As autumn began, I was going through a period of spiritual dryness. It had been going on for quite some time, once I took the time to analyze it a bit. I had a brief respite in the late summer, but then as September dawned and the kids started back to school, I fell off doing the small bit of daily prayer that I had worked back into my routine, and things deteriorated once again...
I still felt comfort from my faith and from going to Mass on Sundays, but a certain richness was lacking. It felt like I was trying to do everything myself, rather than letting God in to help me. The more that I was worried about (and the items certainly piled up as the month wore on) the less I would seek out God. I knew He was there, but I had a difficult time asking for help.
In early October, my sister asked me about starting a daily challenge to pray a full Rosary. I had not prayed a full Rosary in two years, just a single decade here and there when I could, and do you want to know why? Because of my car. I used to always pray the Rosary in my car.
In September 2017, I had to replace my aged Honda Civic, and I wound up getting a new Honda Fit that had a stick shift. I did not know how to drive a stick shift, and thus I had to learn. It was not easy, but I got it eventually. However, the newness of the experience made me reluctant to give my hands something else to worry about when they were now so busy simply making the car go. And so for two years, I had not prayed a Rosary with all five decades!
My sister’s query got me to thinking: I had been driving a stick for two years, and gotten quite good at it. And so last month, I got out a new rosary and took it for a spin as I drove into work. I could easily keep count on the rosary tucked in my left hand while it was also placed on the steering wheel doing what it needed to do. I prayed half on my way into work, and half on my way home. I finished the entire Rosary, with no impact on my driving the car.
Since then, I have prayed a full Rosary every single day. Oftentimes in the car, but also before Mass starts or in other spots throughout my day. I tend to not finish praying a Rosary in a single sitting, but this works well for me with my constantly-on-overdrive brain.
I have noticed my anxiety abating a bit. I am also feeling more positive about things that were previously eating me up inside. I look forward to getting into my car and going to work, where things have been quite stressful of late, so that I can have that quiet interior prayer time. I am loving it.
It has really helped, and I am hoping to keep it up. I know that sometimes I will miss a day, it happens. But the perseverance is what I needed, especially as we move closer to Advent and the holiday season.
