bead by bead, word by word

Sitting at the grotto at Lourdes, with mom’s twenty decade rosary in my hands, having untangled it out of mom’s embroidered little purse, working my way seat by seat to the first seat in the front row of the benches before the grotto, I fingered all 200 beads one by one, through all four sets of mysteries, in a steady and reflecting way, as I paused before, on and after each bead with just one word or phrase of the Hail Mary:

1. Hail Mary
2. full of grace
3. the Lord is with you
4. blessed are you among women
5. and blessed is the fruit of your womb
6. Jesus
7. holy Mary, Mother of God
8. pray for us sinners
9. now
10. and at the hour of our death