06.15.2023 | Ordinary Thursday

It's a lovely start to the day here in the Carondelet Garden in sunny South Saint Louis on this Ordinary Thursday in June.  The watering is done for now.  I'm trying to get everything watered very early to prevent any issues.  We had some trouble with Rust on our Hollyhocks last year.  This year they are doing well for now.  We learn from our mistakes, hopefully!

It's going to be a warm one today with highs in the low 90s so watering has become crucial once again.  I enjoy the ritual of watering the plants by hand.  I do use a sprinkler on occasion, but the solitude and mindfulness of watering by hand is meditative and prayerful for this old man.  The simple, repetitive, quiet routine of watering.  Not unlike our lives in many ways.  The routines we create to live a life of faith, hope and love are also quiet, repetitive and simply ordinary.  

I'm thinking of, and praying for, friends who are mourning loss this week.  We know the process all too well, but it is still difficult for the loved ones remaining.  Loss is hard.  Grief takes time.  Faith, hope and love sustain, and memories provide a bit of solace.  They say time heals, and it is true to a certain extent.  Yet, healing is a process.  Grieving is a process that shouldn't be rushed or hurried.  Faith, hope and love endure.  Amen.