A couple of months ago I was priviledged to participate in the pilgrimage of Our Lady of Guadalupe within our Mexican community. Once a year, a couple from Prescott brings a life-size portrait of the Virgin to our small town and She visits a number of homes where we gather for a nightly rosary, singing and a snack or meal afterwards. The food is always wonderful, the fellowship is comforting and the prayer time is liberating. More than one person has remarked on the relief experienced after laying his or her troubles at the feet of Our Lady.
This last visit lasted two months. Though it was often difficult to drag myself out of the house in the evening, when all I wanted was to eat a simple meal in front of the TV or read a good book, once I got there the power of shared prayer and devotions worked its healing magic on my weary body and mind.
Now that the Pilgrim Virgin has moved on, I struggle to say my daily rosary. The day gets so busy that when evening finally comes I am so tired that I fall into bed, reach over for my beads and maybe make it past the opening prayers before sleep overtakes me. On days when we have somewhere to go, we manage to say the rosary in the car. Living 50 miles from anywhere does have its perks. Sometimes my best time to say the rosary is in the evenings when I am topping off water troughs for the animals. The rhythm of the prayers, the cool of the mountain evening and the glory of the Arizona sunset just seem to lend themselves to meditation. Even then, frequently the boy is pestering me to play cowboy squirt guns or throw the baseball with him. Well, we keep trying. And we are truly blessed!
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