Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

When I pray the rosary I like to pray it alone--I can go at my own speed; I can interrupt my prayer at any time.  But one day I was asked if I would help lead the rosary once a week at our local nursing/assisted living home. I hesitantly said yes. Besides myself, only a couple women wanted to lead the rosary--one went too slowly and the other went too fast. One person stopped coming because the speed wasn't to her liking. But gradually we moved to a pace that was prayerful for all, and the disgruntled person returned. Before we begin I ask if anyone is very ill or has died during the week, or if any family members need prayer, and of course we always pray for the residents of the home. An employee usually joins us--when she first came she did not know how to pray the rosary, but now she takes her turn leading a decade. After we finish no one is in a hurry to leave; we talk about the activities of the past week, the manicure jobs, family news. In the beginning I usually had...

“So, how’d you sleep?” No one ever asked me that question when I was younger, but it is now something I get asked often. Sleep is an issue for me. I am no longer very good at it, despite the fact that I have a comfortable bed that I love to be in. I’ve tried many solutions to address my problem, I have practiced meditation and relaxation techniques, downloaded apps designed to aid sleep. You would think that listening to music might be helpful, but as a former music teacher, I can’t help analyzing the music. I’ve listened to many an audio book, figuring that the story would transport my mind beyond my own racing thoughts. Know what works best? Prayer, of course! I start with some scolding. “Dear God, if you are as loving and compassionate as I trust that you are, why on earth are you plaguing me with this? I will be better able to serve you tomorrow if I am not so tired.” Sometimes I grab the olivewood rosary in my nightstand drawer, figuring that fingering beads has to...