Monday, January 09, 2012

My 1000th Post

This entry marks my 1000th post since I began bloggging. I deeply appreciate those who have encouraged me and those who read my thoughts.


Over the weekend my youngest son returned to the seminary and my granddaughter went four wheeling with her Dad, my oldest son. This gave me a free weekend so yesterday I went to the monastery. I got out of bed before dawn and hit the road. I love driving down the highway in the pre-dawn hours. After a while the sun began to rise and it’s blazing orange light shone through the bare trees of the winter landscape. Before arriving at the monastery I stopped for breakfast at the home of my friend, Father Dennis. Later I went to mass with the monks and joined in a pot luck lunch with some of the monks and a few other friends. The Abbey church at Gethsemani is simple but beautiful. While I was there I bathed in the bright light of the sun as it splintered through the stained glass windows, with the sweet aroma of incense wafting through the air, and every space filled with the sounds of their magnificent pipe organ. After Mass I headed across the highway to what’s called the family guesthouse for our meal. As usual, without any pre-planning, there was a magnificent spread of food. I sat next to my friend, 89 year old Brother Frederic. He’s the second oldest monk in the monastery and his mind is very sharp. Conversations with him are always stimulating and enjoyable. You’re not going to slip anything past him. When the day was done I made my solitary drive back home with a heart full of gratitude for a wonderful day.

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