Now you may wonder why I’ve got a set of Rosary Beads as my “unexpected” photo challenge.. but there’s a story that only happened last week.  I am going to Ireland earlier than expected.  I’ll be spending St Patrick’s Day (March 17th) in Dublin’s fair city.  I am over the moon about it.  Most of you who regularly read my stuff will know that it is a life long dream to go to Ireland.  My gran was born there and I know I won’t feel complete till I visit.

Well last week, after booking tickets (yes they are booked )  I had a thought that I should probably bring something of my Gargie’s (my gran) home to Ireland for her.  Next day I was speaking to my sister on the phone and though I hadn’t mentioned my previous night’s thoughts to her, she suddenly said “Why don’t you bring Gargie’s rosary beads back to Ireland for her.  Mmmmm okay.. so that would be the thing I could bring back then.  She asked me if I had rose quartz ones and I told her no, I had a pink set and a green set.  She asked if I was sure the pink ones weren’t rose quartz and though I was positive, I went into my bedroom to get both sets which hang over my dressing table.

I came out with them in hand, but annoyingly, another chain was caught up around them.  As I spoke to her on the phone, trying to untangle the chain from the beads, I started to get impatient.. Then I stopped in my tracks. This wasn’t a chain, it was another set of rosary beads. Now why is this so UNEXPECTED?  Well, I’ve never seen these rosary beads in my life.  If they’d been in a jewellery box, I’d say they must have been there all along and I’d just never noticed them but no.. These were hanging on my dressing table.  I am the only person who could have put them there and I’ve never seen them before.

I was a bit shaken by this time, then my sister told me that years ago, Gargie had a set of rosary beads that were sent to her by her sister ( a catholic nun) from Ireland after she had been to Italy.  By all accounts they had been blessed by the pope.  I don’t remember anything of this.   When I took a photo to show my sister, I had to blow it up bigger to see that they were actually made in Italy.  Okay.. so now I’m more than shaken, I’m a bit freaked.

Anyway, the unexpected mystery remains.  I still have no “earthly” idea how they got hung up on my dressing table or who by.  But I do know this.,… they are coming to Ireland with me.  I’m sure they are a message from my feisty Irish grandmother and I’m positive that when I get to Ireland, she’ll find a way of letting me know what she wants me to do with them.

Happy days ahead…. Livvy 🙂