September 8, 2009

Tomorrow school starts for LOTS of students and teachers. I pray for them all for a good school year. May it be a safe and learning-filled time for both teachers and students. I always liked the excitement of the beginning of the school year and I miss it a bit every year.

Fall is coming. One more sign is all the acorns that fall on our driveway and lawn. One can sweep them up and in no time there are lots more there again. I haven’t seen any squirrels doing their collecting. In fact I’ve not seen any squirrels at all.

Thursday, just before our Motherhouse 11 a.m. Mass, Sister Camille Squillace went to heaven. She was a Sister 56 years. Her Funeral is today. She is my last class-mate. The cancer finally got the best of her. She put up a valiant struggle against it for some long time. Her Wake was last evening. As part of our Wake Service we always have time for story telling. The memories are so great. Sister Camille asked that at the Offertory of her Funeral Mass, I bring to the altar the white rose to remember our deceased classmates: Sisters Helen, Stella, Carla, and Susan. It is my privilege to do so.

Last Wednesday was “Sister Julien Day”. She is our Motherhouse Administrator. This summer she celebrated her golden jubilee and her birthday was Saturday. So we had a surprise double celebration. We had donuts for morning coffee break. At noon lunch there was a special program and then a special apple treat for afternoon coffee brea. It was a good day and she deserves the recognition for all that she does.

The Morrison County Record headline this week caught my attention: “Little Falls expected to grow by 160,000.” This coming weekend, September 12 and 13, is the 37th Little Falls Arts and Crafts Fair in downtown Little Falls, the 7th Antiques and Collectables Fair at LeBourget Park on the west side of the Mississippi River, and the 35th Lone Eagle Auto Club Car Show and Swap Meet on Sunday at the Morrison County Fairgrounds. Fair hours are: Saturday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. I love the Arts and Crafts Fair. I like to admire the beautiful things the craters make and I try to get to most of the 600+ booths. I’ll check out some of the Food Court goodies, too. We have almost all the guest rooms at St. Francis Center rented out to vendors who will come Friday and leave on Sunday…29 staying so far.

Last week I forgot to tell you about the special fish supper we had. In August, Terry, our Dietary Manager, went on vacation to Alaska. While there he did some fishing. He caught one or two big halibut, had them cleaned and frozen and sent FedEx to the Motherhouse. He shared his catch with us Sisters. It was delicious. Thanks, Terry.

Let us pray for one another.
Stay well and God bless you.
Sister Mary Lou

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