Rosary: Cheerful Heart

All the days of the poor are hard,
   but a cheerful heart has a continual feast.

The "Christmas spirit" seems to have something to do with elves, shopping malls, snow, and spending lots of money. I ran into the actual Christmas spirit many years ago when my children were small. I dashed into the supermarket a day or two before the holiday to "pick up a few things." The young woman in line in front of me had separated her purchases into Food, Not-Food, and Other. The "Other" pile included a small ham, a bakery pie, some hard candy, and some chocolate kisses. She also brandished a tedious pile of "cents off" coupons. She seemed tense as she paid cash and coupons for the "Not-Food" items. She paid for the "Food" items with food stamps--which in those days were embarrassing paper as opposed to looking like credit cards. The cashier shot her an inquiring look as they came to the third pile. The young woman tallied it silently on her fingers, smiled, handed over her coupons, and said, "Ring it up. I'll be OK." She left the store with very little money. I left it immeasurably richer in spirit. She was blessed with a cheerful heart, and I hope her family enjoyed their Christmas feast.

This cheerful rosary is my way of thanking that anonymous young woman from so long ago. The Ave beads are faceted "poppy" jasper in warm, ruddy tones. The Pater beads are smooth red jasper, a bit brighter than than the small beads.

The rosary is graced with a simple, handsome Edwardian crucifix and center medal that will appeal to both men and women. It is small and compact in size.

This one-of-a-kind rosary will, I hope, bring a little Christmas spirit of the right sort--the sort that is rich in blessings and cheerful in the heart--where it really counts.