He's a bit camera shy. Every time we try to take a picture, he either runs away or turns his back on us. Considering how much bird food he eats you would think he would be a bit more cooperative. He is a daily visitor to the Carondelet Garden. At first, we were frustrated that he was eating the bird food and the poor birds would suffer. Well, we've been watching, and the birds have no problem running him off when they want to feed. It's hysterical to watch!
It's a sunny Saturday morning here in on the south side of Saint Louis. A slow start to the day after a busy day on Friday. Lots of running around. Having fun at a few shops and stocking up on some wine. The cellar is restocked and ready for Spring! I hope you have a chance to have a slow Saturday. It's nice to slow down and truly enjoy the day. We picked up some Raclette yesterday as well. Melty, gooey cheese for dinner this evening! I'm sure wine will be shared as well. It's good to slow down and enjoy the good things. Be good to yourself and kind as well. We all need the goodness and kindness right now. That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.
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We were walking through the park and noticed this spooky old tree and as we passed you could see the sun just peeking through the clouds. The sun shone through the branches of the tree and just struck me. Love broke through. That was my thought. Love broke through when I needed it most. Love broke through when the burdens were too heavy. Love broke through when the sorrow and depression felt overwhelming. Love broke through.
We have all been through so much these past few years. The news is still filled with mass shootings and war. We don't hear much about the goodness of people. Yet, it's there when we look. Goodness breaks through when we need it the most. A kind word from a stranger. A phone call out of the blue. A card or letter arrives in the morning mail. Just when you need it most, love breaks through. It's the last Ordinary Friday before Lent. I pray and hope that love breaks through for all of us this day. We all could use that ray of love and the light of sunshine in our lives. I hope it is a simple day. An ordinary day. A simple, ordinary day filled with faith, hope and love. Simple, ordinary love. We have taken to walking in various parks at least once every week. It's a lovely way to get out and about. To explore places we normally do not see. This past week we returned to a favorite park. Lafayette Park is an oasis in the middle of a Victorian village for lack of a better term. The neighborhood is beautiful, to say the very least. The park is filled with trees and hidden little paths to small ponds with ducks and geese. There's a school nearby so there are often children running around and filling the area with the joy of laughter and fun. All ages of walkers and pups are seen throughout the paths. It is always a joy to walk.
As we venture about, you can feel the earth groaning as spring is just waiting to burst through the ground. Signs of Spring are everywhere. Daffodils are beginning to poke their little heads up. Crocus are beginning to appear in my front yard. The birth pangs of creation are felt everywhere. From seed to bloom we are sowing love. Planting a seed is a step of faith and hope. We are planting love and then we see that plant pushing itself toward the sun, lifting and growing through the dirt. Creation bursting forth in love. If you haven't noticed I am getting a bit of gardening Spring Fever. I'm looking forward to spending more time in the garden. I'm ready for the longer days. I'm ready to get a bit dirty and feel the earth again. We have had a few days these past weeks but that just makes me yearn for more. Enjoy this time of in-between. Rest and plan and renew as we prepare for what is coming. Lent is also just around the corner. Another time of prayer and reflection and renewal. Just as we are waiting for spring with reflection, we enter into lent with an open heart and mind. We pray, repent and renew. We wait until once again we witness Creation bursting forth in love. Amen. The sun is casting deep shadows on the ground this Ordinary Wednesday. The shadows reach out deep and far. A reminder that we, too, cast a large shadow. We touch more lives than we think by how we live and what we say. A reminder that we need to be careful with our words and actions. They are a reflection of us and cast a long shadow. Our shadows reach out and touch things we may not see.
There was an old Sunday School song that said, "O, be careful little ears what you hear. O, be careful little eyes what you see. O, be careful little mouth what you say." We forget about that sometimes. I know I do. I prattle on, as old men do, in my pompous pronouncements. I can go on and on with my beliefs and my ideals. O, be careful old man's mouth what you say. I pray for the ability to keep my big mouth shut and listen. Truly utilize that old saw, "Listen twice as much as you speak. That's why God gave you two ears and one mouth." Today I pray that I may hear that wee, small voice who can provide the wisdom I need to hear on this Ordinary Wednesday. I need to listen for the wisdom. My wife's late uncle used to take the cousins out onto a lake in the early evening. Away from everyone and everything and he would quietly say, "Shhhh... just listen to the pretty." I pray that I may hear the pretty. I pray that I may hear the wisdom. Listen. Quiet my mind and the soul will speak. Shhhh... listen. Amen. Happy Birthday City of Saint Louis! Here's to the best Valentine's Day gift ever. I love our Gateway City and the amazing people living here. We have an amazing city with problems as all cities have problems, yet, we have so much to offer in terms of culture, attractions, architecture and affordable living. Let's all show our great City a bit of love today.
Today is Valentine's Day. I am not a fan. I've never been one to believe that one day of the year should be singled out to express your love for someone. Love should be expressed daily in many different ways. Expressing love shouldn't be a special occasion it should be an every moment thing. As I get older, I realize that we never know when that time will end. It can happen so fast. Be sure to let those you love know that you love them. Don't wait for a "special occasion." Tell them today, and often. Show them you love them in the little things. Be there. Be present. Be available. Love. The wisdom writers tell us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Not easy sometimes. I always laugh and say they tell me to love them, but it doesn't mean I have to like them. Love them anyway. I hope you know you are loved. Not just today but every day. I hope you remember to reach out to those who don't necessarily have someone telling them they are loved very often. A note, a real phone call, even a short text can make someone's day. Something simple and ordinary can change the world. As the song says, "put a little love in your heart." Amen! I used to be one of those people who felt just like the cartoon cat, Garfield: "I Hate Mondays!" It was hard to get back into the work week and keep up the motivation and momentum. It's very odd as I've gotten older, I don't hate Mondays anymore. I like the idea of a new beginning every week. You come out of Sunday with a bit of reflection and refresh, and you can face the new week with new eyes.
The sun is shining, and the day is beginning to warm. Another week is beginning. Another chance to make different choices. Refresh the mindset. Simplify the living of life. Enjoy what you have right now. Experience the joy of this simple, ordinary life this week. Be open. Be willing to say yes. That is what I'm trying to do this week. Enjoy the beauty of this Monday in February. Take a moment to truly experience the stunning nature of this world. Open up and say... yes, thank you! It is the sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time. It is a day to reflect and respond to choices we are given. The Wisdom teachings tell us the if we choose, we can act faithfully. It is a matter of a choice. We are reminded this week that we are free. We are given the ability to choose for ourselves.
How do I choose? How do I take the time to reflect and respond to these great choices? Temptation and freedom are cumulative. They are a matter of getting into habits or choices of our own making. How do I choose my habits and make my choices? A difficult question to say the very least. I'm trying to live my simple, ordinary life. It's difficult to stop a habit. It takes time and effort and, most importantly, choice. What choice do we make? How do I reflect and respond to these choices today and in the future? We are quickly coming into the season of Lent. A time of reflection and choices. I hope you have a moment to sit and reflect. A moment to slow down and simply breathe in and breath out. A moment to make choices with Wisdom. Breathe. Amen. Nothing says Saint Louis more than the "Apotheosis of Saint Louis" in front of the Saint Louis Art Museum high atop Art Hill. Nothing grander on a sunny Saturday than this statue with a bright blue sky as its backdrop. Another cultural institution that gives Saint Louis such a boost.
A busy weekend for this #supercoololdcouple. Our niece and her husband are expecting their first child and the baby shower is this weekend. Tomorrow is the Super Bowl. Exciting to have our home state Chiefs representing in this annual football showdown. It's a great weekend to relax and enjoy a football game. Enjoy some good food and drink and hang out with friends. I hope you get a chance to do some of those things this Super Bowl weekend. Be good to yourself. Be kind to yourself and others as you journey about this weekend. We all deserve a bit more kindness and goodness in our lives. That's all the news from the Carondelet Garden. Our Hollyhocks are coming back! A bit of a miracle in South Saint Louis. These are the plants that developed a terrible rust disease and I cut them back in the summer all the way down to the ground. I, honestly, did not expect them to make it. One did not but this little beauty is rearing its head and is looking quite nice for this mid-Winter's Day. I'm excited to see the blooms this summer.
It is a grey, chilly day here in the Carondelet Garden. Not much going on this Ordinary Friday. Dropped the City Car off at Doc Holloway's for an oil change and once-over. It's such a good feeling to have someone you trust to work on your car and be so convenient as well. I'm enjoying a good cup of coffee, music is playing on the radio and the newspapers are waiting to be read. It's a good day for this old gardener. I hope you have a chance to sit back and relax a bit this weekend. It's good to find a bit of time to rest and renew your body, soul and mind. Be good to yourself and kind to others as you journey about this Ordinary Friday. That's all the news from the Carondelet Garden. There is something powerful and majestic about watching water flow through a stream or river. I love watching the waters cascade over the rocks and hills as they pass my way. I simply stand and watch, lost in wonder as the water passes me knowing that same water will never be seen again. The poet John O'Donohue writes "I would love to live like a river flows, carried by its own unfolding." It's a beautiful thought and in so many ways a truthful one.
The prophet Amos tells us to "let justice flow like a river and let goodness flow like a stream that never runs dry." Goodness and kindness. Justice and mercy flowing like a river. Simple, ordinary thoughts on a simple, ordinary Thursday. The rains of yesterday have come and gone. The streams are full. The water is abundant. Let our hearts be full as well and let goodness, kindness, justice and mercy flow on this Ordinary Thursday in February. My prayer is that I live like the water flows being carried by its own unfolding. Let me be lost in wonder at the power of love. Amen. |
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July 2024
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