August 16, 2010: Mighty Brother Wind

In his prayer, The Canticle of Brother Sun, St. Francis says, “Praise be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind.” Well, Brother Wind got a bit rambunctious last Thursday evening/Friday morning. The strong winds took down lots of trees south of Little Falls. Several trees blew down at Umbria, our house on the Mississippi River, south of Rice. One branch went through a living room window. God bless our maintenance men who cleared trees and boarded up the window. Many people in the area spent lots of time cutting wood over the weekend.

Yesterday we celebrated Sister Mary Amy’s 90th birthday. Many Sisters, family and friends joined her for a celebration in the afternoon. Happy Birthday, Sr. Amy.

Garden produce is in abundance right now. We have been the beneficiaries of many gifts. Yesterday my friend, Larry Anderson, from Morris, MN, brought us 409 pounds of cabbage and other garden products. In the near future, Sr. Ruth and friends will be busy making sauerkraut. Yummy!

We had a wonderful response to our collection of school supplies that took place the last couple weeks. These supplies will be taken to the Food Shelf and distributed to needy children.

There will be a special one-day Red Cross Blood Drive on August 25th at St. Francis Center. Mark your calendar.

God bless you and continue to protect us all from damaging storms.
Sister Mary Lou