August 24, 2009

May the Lord give you peace. What a beautiful weekend and beautiful day again today.

Yesterday I attended the Concert in the Gardens in St. Cloud. George Mauer and his jazz group were the performers. It was good music and very nice to be looking at the Mississippi River from the shade of the many trees in the Munsinger Garderns…and then of course, all the colorful and beautiful flowers in the gardens. It was a feast for both eyes and ears. I was also awe-struck with the beautiful blooming flowers along highway 10. There are miles and miles of gold and brown blooms. And in other places there are lovely wild flowers gracing the ditches and right of ways.

Last week we pulled off a surprise birthday noon lunch for one of our volunteers, John. John is one of our sacristans, grills meats when we have special meals in our dining room, helps push wheel chairs and helps with many other tasks. John’s wife, Rita and their friend Elizabeth provided noon lunch. And they decorated the dining room during the time we were all at 11 a.m. Mass. Thank you, John, for your many volunteer services. And equal thanks to all our many volunteers who serve in so many ways.

As I was driving past the dam here in Little Falls, I was surprised to see how low the water level is. Even with 3+ inches of rain the past week, there are MANY exposed rocks in the river right below the dam—very different from the river level after spring snow melting!

Last week we had our rain barrel hooked up. It filled up easily with the rains the past 8 days. So, this morning for the first time, I used water from the rain barrel to water my potted flowers. I believe that rain water is better than tap water for the plants and gardens. So I am glad that blue barrel is there for us to use.

We, here at our house and at the Motherhouse, have been blessed and graced with many fresh vegetables from the gardens of so many of our friends. It is easy to make meals with such a variety of fresh vegetables to choose from. We pray in thanksgiving for these generous donors. May God continue to bless you.

We had our Fioretti Secular Franciscan Fraternity gathering in Brainerd last Saturday. I would arrive a little early according to my time schedule, but that was not to be. I didn’t know about the roads being torn apart for water and sewer renewal. So it took me a while to find a road that I could use to get to the other side of the road work. I saw parts of south-east Brainerd that I had never seen before. The trip home was more direct.

Next Sunday we will be celebrating Sister Justina’s 80th anniversary as a Franciscan Sister. We start with Mass at 11 a.m. and then a festive meal afterwards. Congratulations, Sister Justina. You have touched a lot of lives these many years.

Pax et Bonum.
Sister Mary Lou