18 years

Eighteen years ago I began this blog in response to a difficult time for our community website. It just wasn't able to keep up with postings that showed the everyday news from the community. So I tried to share it, always saying to myself, "If a visitor was here this week, what would they see/experience?"

It wasn't too long, about 3 years, that the website got on its feet, but I continued to share through the blog, more my own meandering through the life rather than the community's as a whole. 

The name came from our gorgeous chapel stained-glass windows, which is the background of everything we see whenever we're in the chapel. 

I think that an 18-year run is pretty good for something that I thought would be temporary. And I think it served its purpose back in 2007. Hopefully since then I've been able to share some of our life with you--both in front of and behind the scenes! So today's post ends Light Through Stained Glass Windows with the sharing of my favorite--what else--stained glass window photos here at Mount St. Benedict Monastery.

Great thanks to all the readers, especially if there are any who have been around for all those years. A special shout out to some of my first cousins who have been so faithful in following "their cousin the nun" and who have, probably more than they realize, a pretty good daily knowledge of the life. 

So, I'll just be seeing you in person now, not in the digital world! Thanks for coming by and I hope you enjoyed all the posts, I certainly enjoyed sharing them with you. 

Click to enlarge.

Weekend wonders

Throughout the weekend I caught the Weather Channel a number of times and watched a mid-March storm come across the US, including the Midwest and Southeast...and then up the East Coast. For the most part when a storm comes up the East Coast, it doesn't reach us, at least directly. Maybe it's the Appalachian Mountains, I'm not sure. We get the ones coming down from Canada and/or across the Great Lakes.

Anyway, we just got a bit of rain and some winds that weren't really the destructive kind. In between those blips of storms our 50-60 degree temps officially brought early spring to our gardens. Here is the first patch of crocuses. Along with the 5-6" green stems of upcoming daffodils and the little groups of tulip leaves, we were so buoyed up by all of it that we walked through the inner courtyard from the front foyer to the dining room 100 times!

Terribly jealous of those of you who are 3-4 weeks ahead of us already!

PS.  This is one of those rare March weeks where we celebrate Sts. Patrick, Benedict and Joseph all between Monday and Friday. Lots of special songs, prayers and desserts!

NCAA fun

We had a great time this weekend watching some of the women's basketball conference championships. The top ten teams in the country were almost all in their conference finals and most of the number one seeded teams were upset in the finals--by one of the other top ten teams that are in the same conference. Great fun! 

For all of you who were "athletes" as young girls, then more commonly called "tomboys,"  I wish we had been born in these times and had all the opportunities that these gals have. I guess we just have to live vicariously through these true "athletes"!

The NCAA basketball tournament will be starting early next week, both men and women, and we're sure to see many of the same match ups when the top teams meet in the Elite Eight, Final Four or Finals! Enjoy.

Speaking of enjoying, I thought you might enjoy this old picture of a "tomboy" and one of her successful basketball teams. Oh my!

Three Days in June

 

Our little-town library is terrific! And, as proof of it, I was able to get onto the reserve list and then get the thing I reserved, within 2 weeks. So, I was able to read Anne Tyler's new book, Three Days in June, over the weekend. 

I love this writer. She is so good at her craft, so funny, so on target, so wise, so able to write down the ideas and experiences of life in a simple yet deeply moving way.

Here we find Gail, a Baltimore resident (Tyler's favorite venue), the central character of the three-day story, presented in three chapters: the day before the wedding, the day of the wedding of her daughter, and the day after. Pretty ordinary isn't it? Then why does Tyler make it so magical, within the everydayness of her stories?

So, if you're a Tyler fan, enjoy her latest, and if you are not, I just don't know what to say, except that she's terrific and if you want to start with her Breathing Lessons, you'll be reading a Pulitzer Prize winner!

March Art Show

 

This coming weekend, March 1-2, is the opening of our annual Women's History Month Art Show. If you're within visiting distance do stop by during March and probably into April, and see a wide variety of art works and craft works from our sisters, oblates and artsy-friends!

Here is the photo of the sunrise that I caught right outside my window one morning last November. It is now framed and will be in the show this year.

Coincidentally, this morning the same sight appeared, right at 7:00 am when we were leaving Morning Prayer. It wasn't quite as deep red as this one, but more of a very pretty dark pink. Lovely in its own way!

A good old-fashioned winter

That's the phrase our Sunday celebrant last week used at the beginning of his homily, "I for one have to say, it's really great to have a good old-fashioned winter"! The assembly howled as we all knew that we had just had 2" overnight and I knew that that had put our snow season over 80". 

I would say that people who live on the southern shores of the Great Lakes, where the Canadian winds come over the waters and the icy dunes for 3-4 months, are pretty resilient, patient people. But by mid-February and certainly into early March, our longing for bluer skies, warmer winds and sunnier days is becoming a reality that cannot be denied. 

Our community is faring pretty well from what I see, but the "Febs" are certainly with us: we have a few colds and miscellaneous respiratory viruses floating around; we have sighs and groans with another round of clearing snow-covered cars every morning,; and don't even get me started on dry air, which means dry skin, dry coughs and cracked fingers! Yikes...it's no time for sissies, I can tell you.

But, as you know from last week's post, the Eagles won the Super Bowl, March madness is just around the college basketball corner, and although we relish liturgical Ordinary Time, our thoughts are beginning to turn to the upcoming Lenten season with its weeks of once-a-year hymns, prayers and readings.

So, we are grateful for it all and hope that the winding down of winter, whatever that look is for you, is coming along, too. 

Amidst all of this, let us all continue to lift up our prayers and our local actions for a country of justice, peace, equality and care for all people who live here and all peoples everywhere who share these dreams with us.

Fly Eagles Fly

In the presence of 7-8 of our sisters who hail from the greater Philadelphia area, which includes parts of New Jersey, Delaware and Eastern PA, we "other Pennsylvanians" went crazy with them at Super Bowl LIX, as the Philadelphia Eagles demolished (football talk) the favored and reigning Super Bowl champs the Kansas City Chiefs.

It was terrific... as in 24-0 at half time and 40-22 at the end!!!

Here are a few sights from our Community gathering:

Cheese football!

Seven-layer salad

Fly Eagles Fly!

Congratulations: Anne, Charlotte, Diane, Elizabeth, 

Jackie, Kath, Stephanie, Valerie

and anyone else who claims allegiance to Philly!