Recycled Paper Malas from Uganda!

 Last week, we went to New York and met with representatives from several Fair Trade collectives.  The first of the orders has arrived!  These are malas, or prayer beads, made of recycled paper & colored with vegetable dyes, from a women's collective in Uganda.  The colors are fabulous!  Each strand has 108 beads, some with tassels and some without.  108 is symbolic - I've heard several explanations for the number - some say it represents the 10,800 breaths we take each day, reminding us in meditation to keep returning to our breath.