There was a time when I used to come home in the morning after dropping the kids off at school, make half a pot of coffee, and leisurely pray a rosary before I went about my daily chores and activities.
I was fairly new at this discipline of praying daily, and I needed time, and I definitely needed plenty of cheat sheets. I ended up with a lovely little book that had the scriptural rosary. That helped me a lot because I was able to follow along with the story. It was just what I needed to help me remember the mysteries, and I was hooked on the prayer.
As it happens, other things changed. I lost the little booklet, but not the habit of praying. I was already in love with the prayer…and falling deeper in love with the story. Slowly, and steadily, my faith was blossoming … one bead at a time.
Years later, I see Mary’s gentle hand in this journey as she has led me to her Son. That little book with the scriptural rosary came back to me, a sweet little gift that keeps giving as I revisit the pages I almost knew by heart.
But times have changed. I’ve gone back to a demanding career, and I don’t have the luxury of running a pot of coffee in the middle of my morning. Heck, I don’t have time to run to the vending machine to buy a terrible impersonation of coffee.
I do, however, attempt to finish a rosary. That challenge has proven to be more difficult than I imagined, mostly because I’m constantly interrupted and I’d forget where I was. And then I came upon this plan…if I couldn’t get 20 minutes of uninterrupted time, perhaps I could make the time for a reverent Hail Mary.
One Hail Mary prayed right is certainly worth more than a distracted and mumbled rosary, so I developed a 
plan. All I needed was a tally system to help me keep track of my progress through the rosary…so I designed this cheat sheet — just a series of bubbles and boxes I could check as I moved through the prayer. One glance told me where I had left off before racing to class or a meeting.
I was sure I’d never be able to get through a whole rosary this way. The thing is, on those days when I can’t escape for a quiet lunch with prayer, I not only find myself praying all day, one Hail Mary at a time, but I find that I have just enough moments throughout the day to finish.
How about that?
Click on this link for a printable bookmark Rosary that you can check off as you pray.
another cup of coffee 
Hi there! Thanks so much for deciding to follow me and Liking my On the Way. So nice to meet you this cloudy Sunday afternoon. Isn’t that just one of the best things about this blogging world? And I am very new to it — just since March. As I’ve said to others — I love the Return Policy that seems to be indigenous to this cyber space – as in someone Likes a poem/photo of mine and I get to visit them at their site. So have enjoyed meandering your site and learning About You. Anyone who uses a header photo of a cup of coffee is A-Okay by me! You’ll notice in most of my replies that I usually head to the blog world early in the morning over a cup or two of coffee – my time to write, think, and be motivated by others’ words, art, and passions.
I especially enjoyed reading this Rosary post — if you go back to my site and look under the topic Cherished and read Memories Attached , you’ll see why.
So nice to meet you this Sunday afternoon!
lillian
Thanks for dropping by! I too try to get out in the blogs in the morning…but this lazy Sunday begged for a diversion. I suspect I know what I might find when I look up you suggestion! Peace!
Lazy Sunday indeed…….we are sympatico today! 🙂
Per Mariam ad Jesum. Thanks for this post. One reverent Hail Mary a day keep the sin away.
Yes!
Reblogged this on another cup of coffee and commented:
A few weeks ago Angela Sealana from InspiredAngela asked me about making a downloadable pdf of a checklist, so here you go! Share it if you like. I reblogged my original post from 2012, and added the file at the end. Enjoy! And pray as you go!
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing it here–I think this is something I can put into practice.
Homeschooling mothers everywhere, or just mothers at home with Little Ones, want that! Where’s the printable version? I’ve always wanted a way to keep track of those prayers while I’m on the go, praying as I straighten the house or do dishes.
Nice!! Myself, following something you once mentioned, I pray the rosary when coming back from dropping off the kids at school, and sometimes on the way back to pick them up. I’ve been at it for months now, and I find I need it and enjoy it.
Cool! I did that for many years 🙂
Yes, it’s the ideal time…