It seems it is not an if, but when we get rain today. The rains from the Gulf of Mexico are headed into the heart of the Midwest today. It could be quite the rainmaker for Saint Louis. We will be watching with anticipation.
We have been tidying up our paperwork and estate stuff lately. Not the most exciting thing to do but it is a necessary thing to do. As we get older it is important to have an Estate Plan in place. Not that my "estate" is anything special, but I don't want those who will end up picking up the pieces when I'm gone left with a mess. Many of us have had to deal with the estates of someone who has passed away and realized what a lot of work it is to go through what remains of their lives. That's why the estate plan is important. You are never too young to think about it. Especially if you have children. It's difficult to talk about the end of your own life and think about what that will look like. Yet, it is a good thing for those left behind and a bit of peace of mind after you've finished. As I continue to try and live a simple, ordinary existence this year, planning and organizing are becoming a regular part of my day. I've also tried to remember that plans can and do change. I'm working on being less rigid and being more flexible. I'm a bit of a work in progress but progress is being made. As the old saying goes, "if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans." I hope you are safe and dry this Wet Wednesday in February. Be good and be kind to yourself and others as you sojourn through this crazy old world. That's all the news from the Carondelet Garden.
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It's a wet Tuesday here in the Carondelet Garden in South Saint Louis on this first Tuesday of February. Doing a little garden cleanup and discovered these little lovelies poking their little heads out on a mid-winter's afternoon. I could be wrong, but this may be the earliest I've ever seen these bulbs poking through the ground. Signs of an early spring? It is definitely a sign of creation doing its thing.
There is something mesmerizing about creation. Creation is not good in of itself, it is good because the creation ultimately comes from a good and loving God. There is this strong sense of purposefulness and connectedness as we work with nature and nurture the garden. My ponder for this day is how do I take the time to savor the goodness of creation? Gardening is one way for sure. Walking in nature. Witnessing the rebirth of daffodils in mid-winter in the Midwest. There is something mesmerizing about creation. God saw that it was good. It was good! Amen. I love to see water in the Garden. As we were strolling through the Missouri Botanical Garden after one of our recent snowfalls, I was mesmerized by the way the water was moving but almost looked frozen. Water is that amorphous thing that can be take on three different forms depending on temperature. How absolutely incredible!
Water changes things. We use it to refresh our bodies; inside and out. We use it to clean our homes, refresh our gardens and, spiritually, to cleanse our souls. What an incredible, necessary thing that we oftentimes take for granted. O come thy fount of every blessing. It's another Ordinary week here in the Carondelet Garden. We are doing a bit of cleanup around the beds and a few other things but mostly we are waiting and planning. I hope you get a chance to enjoy this Ordinary, sunny Monday. Quench your thirst and refresh your spirit. Amen! It's the fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time. How can I practice Sabbath this day? How can I take a break from looking at things in the usual way? How can I see things differently this day of rest?
I'm slowly changing my approach to Sabbath. A day of rest but not just for the body but for the mind and especially the spirit. We know how to rest our bodies. Good sleep. Maybe a nice nap in the afternoon. But resting our minds and spirits are not quite as easy. It's hard to shut down the mind sometimes and truly rest. It seems to be even harder now that I am older. Thoughts keep coming back and haunting my rest. The need for Sabbath is real and necessary. Walking through the garden and being in nature are a form of Sabbath for this old gardener. A time to let things slow down and the mind and spirit to simply rest. Pulling weeds while thinking of nothing but pulling weeds. The mind and spirit rests while the body does a simple, repetitive task. Sabbath. Rest. Quiet the mind. The soul will speak. Sabbath rest. Amen. It is a beautiful, sunny Saturday morning here in the Carondelet Garden. It's one of the mornings in mid-Winter that you dream about. Sunny skies, warming temperatures and not a lot on the calendar. As the song goes, "who could ask for anything more?"
We headed out for a walk yesterday in the cold blast and then decided to head to the warmth of the Missouri Botanical Garden and visit the Orchid Show. What a joy to have such beauty on display in the middle of Winter. If you haven't had a chance to visit, do yourself a favor and go! The new display space feels a bit smaller than the older one but is very airy and is filled with the splendor of these lovely orchids. I've been thinking a lot about contentment this past week. Be content with what you have keeps coming to mind. Counting my blessings this first Saturday of February. One of those blessings is living here within an easy jaunt to one of the best botanical gardens in the world. I hope you get the opportunity to enjoy a bit of beauty and contentment this sunny Saturday. A simple, ordinary, sunny Saturday in mid-winter in Saint Louis. I hope you experience a bit of contentment and take a moment to count your own blessings. That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden. We filled up the birdfeeder on this cold day in February. Look who stopped by for a visit. It is such grace when these lovelies drop in our lives.
A little bit of grace on this simple, ordinary Friday. I love the word: Lagniappe. It is a simple, often used, Cajun French term that means "a little something extra." To me, it represents the generous nature of those who like to share their God-given gifts. Those who share their grace. That little something extra that is totally undeserved but given freely and without expectation. Friends dropped by the other day with oranges. Not just any oranges, but freshly picked, Florida oranges. A little, something extra that was unexpected, but so welcome in early February. Simple, ordinary grace given freely on a cold day in Winter. Today we pray in thanks for the grace received. A bit of Lagniappe when we need it most. Look for the grace around you. The simple, ordinary things that often go overlooked. I pray for simple, ordinary grace this first Friday in February. "Amazing grace. How sweet the sound. That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I'm found. Was blind, but now I see." Amazing! Amen. Happy Groundhog Day! It's a sunny Thursday morning here in the Carondelet Garden. I'm sure any groundhog would have seen its shadow. That means six more weeks of winter. If we are honest, it is Saint Louis, there will be six more weeks of winter no matter. It's still a fun day, especially for kids, and children of all ages.
The sun fools me into thinking it is warmer than it is. I get excited at the possibilities of Spring. It's just a few weeks away. There is something about the anticipation and the waiting. It teaches me something. Waiting. Anticipation makes me appreciate it a little more. Waiting is something I've never been very good at but as I'm getting older, it seems as if I am waiting more and more. I'm getting better at it. I'm learning to be prepared to wait and not get as anxious. I'm trying to learn not to get angry and frustrated when things do not happen at the appointed time. I'm learning. It's the way with prayer as well. We don't usually get the answer we want in the manner we want it. It is usually a process. That's life in a nutshell. Life is a process. Learning is a process. Living is a process. We hopefully get better at it with practice. I like to believe that is true. I hope and pray all of us as we process our way through the rest of this month of February. Let us live in peace, hope and love. May we all have a simple, ordinary year. Amen. Another flip of the calendar and suddenly it's February. We are one month closer to Spring. One month closer to planting and growing and gardening again. I'm feeling a bit restless to get back to it. Yet, I am trying to enjoy the time in between.
We were rushing about yesterday getting bloodwork done then grocery shopping and few other chores. Then home to make soup. Beef Barley Soup. A kind of kitchen sink soup with all the vegetables and lovely chunks of beef all melded together to create something amazing. It's so magical to watch Dr. B add this or that and take simple, ordinary ingredients and somehow, put them together, and create something incredible. Simple, ordinary things that come together to create something incredible. What a lovely thing. We encounter that coming together with friends around a table. Good food, good conversation, a lovely glass of wine and simple, ordinary things become extraordinary. My prayers are for simplicity and ordinariness this year. I'm ready to enjoy the simple pleasures. I wish us all a simple, ordinary February filled with the simple, ordinary things that come together to create something incredible. Amen. |
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