Rosary ID tags are links to past

I have three very special rosaries. The first was given to me by my dear cousin Jennifer when she learned of a medical issue my then-6-month-old son was having. It was blessed at Medjugorje. The second belonged to my mother. It’s a wonder there are any beads left, because she prayed it constantly. The third belonged to my maternal grandmother. I claimed it while cleaning out my mother’s home after she passed away.

I keep my mother’s and my grandmother’s rosaries on our family Bible and I use them interchangeably when praying. I feel connected to them both as I finger the same beads they each used to count their own Hail Marys. I wonder, as I touch them, what they prayed for and for whom.

I also wonder what will become of them when I pass away. How will anyone know to whom these rosaries belonged? Will anyone care about the thousands of prayers that were said for family while using these cherished items?

To help future generations know these devout women, I made IDs for each. The small tags include their names, dates of birth and death, and words that link the three of us (grandmother, mother, and daughter), and our relationship to each other.

[For the purposes of this blog, I redacted their last names.]

Someday, when my own sons clean out my home after I pass, hopefully they will pause as they come across these family treasures. More valuable to me than heirloom jewelry or a chest full of sterling silverware, are these rosary beads. My hope is that finding them, along with their ID tags, will help my own sons see the links to their past, as well as to their future in heaven.

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