My mom, 80 years old, prays a lot with Rosary beads. When her financial planner went on a trip to Italy in 2006 she brought back Rosary beads from the Vatican as a gift for my mom. My mom carries them with her everywhere. Then one of the connecting hooks broke making it like one long piece of thread with beads. This happened sometime late 2007. She asked some neighbors, my sisters as well as myself to see if one of the holding hooks could be fixed to string them back together. None of us could do anything. The beads were just one long strand now without being totally connected.

When she elected to have open heart surgery due to stenosis of the aeortal valve, two of the hospitals she was in, each gave her plastic Rosary beads. She made it through: open heart surgery, a pacemaker, initial rehabilitation, a failed pacemaker and then a third surgery for a new pacemaker. As I completed packing to return home and get my sister ready with rehab clothing, I telephoned my mom to ask what she might want me to take to her at the hospital. “Did you get those Rosary beads fixed?” I couldn’t tell her we did, but she told me to bring them as is. “I’ll be there after I stop at Sue’s with your clothes for rehab next week.” My youngest sister is in caregiving mode when I am at home in Virginia. She and my middle sister do the majority of day to day helping for my mom who lives alone.

As I packed the final items in my car and started the engine, oops, I forgot the beads. I turned the engine off, walked back to her apartment and into her bedroom. I reached for the plate on her dresser where I laid the favored broken beads on top of the two hospital sets just 3 days prior. I remember when I laid them in there thinking, “I wish we could fix these for mom.”

As I pulled them out, they appeared to be strung all together. “That hook must have grabbed to a surrounding bead and now at least tape might hold them together,” I was thinking as I ran my finger around to find that place.

I couldn’t believe it so I looked more carefully and ran my fingers around a second time.

The beads were like new. It set me in a daze. I don’t even recall how I got to my sister’s. Truth is, I got lost and had to call her for directions. I did know I needed confirmation of what I was seeing. “Sue do you remember these Rosary beads being broken?” I asked Sue as I held out the cross from my hand where I tucked the beads. “Yeah,” she said as she looked at the cross and I nudged the beads to her hands.

“Unbelievable!” she exclaimed. She took the beads, looked more carefully and ran her fingers around them. “How did they get fixed?”

“A miracle,” I yelled with delight. “It’s a miracle.”

We both were astounded and shook our heads. We looked at and felt them all around again.

When I got to the hospital I wasn’t quite sure if I needed to say anything when I handed them to my mom. “You are truly blessed,” as I handed her the beads. “How did you fix these?” she asked me.

She started crying as she held them and I told her the sequence of events.

When she stopped crying she said, “But what happened to those two beads that fell off?” She then started moving her fingers around the beads counting aloud as she went. If you know about Rosary beads, a rosary helps the person praying keep track of the number of various prayers said. The fingers move along the beads as the prayers are recited. Since you don’t need to be thinking about the prayers, you can meditate on the words as your fingers move. Usually there are five groups of ten beads (a decade), with additional large beads before each decade. “They’re all here!” She started crying again and kissing the beads.

Have you seen miracles of this kind on television? Or heard of them on radio? I have and have always thought, “How did that happen?”

Or maybe you’re like my agnostic husband, “There’s a logical explanation; maybe someone entered your mom’s apartment, found the beads and got them fixed.” I’d almost believe that except that her neighbors who are her friends know all the comings and goings: they rarely are gone from the premises and report all to any resident, or their visiting family.

What other kind of “natural means” might you be considering caused this?

I’ve thought about what other kind of scientific explanation could account for this? What other kind of natural event could explain it?

I find your ability to remember the whole series of events word for word, but your inhability to remember the way to your own sisters house, disconserting. But I shall bypass that and assume you are being 100% honest.

I beleive your original assumption that the hook got caught on one of the beads to be most likely, maybe they were never fully broken in the first place? Maybe the hook was just a bit bent and you unknowingly bent it back into shape.

As for the missing beads? Well, with no disrespect to your mother, but she is 80, and may easily have misscounted.

I think you are jumping to the 'miracle' theory just a bit to quickly.

Remember I said, "I was in a daze." My family is in one state and I live in another. I visit usually twice a year. It's easy not to remember my way. I do like that you noticed that though.

I saw them fully broken; my sister saw them fully broken; at least a dozen of my mom's friends saw them fully broken. We all tried to fix them.

No disrespect taken and your miscount theory will be considered.

Still, how is it the beads are now one continuous strand again?

Maybe your husband fixed them and didn't tell you? Perhaps he wanted your mother to think someone was looking out for her, because heart surgery is very risky.

Perhaps they are not the same beads, someone could have replaced them with new ones knowing how much they meant to your mom. If I were you I'd ask around first to make sure.

Well my husband was back home in our home state. He was an 8 to 10 hour drive away. Of course he does want to help; he's a bypass patient himself and knows the risk firsthand.

Thanks for thinking of this possibility.

I'm just not sure how this happened and really appreciate you're thinking of possible explanations.

Oh they are the same beads. They are most distinct. I will however make a telephone call to one of her friends who does have a key. She only HEARD about the broken Rosary and never saw them. But it is worth asking.

Thank you.

Pathbeads, thanks for sharing that amazing story with us!

These miracles happen every day. How reassuring it is for your mother, so uplifting you can't express it in small words. Something so small, but big enough to last a lifetime, and then some.

The way I see it, for you and your family it was a miracle. I wouldn't bother looking for an explanation because to do so would actually besmirch what could be a very beautiful thing.
Finding out the actual reason/cause for its mending will solve the mystery, but it doesn't do anything positive for you - not like the thought of an actual miracle does.

Whatever happened to those beads, miracle or not at this point, if it brought your mom closer to the Lord than she was to begin with...Then mission accomplished! Either way....

Blessings to your Mom...I hope she is doing ok....

You are so right about the "big enough." Thanks kindly.

Pat

You are right about it not doing anything positive. I wanted to flush out as many possible explanations as what my doubting husband might find. It's more beautiful as you say to have the thought of what the actual miracle does. Thank you.

Pat

Amen amen amen. Thank you.

Pat