New Residents

Meet three "new members of our family": this one is located in the back of the monastery, near the south entrance. It was given in honor of one of our recent Golden Jubilarians in mid-April. We were surprised that it had a beautiful full spring bloom within weeks of its planting.




Here's a new Japanese Red Maple given in memory of one of our sister's young nephews who died earlier this year. It is on the west side of the monastery, in a grassy area that also has a picnic table used by our employees especially at lunchtime. It was planted on the exact site of a Red Maple that had to be uprooted last year.



And finally, this Japanese Tree Lilac is set up temporarily in our chapel as part of our liturgical environment. It will be planted outside soon.

Welcome to these special new Mount residents.






It's been awhile since I shared one of Mary Oliver's poems. This one is perhaps her most famous or at least the last line is:

The Summer Day

Who made the world?
Who made the swan and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean--
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down--
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.

I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
With your one wild and precious life?