Delightful Findings

There have been times in my life when I have spent frantic moments searching for vital items that have been misplaced. I’ve learned to know where my car keys are on Sunday night to avoid a frenzied search for the keys, that I may not have used all weekend, in order to get my son to his car pool on time on Monday morning.

Then there have been times when I have lost something more valuable. An earring or a favorite book, realizing that the chance of finding them are slim. That is what happened to my favorite Rosary a couple of years ago.

As a convert to Catholicism in the 1980’s, the instruction about Mary was weak and my devotion to her was nearly non-existent. During a conversion phase a few years ago, my penance involved praying the Rosary. Since I didn’t have any idea how to pray this Marian devotion, I did not complete the penance in Church, but came home and opened a dresser drawer.

In side a blue box was a beautiful crystal Rosary that my in-laws had given me several Christmas’ before. There it was, just waiting for me to pray with it. It had a small amount of water from Lourdes in it and I used it faithfully for many months. During that conversion time, I receive two other Rosaries as gifts. The one I used the most was the one that was with me! But my favorite was the Lourdes one.

There was a time when I could not find it. I remember last using it at the gym and check the lost and found. It was not in there. It was so pretty, that I could imagine someone wanting it, even it they didn’t realize its use. I could not find it in any of the usual places. Chalking it up to one of those valuable items that I would not find, I prayed that whoever found it kept it somewhere safe and that Mary was with them.

I continued to pray the Rosary, but was not able to find a favorite to replace the lost item. I looked in Catholic bookstores and searched on the web to no avail. I missed it because it was the one that was with me as I came back to God. As I planned my trip to Italy last fall, the only thing that I wanted to buy was a new Rosary. Perhaps I thought I could find one that looked just like it.

Assisi was our destination on the third day in Italy. I had been to Assisi before, and while I have a great respect for St. Francis, I do not have a great devotion to him. I walked into the lower church and began to look at the fresco’s of Christ’s life. In a place that I would have least expected it, I found myself engulfed in God’s loving embrace.

Once I finished my prayers, I reluctantly left that gorgeous church that so beautifully tells the life of Christ in paintings. I wanted to find something that would remind me of this precious time spent with God. In the gift store, I found a Rosary. It was nothing like the one I had lost, but maybe that was the point.

I kept this new Rosary in my car and used it often. Six weeks after my return from Rome, I was preparing to pack for a trip to Michigan to celebrate Thanksgiving. I needed a bag for the books I was taking. As I peaked into a canvas bag that I had not used in some time, I gasped out loud. There was my Rosary box containing the crystal Rosary that I had thought I had lost! After bowing my head for a pray of thanksgiving, I reached inside the bag, opened the box and kissed the crucifix.

What a delightful finding! This beautiful religious instrument had quietly sat, waiting for me to come across it. It has been several weeks since this discovery and I still get a thrill from praying with it. Finding it has me wondering what other delightful surprises God has waiting for me, if I will just take the time to listen and respond.