Friday, April 29, 2011

The Family Rosary

I've been meaning to do another series of posts for a while, but there never seems to be enough time to sit down and really think (at least not lately) and so I've pushed back the planned posts for at least a month now, although I've known what the subject was going to be since I did my headcovering series.

It is one of the most important parts of every day life in our house and it has been for quite a while now: it's the rosary (and more specifically in this particular post, the family rosary).

I can't remember exactly when I started praying the rosary... It was before I was confirmed.

Paul and I began praying the rosary together around the time we were married. We would go on walks and pray the rosary, or we'd pray in our little fifth wheel trailer (which sold today in the garage sale at Nani and Grumpa's house!) that we lived in when we first got married.

When I found out I was pregnant with Sadie I made an effort to pray at least five decades a day, and once she was born we would pray it together (okay, she would nurse and I would pray out loud) as we rocked in the rocking chair before her nap and before bedtime.

The bedtime prayer quickly became the time for our family rosary. With the lights off I would rock Sadie and we would pray as I counted the prayers on my fingers.

These days if you ask Paul what his favorite part of our day is, he's always quick to answer that it's our family rosary. And we've all noticed that life just runs more smoothly when we pray together each day as a family (I certainly am more even tempered when we pray every single day... when I start missing days I just feel meaner...).

When Paul works a shift that ends at 10pm we miss him, but I usually hold Mae and sit next to Sadie and pray out loud as the girls drift off to sleep.

It's not always the perfect setting. Tonight Mae was refusing to sit still for the first decade and Sadie kept insisting that Mae sleep in her bed (like that's going to happen!). But the expectations have been steady for both of their entire lives, and so they usually (99.99% of the time) calm down by the end of the first decade and are quiet for the rest of the prayer.

Occasionally Sadie might throw in a few extra Sign of the Crosses during the first decade with a giggle. I think that having high expectations for prayer time, and having it be a very special part of the day that the entire family takes part in, has helped the girls understand that it's non-negotiable.

As the series continues I hope to go a little more in depth into an explanation of the chaplet itself (and dispel any misconceptions that are out there!), the meditations and it's impact on our lives. And I'd love to hear any stories you have about how the rosary has impacted your life!

2 comments:

  1. Looking forward to this series! Being a Protestant interested in Catholicism, I have always wanted to understand the rosary. I've done some research online, but would love to hear first hand its role in your faith and family. love your blog!

    Blessings
    Kim Chrisman

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