March Madness has arrived here in the Carondelet cottage in south Saint Louis. Our beloved Billikens women's basketball team won the A10 Tournament which means they are headed for the dance. The men's team play number 1 seed VCU today. You know we'll be tuned in. If they win they will have an automatic bid to the show. They won in 2019, let's do it again!
It's chilly, cloudy and there is a chance of rain later today. It is the perfect day for indoor activities. I hope you get a chance to watch your favorite team play today. Lots of great basketball and some good golf as well. Be good to yourself. Be kind to yourself and others as you do you today. Have a great Saturday Gardening Friends!
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A chilly, cloudy start to our day here in the Carondelet Garden. The good news is the hyacinths are in bloom! Lovely little grape clusters of flowers simply bursting on this Fish Fry Friday in the Second week of Lent. If you are out and about you just might see these #supercoololdpeople St. Stephen Protomartyr's Fish Fry this afternoon.
We went to a busy restaurant with friends last night. It was a fun time reconnecting with some folks we hadn't seen in a while and simply catching up. The problem for this old guy is that I have a terrible time hearing in noisy places. It seems we live in a noisy, busy world filled with constant distractions. At the simple, ordinary level of a small table of friends, really hearing them, for me, is a challenge. It has been this way for several years and I talked to my doctor about it. Hearing tests were okay. Normal for a old gardener. What was different wasn't that I have difficulty understanding. I have difficulty attending to the conversation individually. It's harder and harder to block out the extraneous noise to truly listen and attend to the conversation. My doctor said it is common as we get older, but he is seeing it in people of all ages as distractions become more prevalent. Something like that happens to me as well with my inner life. Listening for that wee small voice is difficult sometimes. How do I make space? How do I shut out the other noises? How do I make the space to graciously and lovingly open up and listen? I start by making space and taking the time to really listen. I can tell you it is not easy for me. Yet, when I make the choice and create the space for true relationship and listen, my world changes. I keep trying to make space. I keep trying to take the time to really listen for that small voice that reminds me that I am loved, just the way I am, right now. "Do not forget all the gifts of God." -Psalms 103
It's difficult to forget the gifts of God when walking around and witnessing the glories of Spring. Even on a grey, chilly, soon to be raining, Thursday in Lent. The gifts of God are all around us. The beautiful Snowdrops dotting the ground reminding us that Winter may still come but Spring has sprung. Do not forget all the gifts of God. Yet, so often, I do forget. I get the "feel sorry for me" blues. I wake up with the creaky arthritis blues. The why me? blues. The ability to forget you are one of the luckiest people on earth is difficult to imagine. The sad truth is, I do it almost every day. As I sit in my little cottage in Carondelet surrounded by every possible need being met in extravagant ways. What do I have to worry about? How can I forget all the gifts? How is that even possible? I remember an old hymn from my youth, "Count your blessings, name them one by one. You will be astonished by what God has done." Counting my blessings today. Trying to not forget all the gifts of God. Do not forget all the gifts of God. Do not forget. I'm working on that today. Here's to a grateful Thursday. We are counting our blessings in the Carondelet Garden. Grateful for amazing neighbors and friends. Grateful for all the gifts of God. Have a great Thursday Gardening Friends! The Vinca are already in bloom. As I look back over the past year I realized that things are blooming about two to three weeks earlier than last year. I have to admit I'm a bit concerned about Winter making her return but I'm certainly enjoying the early Spring.
It's a chilly grey day here in the Carondelet Garden. The birds were quiet this morning and we slept in a bit longer than usual. It was a lovely way to begin the day. It's errand day for these #supercoololdpeople. Grocery shopping, and a few other stops along the way. A simple, ordinary day. Here's hoping we all have a simple ordinary day this wet Wednesday in Lent. Be good and be kind to yourself and others as you do you. Spread a bit of love around as you travel about. That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden. Spring is definitely springing up here in the Carondelet Garden. Yesterday was the perfect day to start the Winter cleanup as we are getting ready for mulching. This weekend we are heading out to Seed Saint Louis to pick up our seed potatoes and lettuce. It's getting close to planting season!
The mini daffodils were lovely yesterday. They are a dwarf variety and they are one of my favorites. I love this time of year when things start popping their heads up out of the ground. Every day is a new experience. What a wonder! Have a wonderful Tuesday. Be good and be kind to yourself and those you may pass along your way. That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden. "A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get." Luke 6:38
I love reading that passage. It's fun to read out loud, but it is also very challenging to an old man like me. It is a challenge from our maker to stand in wonder and awe at God's capacity to love us. It is also a challenge for us to love and hope just like our maker. To stand in wonder and awe at the majesty of the maker. We recently did our first road trip of the year. We headed down to the Ozarks of Arkansas. The view from our room was spectacular in the waning light of day. It is difficult to not stand in wonder and awe at the majesty of the maker of these hills. It's easy when you are standing in the glorious hills on a road trip with the most perfect view and amazing weather at the end of February. Other times, it is not so easy. We are called to live a fully human life filled with wonder and awe. We are called to go beyond ourselves in service to others. We are called. I am called yet why do I not always follow? Why am I so often reluctant to be the full human I am meant to be. Why does it take such an overwhelming sight to remind me to live in wonder and awe? It seems I am a work in progress. It's a beautiful sunny Monday morning in Lent on this first Monday in March. Garden cleanup is calling my name. I'm excited to get my hands dirty this morning. I hope you have a chance to stand in wonder and awe this week. That's all the news from the Carondelet Garden. Well, another trip around the sun for this old gardener in South Saint Louis. Birthdays aren't that exciting anymore. Of course, I prefer having them! I am truly fortunate and blessed beyond measure with loving friends, family (chosen and born) and an incredible spouse who keeps me on my toes and centered. Life is good.
I hope you have a great weekend. The sun is shining, the temperatures are rising and it's a good day for a good day. Be good to yourself and others! Be kind to yourself this weekend. That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden. It's Fish Fry Friday in Lent! Such a South Saint Louis tradition. It's always something we #supercoololdpeople look forward to every Lent. We are so lucky to have such a huge variety of events to attend. From an old-fashioned fish fry down the street at St. Stephen Protomartyr to a Mexican Fish Fry at St. Cecilia's. One is never disappointed by the variety and the quality.
The rain is coming down and nourishing the garden this first Friday of March. This week has certainly given me Spring fever. Next weekend we get our seed potatoes, and our lettuce should be just about ready. We have our little poly tunnels ready! Abundance is the word of the day for this old gardener. We have such abundance, but I often overlook the abundance because I'm too focused on what is not available. I am spoiled and often behave like an old curmudgeon. My goal is to be grateful and enjoy the amazing grace that surrounds me. My goals is to enjoy this simple, ordinary life of abundance that has been given to me through grace. Goodness knows I do not deserve it! I hope you enjoy an abundance of faith, hope and love this weekend! That's all the news from the Carondelet Garden. It's a rock. On the surface it is nothing more than that. A simple, ordinary rock. As we search deeper and look further, we notice that the little nooks and crannies are filled with life. A home for bugs and small creatures to shelter themselves. Little places for small seeds to cultivate and grow. A simple, ordinary habitat for so much nature. It's a rock.
Sometimes we underestimate things. Sometimes we underestimate ourselves. I've been thinking a lot about that lately. We underestimate our capabilities just as much and just as dangerously as we sometimes overestimate other abilities. As I've gotten older I've been more able to judge myself more accurately and honestly. I realize what I'm capable of and what it will take to unlock certain abilities. I'm also being more honest with myself in recognizing things that I can no longer accomplish. Things that were once easy are now almost impossible. I'm learning to accept that. I won't lie and says it is easy. I'm slowly learning that sometimes I need help. Not just physically but also spiritually. That's why I pray. Prayer is never wasted. Good things come in prayer, but not always exactly what we ask for when we ask for it. Prayer opens the heart for good. Simple, ordinary prayer. Amen. |
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July 2024
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