original four which
represented my children. Last year, a
ninth grandchild was born, and a stone was added on the side to represent her. I have room for 3 more stones before I have
to get a new ring with more spaces.
Since adding the birthstones of grandchildren, I have been
using my ring as a prayer reminder, and calling it my “rosary ring.” When I look down at my hand, I am reminded to
pray for my family. Sometimes I run a
finger of the opposite hand over the ring and ask God to bless my family in a
general way. More often, I look at each
stone individually and pray for the person it represents.
In Isaiah 49:14-16, Israel thinks that God has forgotten
her, but through the prophet, He says, Can
a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she
has borne? Though she may forget, I will
not forget you! See, I have engraved you
on the palms of my hands….”
Could a mother and grandmother forget her family? Possibly…not likely, but possibly. I suppose I could become senile and not have
any idea what my ring represents.
But, God will not forget those He loves. They are not just on a ring, but engraved on
His palms.
