December 10, 2008

The first words I read this morning after I got up were, “Sometimes it seems as if everyone I meet is tired…tired of working, tired of their daily grind, tired of boredom, tired of loneliness, tired of financial pressures, tired of stress, even tired of being tired.”

It almost made me want to go back to bed again! Next I read from the Gospel of Matthew (1:28-30) “Jesus said to the crowds: ‘Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy, and my burden light.’” That lifted my spirits. Christ offers Himself, opening His arms wide, and inviting all who are weary to come to Him and to find rest. When we are “yoked” to Jesus, we can be assured that the Lord will do the heavy lifting and will be our Guide as we move through the day. So the day has moved along nicely and there have been no burdens that I can’t handle. Thank you, God.

The concert last Friday was beyond words to describe. The Strings players were superb and then the Chorale joined them to do the “Halleluiah Chorus”! It was a spiritual experience that brought the audience to their feet. Thanks, Celo.

Sr. Rosaria just came back from her Mother’s funeral. She said it was beautiful. To think that her Mom lived to the age of 114 years. Think of all the changes she had seen in her lifetime. Wow!

Monday we celebrated the feast of the Immaculate Conception. None of us will soon forget that feast day Mass. Just at the Consecration, the fire sirens started blaring and kept it up until Father said, “Now offer one another a sign of peace.” We had quiet for a short time and then the noise all began again, but for a shorter time. My thought was, “We are all in Chapel and in what safer place could we be?” A sprinkler system head froze and broke and water was coming down the steps as the men ran up the steps to find the problem. One thing we know for sure is that one cannot ignore the fire alarms!

Various departments are having their Christmas parties. Last night I worked at the Convent Switchboard while the regular workers had their party. Today the Community Relations and Development Department had their party and I was invited to that one.

Good food. Good company. Good visiting and sharing. Next Sunday we have our SFO Christmas party in Brainerd. On Sunday, also, is the Heartland Orchestra concert at the Charles Martin Auditorium. Since I don’t yet have bilocation, I guess I will need to give my tickets to someone else to use.

This Friday afternoon/evening I will be going out to the Corborn’s superstore to “Make a Joyful Noise.” This is a fundraiser for the local Food Shelf. I recruited a helper to join me in my four-hour shift. We will make joyful noises and invite people to help our cause.

Winter has definitely come. Between Saturday and Tuesday we had 5 inches of snow. And the temperatures have stayed cold. I don’t mind the cold and snow so much, but I don’t like freezing rain and ice.

God bless and continue to care for you. I’m off to writing more Christmas cards and letters. The second batch went out this morning. There are still more to go!

Sister Mary Lou