220217 Sentinel, Beads

Beads have many uses for different people.
Some of those uses are not things people discuss in polite company. I will focus on the good things that beads are used for.
Some beads are used for decorations around people’s necks, others enjoy creating jewelry and others use them to decorate a Christmas tree. In countries around the world they are used during prayers. Good Catholics press the beads when reciting the rosary. My grandfather bought me a simple rosary made of plastic and cotton twine for me when I enlisted in the navy. I carried that rosary all through my 11 years in the service. I like to believe it kept me safe through my travels in the navy and there were many times when I needed that rosary to keep me safe. When he died in 1974, mom gave me his old rosary he had with him for at least 65 years of his lifetime. It is still in my possession today in 2022. It is a beautiful work of art that he used all of the time in his everyday prayers. There are a few beads missing and I see where a few links were lost during those years. I can see how he repaired it as best as he could. I see his rosary every day along with the one he gave me and they never fail to bring back memories. When Joyce was in the hospital in 2017 my daughter Annie bought me a set of prayer beads from India. It is designed to wear on one’s wrist. I use it every day for my prayers. It has 18 beads and that matches my attention span, so it works well for me.