July 29 -A few things that have caught my eye this week...

Yesterday on the final hour of NBC's Today Show, which tends to be what some would call "fluff", hosts Hoda Kotb, Kathie Lee Gifford and style contributor Bobbie Thomas talked about "Jewish Rosaries", which are handmade and sold by comedian Carlen Altman in Brooklyn, New York. The ladies described Altman's Chai Maintenance necklace, her Oy Vey Lucky Charm prayer bracelet, and the glow-in-the-dark Olympic Star rosary that features a Noah's Ark connector and a silver-plated star cast from an original pendant owned by her grandmother. The Jewish Rosaries retail for $25-$40 and Altman's website says that "A portion of all Jewish Rosaries proceeds will go to the Jewish rosaries Fund, which is donated annually to amazing charities."

I think what really struck me as odd is Altman's comment that “Rosaries are a vivid way to show your religion, ...“This is a good way for people to show they’re proud of being Jewish.”

Hmm, I've never thought about my rosary that way. I honor it not as a piece of adornment, but as my devotion to Scripture-based prayer and the faith of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The tragic news from Knoxville about the out-of-work truck driver that has been accused of opening fire at a Unitarian church and killing two people is just so very sad. According to news reports, the shooter left behind a note suggesting that he targeted the congregation out of hatred for its liberal policies, includuing its accepance of gays, authorities said yesterday. The news story also reports that last night an overflow crowd of more than 1000 people attended a memorial service at the Second Presbyterian Church next door to the Unitarian church where the shooting occured. "We're here tonight to make sense of the senseless, " the Reverend William Sinkford, president of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, said.

I can't imagine how these people feel, and how difficult it must be to make sense of this tragic shooting.