“Good Labor”
When I think of labor I remember the times when we all worked as a family. On a crisp fall Saturday, every member of the family pitched in to rake leaves, edge walks, mow grass and sweep up. There was [...]
“Catch-Up Week”
It is “catch-up week" at the monastery; a time to address unfinished projects, do major cleaning and clear out unnecessary stuff. Each day after Eucharist, sisters “dress down” in work clothes and begin to tackle what has been left undone [...]
“Beauty Waits”
There is nothing more exciting than the moment before a flower blooms. The amaryllis in our Chapel is on the edge of its dawning day. It is almost, but not quite. A sliver of blossom pushes out of the stem’s [...]
“Five More”
Naomi stayed home One day at dinner, a sister spotted two guinea hens foraging under the birdfeeder. Eager to individualize them I asked, “What shall their names be?” “Ruth and Naomi!” piped up one sister. Ah, yes. The [...]
“Paper Bush”
In the past year, three new friends have settled into our courtyard garden. They are sisters of a sort and their collective name is “oriental paper bush” or “Edgeworthia chrysantha.” We know them as Sisters Joyce, Mary Clare and Helen, [...]
Grateful For Our Way of Life
I am so blessed to be living with women who are committed to a life of prayer and contemplation. Each one, in her own way, inspires me to be a better person and together we are becoming one beautiful, holy [...]