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Tuesday, November 22, 2011

sisters and shadows

Earlier this month I spent a day at the Monastery of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota for a quiet time in the spirituality center on the campus. The sisters of the order of St. Benedict were my elementary teachers in Idaho so it was a bittersweet visit for me to this monastery so far away from my childhood.  Fifty years have passed and my memories of strict German nuns are with me still. To my surprise and delight I found this community of mostly middle-aged to retirement age women thoroughly filled with faith, gracious, caring and able to minister to us who grapple with every day life in the 21st century. During free time I wandered the grounds to a small vineyard and a huge garden spot, earth recently turned, ready for spring. The shadow in my photo is cast by a tall octagon shaped martin house and thriving bittersweet.

Time is a great healer. And what was a quick decision to face my fears left me with a light heart.

I'm linking my experience to ABC Wednesday whose letter du jour is S.

"A sign of God is that we are led
to a place we did not intend to go.”
Anonymous




16 comments:

Cloudia said...

a healing post. Thanks for sharing.




Aloha from Honolulu

Comfort Spiral

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Roger Owen Green said...

it's amazing the power old stuff can still have on us. great that you can release it.

ROG, ABC Wednesday team

Anonymous said...

Very comforting post!
Thank you for sharing,
Gisela,

Hildred said...

Happy for you, Noni, that you found strength and comfort.

Chubskulit Rose said...

Beautiful shadows!

Shoes

Daryl said...

What a lovely timely post .. happy thanksgiving to you and yours, my friend!

Laloofah said...

Not only did you capture Sisters and Shadows in this beautiful, heartfelt post, but some wonderful Symbolism too. Both the bittersweet and the freshly turned earth prepared for spring seem to be perfect metaphors for your experience here.

I've heard horror stories about strict German flight attendants on Lufthansa flights, so can only imagine what living under the supervision of strict German nuns might have been like!

The quote is lovely, your post profound, your photos beautiful and your journey courageous. Thank you for sharing them with us!

Snap said...

Well done!!! Happy Thanksgiving!

raf said...

A refreshing, heartfelt post, Noni. Thank you. All the best for the thanksgiving holiday!

Suzy said...

Lovely post and loved the quote at the end. thanks for visiting my blog.

carol l mckenna said...

Wonderful time for you ~Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family ~ hugs and namaste, Carol ^_^

Mildred said...

Very nice entry for S day!
Thanks for sharing;o)

***
Happy day****

Donna said...

I was in Catholic schools most of my school years...I also wanted to become a Nun if you can believe it...but life said Otherwise...
Hope you had a fun Thanksgiving!!
hughugs

Ms. Becky said...

Hi there Noni, I haven't been round to visit you in awhile, I'm long overdue. your photo here is magical. it's mystical and still. I truly love what you've captured. your retreat sounds interesting, and I'm happy that it lightened your heart. I hope you have a happy week. take good care now.

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