Happy National Chocolate Day!

Not that you needed another reason to eat chocolate, but here is one: today (October 28th, 2014) is National Chocolate Day! It’s considered a high holy day in my household. Indeed, my husband and son just came into the studio with an offering of dark chocolate and sea salt caramel, along with glad tidings of great joy: “Happy National Chocolate Day,” they yelled. They are good boys and know me well. I have good reason to keep them around.

I’m sharing this with you for two reasons. First, I knew you would want to join me in celebrating this very sacred of national holidays. Second, I thought you’d enjoy knowing that there are not just one, but two – TWO! – connections between chocolate and prayer beads (in case you needed one more reason to love prayer beads).

First, it appears that the oldest known rosary belonged to a woman named Lady Godiva. Perhaps you’ve heard of her. Yep, I’m talking about the infamous woman who rode around naked on a horse. I’d heard the story and  – along with everyone else -judged Lady Godiva to be loose or crazy or some combination of the two. But the stories that have been handed down through history paint a completely different picture: one of a woman who was a devout Christian and a brave and compassionate advocate of the common folk. I love telling the story of her famous ride because it redeems her honor and offers one more image of a strong woman in history. And apparently, when Lady Godiva died she bequeathed her rosary to the monastery she and her husband had founded. The monks recorded this gift and that record – dating back to the 11th century – is used to help date the origin of the rosary. That’s one connection.

Here’s the other: as I’ve said many times before, this prayer bead journey had a fairly quirky beginning. It took me a while to a) trust that God was calling me and b) figure out what exactly I was being called to do. Once I did I began researching the history of prayer beads. That’s when I first learned of this connection between prayer beads and Lady Godiva. In addition to loving her story I thought, “Hmmm, Godiva equals chocolate” (because that’s how my mind works). That means there is a direct connection between prayer beads and chocolate. I LOVE chocolate! And that’s when I really began to trust this calling. It was a clear sign of God’s deep love for me, a clear sign that God knew me well.

And so, as you’re savoring some wonderful piece of chocolate, I’ll leave you with this thought: “Godiva” means “God’s gift.” True story. Chocolate is God’s gift. You’re welcome.

Enter to Win a $25 Godiva Gift Card!

In honor of National Chocolate Day, I’m giving away one $25 Godiva gift card. How great is that?!? All you have to do to enter is post a photo of your prayer beads and chocolate together. Get creative! Post them here in the comments section, on my Facebook page, on Twitter (@abeadnaprayer), or send them to me at kevincent619 (@) gmail.com. The deadline to post is this Friday, 10/31/14. I will enter all names into a random drawing. The winner will be announced next Monday, November 3, 2014.

In the meantime, check out Godiva’s The Lady Godiva Program. I love it because they are using this empowering story of Lady Godiva – along with proceeds from chocolate sales – to support women who are making a difference in the areas of health/wellness/hunger, children/families/poverty, and the environment. I think that’s awesome!