Thirst

 

Most years I re-read Mary Oliver's marvelous book Thirst during Lent.

As the inside flap describes it: "...she strives to experience sorrow as a path to spiritual progress, grief as part of loving and not its end....she chronicles for the first time her discovery of faith..."  Thus, even more apropos this year living under the little cloud of grief that has settled over us from the weeks preceding Lent.

Here's the an excerpt from the first poem, perhaps one of the most well-known of this collection.

"Messenger"

My work is loving the world...

Are my boots old? Is my coat torn?

Am I no longer young, and still not half-perfect? 

Let me keep my mind on what matters,

which is my work,

which is mostly standing still and learning to be astonished...."

Two new sights

 

On my daily route into Erie for ministry, I drive pass this area that has a clear view of the morning sunrise--no houses, electrical wires or other buildings. This week I was able to get my first clear shot of the sunrise in about 4 months---at about 7:35 am. Welcome early pre-spring!

Equally not seen this close to the house for quite a while, this young doe came right up 
to the row of bushes that line the short sidewalk at the east end of our building. She was munching away for 5-10 minutes when we caught sight of her outside our laundry room window.

Such wonders can be seen when we have more than 9 hours of sunlight a day!

An ordinary week

We've just completed a weekend composed of "ordinary" things---in contrast to the last four that were composed of extraordinary things. I saw sisters doing their laundry, cleaning the area they are responsible for, laughing and chatting in the community room around a table of card playing. With the sun this afternoon many went for a visit to family or friends, a ride around the peninsula or just a quick trip to do some errands. 

We even returned to everyday menus: meatloaf, hotdogs, grilled cheese, chicken, pizza. In contrast to all the large steamer pans of pasta, spaghetti and other casseroles which were prepared for the unknown number of guests that would show up for all the funeral rituals--meals that could easily "stretch."

A bouquet of flowers was delivered to a sister whose birthday was Saturday, I just laughed when I saw it--just what we need, I thought, another arrangement of beautiful flowers. There are still a half dozen still alive all around the first floor general areas, including chapel itself.

But all in all, the sweet and lovely references to the four sisters we lost last month still abound in our conversations and certainly in each of our thoughts. This lovely month-long remembrance is at the entrance to our chapel, and although we have never had a foursome before and therefore, it is a little stunning, it is quite beautiful---as it keeps them in our minds and hearts, as we struggle to come to grips with their absence.

 

It's been a very unusual 2+ weeks. We lost Sisters Mary Louis on January 8, Mary Grace on the 21st, Maggie Zeller on the 22nd and Cecilia on the 25th, whose funeral we will celebrate tomorrow.  Here is how we honor and remember them during the first month--Cecilia's will be added Tuesday.

If you haven't seen their obituaries yet, they are beautiful. See our community home page.

Astrid-season 3 is here!

 

If you don't already know OR you haven't even heard of this series OR you're looking for some really, really great shows to watch during these winter days...guess what? Astrid & Raphaelle, season 3 is now on PBS Passport and my friends and I are just ecstatic!

Through some marvelously talented screenwriters, this third season is not the usual, " not quite as good as the first ones"----no, it's even better. We've watched the first four episodes and are seeing the expected great acting, but the unusual realistic growth in all the characters...a growth just like "real people" go through as the years and experiences of life go by. 

Too, we've found the story line for each epsidoe to be fresh, interesting, creative and reflective. And yet all the parts and pieces of the first years that we liked best, are still there: the cammaraderie between the police staff, the weekly circle of discussions among the autistic people as they try to navigate the neurotypicals' world, the friendship between Astrid and Raphaelle and, of course, Astrid herself.

Enjoy! Enjoy!  

P.S. The fourth season is being televised in France right now. 

How to get through snowstorms

The two snowstorms that filled the news programs and, of course, the Weather Channel, over the past 3-4 days really missed us. The 1-3" of snow that was predicted each morning and evening, didn't materialize. But we did get the cold. Cold for us, that is: 10-15 degrees. 

If your winter months consist of snow or cold you have to find ways to "survive," short of going south for a couple months! My way is primarily to hunker down here at the Mount and surround myself with things I really like. Books I can't wait to read, good movies on TV/streaming services, games on my phone, and just hanging around with friends. But, here is one that is, I suppose, a little odd: I love being in my room, which is kind of like a private den!  You see, my windows look out on the east lawns and woods of our place. You never know what you'll see--deer along the tree line and always birds at our bird feeders for sure. But indoors these two beautiful orchids are both in bloom right now. I could just look at them for hours!

This weekend brought a lovely event, the Memory Service and funeral for one of our 90+ aged sisters who was one of the proverbial "institutions" of St. Mary's Parish and St. Benedict's Academy. Her parents were in the same neighborhood as my grandparents and the families knew each other in the schools and parish. I heard about the Eichenlaubs growing up and so enjoyed the fact that Sr. Mary Louis, in her declining years, would often call me Rita or Pat, my two aunts that she grew up with. So sweet.

The trees are full of angels...

As we come to the end of the Christian Christmas season, here's one last look at the angels that have been with us throughout. 

"About Angels and About Trees"

Mary Oliver

Where do angels
fly in the firmament,
and how many can dance
on the head of a pin?

Well, I don't care
about that pin dance,
what I know is that
they rest, sometimes,
in the tops of the trees

and you can see them,
or almost see them,
or, anyway, think: what a
wonderful idea.

I have lost as you and
others have possibly lost a
beloved one,
and wonder, where are they now?

The trees, anyway, are
miraculous, full of
angels (ideas); even
empty they are a
good place to look, to put
the heart at rest--all those
leaves breathing the air, so

peaceful and diligent, and certainly
ready to be
the resting place of
strange, winged creatures

that we, in this world, have loved.

In memory of Mary Lou Kownacki, OSB, one year anniversary yesterday.