An Ordinary Tuesday here in the Carondelet Garden.  It is cold and sunny this morning as some of the sleet and ice are melting in the sunshine.  This time of year, in our gardens is a bit messy and not terribly attractive.  Yet it is a necessary time.  Many bulbs and plants need the stress of the cold to do their word and provide us with the glory come Spring.  

A season for everything.  To everything, turn, turn, turn as the Byrds sang.  I have to admit I'm looking forward to Spring but trying to remember to appreciate the now.  The cold and ice are not friendly to this old gardener, but I do enjoy the beauty in the trees and on the ground as it covers the muck.  I'm trying to remember to appreciate the simple, ordinary things.  Even when my joints are a bit creaky!  

I hope you get a chance to appreciate the simple, ordinary things on this last day of January.  Blessings and all good things as we head into the next month.  Amen!

It's a Winter Weather Advisory Monday here in South Saint Louis.  This is a picture of the Woodland Gardens from last week's winter weather.  Today is mostly sleet and snow outside and quite cold.  The precipitation has pretty much stopped here in the Carondelet Garden.  The worst part seems to have moved on.  Please be careful if you are out and about on this Monday morning.  

It's a new week and the end of the first month of the year.  I wish you safe travels and warm shelter this Winter Weather Advisory Monday.  Be good to yourself and kind to others.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

Blessed are they.  It's such a simple, ordinary idea that turns the world​ upside down.  Blessed are the poor in spirit.  Blessed are those passionate about justice.  Blessed are those who are really suffering.  That is not what we've been taught by the world around us.  World upending ideas from a radical prophet.  

I've been thinking about contemplation and reflection recently.  Taking the time to really consider and ponder the Beatitudes.  Blessed are they.  Speaking words of encouragement to others.  What that must feel like.  Do we often hear words of encouragement spoken to us?  Wouldn't it be lovely to change that?  To speak to others as if they truly mattered.  

My prayer this week is to speak more words of encouragement.  I'm starting with thank you and please.  Simple, ordinary and powerful.  Smile when talking to others.  We can smile now, and people can actually see it.  Simple, ordinary, powerful words.  Be good to yourself this week.  You deserve to be blessed.  Amen!

What a difference a day makes.  Just a few days ago we were under a Winter Storm Warning.  Today we might hit 60-degrees with bright sunshine.  Typical of Saint Louis winters.  You have to embrace and love the variety.

We are heading out the door soon for a first birthday party for our sweet Great-Niece.  How did I get to this age?  It's weird to look in the mirror and see the person I see.  I don't feel like I've aged but the proof is in the mirror.  Please, do not get me wrong.  I wouldn't trade the person I am today for a younger version.  I could do with fewer aches and pains, but I've grown to like the person I am today.  That hasn't always been the case.  I think that is the gift of age.  Acceptance of the things you can't change and the time and willingness to change the things you can.  Apologies to Saint Francis but I believe it to be true.  At least in my little corner of the world.  

Have a simple, ordinary weekend.  It's a great day to get out and about.  Enjoy the beautiful weather.  Look for the little things to brighten your life.  Amen.

Is there anything more beautiful than a blooming orchid in January?  We are really looking forward to the Orchid Show returning to the Missouri Botanical Garden this year.  Have you made your plans to check it out?  Such a beautiful exhibit.  

We have done a much better job of getting out and walking again.  The long walks are our exercise but also a reminder to get out and enjoy nature and our neighborhood.  I'm often content to stay in my own little world and simply be surrounded by my garden and my home.  It gets much worse in the Winter and it's been harder since Holly Doodle has left us.  She was a constant reminder to get out and walk around the neighborhood.  She had people to see and sniffs to sniff.  We have left her leash and harness by the backdoor as a simple, ordinary reminder to get out and walk around.  I feel better when I interact with others, but it doesn't come naturally.  

It's difficult sometimes to say yes to things.  Even things you know you will ultimately bring you joy.  I guess that's exactly what faith is all about.  We just believe and move on.  We keep the faith and believe it will work out.  Maybe not the way we planned, but it will work out.  Maybe not the way we wanted it to, but it will work out.  Keep the faith.  Have a bit of hope and spread a little love on your journey this last Friday in January.  Amen!

We spent some time in the Climatron on a cold winter's day last week and captured this beauty.  What a gift we have in the Missouri Botanical Garden.  We are trying to get back into the habit of visiting at least once a week for a lovely walk and witnessing the subtle changes that happen. Such beauty all around us if we only take a moment to witness.

It's dark outside this cold winter's morning in the Carondelet Garden.  It's one of those mornings where things are quiet and peaceful.  Music is playing and coffee is ready.  The newspapers are waiting to be read.  An open day lies ahead.  It's a bit disconcerting.  We seldom have an open day.  A day that has nothing on the calendar.  No appointments. No visits to make or plans. I'm sure the day will be filled up before we know it but it's nice to rest in the white space.  A simple, ordinary Thursday.  I hope and pray that you have a moment to yourself today.  A bit of white space to reflect. Maybe have another cup of coffee.  Amen.

Much ado about nothing here in the Carondelet Garden.  I got up early, dressed and readied myself for the shoveling and clearing of snow and nature had already accomplished the job.  The snow was fairly deep in the garden, but the sidewalks and stairs were clear.  Wet, but little to no snow.  No need for shoveling or deicer or anything.  Possibly the perfect snowy day.

There is something magical about snow in the City.  There's a quiet hush that overcomes the regular noise of urban life.  Things simply slow down out of safety and necessity.  It is a special time. A simple time that is welcome and needed.  A bit of white space to relax and unwind and listen to the quiet.  Our souls yearn for these moments.  These simple moments where our minds and bodies and souls can truly rest and recover and renew.  I hope you get that chance to simply sit in the quiet and ponder the nature of life around you.  Take a moment to feel the awe once again.  

My prayer today is for that sense of awe to become more prevalent in my life and this world.  My hope is that you can experience a bit of awe today.  I hope you have a chance to sit in the quiet and experience the awesomeness of life around you.  Amen.

Last Fall I was debating about over-wintering some outdoor plants.  I've never really done that as I didn't really know what I was doing.  So many Instagram friends and gardeners with much greater skill than this old gardener offered tips and encouragement.  Here we are, in late January, and my hibiscus is still blooming and looking quite lovely if I say so myself.  Thanks to all who offered encouragement and tips.  My hibiscus thanks you!

Gratitude. Thankfulness. Sometimes it comes so easily.  Other times, not so much.  Yet sometimes it sneaks up on me, like a wild weed, growing in the brokenness of my heart. Thankfulness and gratitude for the small things.  It's easy to be grateful for the grand gestures and the impressive gifts.  It's the small things, the simple things that people do every day for us that we often overlook and forget to be thankful.  Gratitude does have a way of sneaking up on us sometimes.  It hits us out of the blue, just when we need it the most.  A neighbor who brings a small plant as a gift.  A plate of cookies.  Sharing a dram of scotch newly discovered.  The simple joys of sharing and thankfulness.  Simple, ordinary lives intersecting over shared love and hope.  Thank you all for the hope and joy you bring every day.  I am thankful. I am grateful.  Amen.

It's a Winter Storm Watch Monday here in the Carondelet Garden in South Saint Louis.  Who knows for sure what will actually happen.  It's a bit of a mystery when it comes to weather around here.  You never know the severity of the storm but are always hopeful for protection.  Not unlike the tree bark.  The bark of a tree is fascinating to me.  Protection from weather and storms and yet quite beautiful in its own way.

I've been thinking about the idea of mystery.  There are so many things that I just don't understand and may never fully comprehend.  I don't understand the why of suffering and death.  I've witnessed too much death and had my share of suffering.  Yet, I still don't understand why?  What exactly is the significance of suffering and death?  I think of this as Eastertide approaches in a few short months.  How do we understand the suffering and death of Jesus? I know the need for faith and hope.  I recognize the love.  I don't understand the why?  Couldn't there be another way?  My Jesuit friends remind me this is a mystery.  So many mysteries in faith.  I believe, help my unbelief. 

We begin this third week of Ordinary Time.  Another week filled with weather mysteries.  A week of things unknown but hopeful.  Hope, faith and as much love as we can scrape together.  It's what we do.  We live our simple, ordinary lives with hope in things unknown.  Amen!

It's the Third week in Ordinary Time.  The prophet Isiah tells us, "You have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest."  An old gardener can understand that kind of joy.  The feeling of gathering in the bounty you have spent so many hours toiling over and to reap the benefits of your love and labor.

Joy at the harvest.  Such an evocative image for me.  I know that feeling.  I have felt that joy and comfort.  What brings you joy and and comfort?  What the simple, ordinary things that can evoke joy for you?  The joy of a harvest? A small child's laughter? The touch of a grandmother's hand to your cheek? So many memories.  So much joy. Simple and ordinary but profound. 

I wish you all a simple, ordinary sabbath of rest and renewal.  Another cup of coffee, a little jazz on the smart speaker.  Sitting with the Sunday paper and a maybe even tackling the crossword puzzle.  I hope to increase the joy this third week in Ordinary Time.  Amen!

It's a lovely sunny day here in South Saint Louis.  A bit of a chilly start to the morning but beautiful, nonetheless.  I got an early start on chores this morning and now I'm ready to relax with a nice cup of coffee and listen to some great old standards on the smart speaker.  

Is there anything more lovely than newly hewn wood?  The marks of the saw blade across the grain.  The rings of life encircling the circumference of the tree truck.  It's a simple, glorious thing to behold on this sunny Saturday in late January.  Simple pleasures are often the best.  I'm trying to remember that this year.  Simple pleasures.  

I pray for a simple, ordinary weekend.  I hope your weekend is filled with a faith in things unseen, hope for things needed and enough love to see you through.  Simple, ordinary​ pleasures.  Amen.

I can't believe that there is only one more Friday in January.  Where did this month go?  I keep flipping calendar pages.  Since we have retired the oft-asked question of us is "what do you do all day?"  I always have a hard time answering because we are so busy it's crazy.  It's hard to explain.

The planning for the garden continues.  We have turned the soil yet again in the raised beds.  We are ordering soil and dreaming of the harvest to come.  We still have some homemade sauces, jams, soups and frozen veggies in our pantry.  It's such a joy to reach in and get a taste of summer and know we grew that ourselves.  

We are trying to simplify this complicated living of modern life.  Breaking old habits and trying to embrace new ones.  It's difficult to break a lifetime of accumulating stuff and trying to get rid of it in a mindful way.  We are trying to have a simple, ordinary year.  Simple. Ordinary. Year.  Amen.

You know it's the bleak mid-winter when even the Holly berries begin to wither on the branch.  The see-saw weather continues here in the Carondelet Garden as one day I am wearing shorts and walking through Shaw's Garden and the next it is pouring rain and winter wet gear is needed to do much of anything outside.  It's winter in Saint Louis!

How is your mid-Winter going? Are you preparing for a new Spring growing season? What are your plans for this year's garden?  I've decided on my vegetable garden.  It is going to be fewer vegetables but more of the ones we love the most.  More sauce tomatoes.  We've doubled the number of garlic.  We actually get to harvest asparagus this year.  Very excited about that prospect.  More potatoes and snap peas.  We are also adding another row of carrots and onions.  The flower garden is still in the mulling stage.  We haven't quite decided on everything just yet, but Marigolds are a constant.  

It's a simple, ordinary Thursday here in the Carondelet Garden.  We are learning and growing the best we can on this cold, dreary day.  A bit of quiet meditation this morning and another cup of coffee will do the trick.  Keep it simple this season.  Learn a bit. Grow a bit. Rest a bit. Love a lot.  Amen.

Spring is busting out. Maybe not Spring but at least the buds are set on my Woodbine.  I'm getting a little anxious for planting season!  I'm ready and waiting... and waiting... and waiting.  It will be here before we know it and the work shall be done.  Not today though, this wet Wednesday is just preparation for growth.

I was thinking about the idea of Sabbath this morning.  One day, set aside, just for rest.  Do you have a Sabbath practice?  I'm not necessarily talking about church (big or little c), rather a time set aside to rest your mind and body.  The truest sense of a Sabbath practice.  When we were both working the work week seldom ended on Friday afternoon.  Job duties continued into Saturday and Sunday with concerts, sporting events, math leagues, art shows, you name it.  The idea of a Sabbath practice was almost impossible to obtain.  It's harder and harder in today's world for families to practice Sabbath.  I hope we can find a way to return to that.  I think we all need a break for our minds and for our bodies.  I still find it difficult to practice Sabbath but I'm getting better.  Take the time where you can.  Be kind to yourself for that moment and rest.  Amen.

Welcome to an Ordinary Tuesday here in the Carondelet Garden.  It is dark this morning with a promise of sunny skies and moderate temperatures for mid-January in South Saint Louis.  The dawning of a new day.  A day to "seize the hope set before us," as the author of Hebrews tells us.

I love that phrase, "seize the hope." It's the perfect motto for an old gardener like me.  For what is a garden if not ground planted with hope.  The hopes of an early spring, gentle rains, moderate temperatures and a bountiful harvest.  Seize the hope!  That is our cry as we start our planning and plotting for the coming season. I have to sit on my hands as the seeds start arriving.  It's much too early for most of my seedlings to be planted, but I'm ready for gardening season to kick back in.  There are still a few chores to be done. There's always something to fill your time, but Spring will be upon us before we know it.  

Seize the hope set before us.  That is my prayer for all of us today.  Hope is what gets us up in the mornings.  Hope is what we need right now to get us through the dark nights and shortened days.  That's our prayer today:  seize the hope!  Amen.

It's a wet Monday morning here in the Carondelet Garden in South Saint Louis.  A fitting day to remember the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Across this world people are still looking to Dr. King for inspiration and courage.  Today is the perfect day to have a conversation.  Education is key.  Share your experiences and work together to create a better tomorrow.  Let us remember his final speech, "Like anybody, I would like to live a long life.  Longevity has it place. But I'm not concerned about that now, I've seen the Promised Land.  I may not get there with you.  But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land."

We have made so much progress since Dr. King's death but there is so much more work that needs to be done.  In our city, our state, our country and around the world, social justice and civil rights abuses continue to plague us.  We can do so much more together that we could never accomplish alone.  E Pluribus Unum.  Out of many... One!

Today I pray for unity.  I pray that faith, hope and love lives in the hearts of us all and that today, together, we can see that Promised Land. Amen!

It's the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time and the Prophet Isaiah tells us that we are to be "a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth."  I am thinking to myself that I feel more like a dim bulb in a dark room than a light to the nations.  How can I be a light to the nations, when I can barely lead myself most of the time?  Isn't that the question most of us ask ourselves?

I don't have an answer.  I feel a bit like the dried, dead leaves of winter sometimes.  How can I be a light?  How can I make a difference?  My only guess is that I have to start simply.  First in myself.  I need to see how I can turn up the wattage so to speak.  What small, simple thing can I do to begin the process of being a light?  Simple kindness is my starting point.  I've been working on it for a while.  Simply be kinder and gentler with myself and others.  Simply be kinder and gentler.

It's the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time.  My time of simple kindness and gentleness.  My hope and prayer is that you can be kinder and gentler with yourself as well.  It's been a difficult few years.  Many of us are still going through illness and hurt.  Be kind and gentle with yourself.  You are worthy.  As a priest friend of my always said, "God loves you, just the way you are, right now!"  Amen.

It's sunny and chilly outside in the Carondelet Garden this frosty, sunny Saturday morning.  A quiet start to our weekend.  Listening to "Radio Deluxe" with John Pizzarelli on WNYC and drinking coffee.  Not a bad way to start any day.  

There is something about sleepy, simple Saturday mornings.  A slow start that gives you a chance to breathe in and breathe out and move on.  We need a deep breath.  A long, deep breath to clear your head and mind and spirit.  We need a sleepy, simple start to the day to remind us to slow down a little and enjoy the simple things.  Enjoy the simple things.  I need to keep that little phrase on auto-repeat in my mind:  Enjoy the simple things! Enjoy the simple things! Enjoy the simple things!  

It's mid-January and we are finishing our first week of Ordinary time.  It's the perfect time to enjoy the simple things.  I hope you can slow down for just a little while and have that extra cup of coffee.  Maybe listen to some good music and enjoy the simple things.  Amen!

It's hard to believe that just two days ago it was almost 70-degrees here in South Saint Louis.  The dandelions are already popping their little heads out.  Almost unbelievable!  It's definitely not warm out in the Carondelet Garden this morning.  It's a Frosty Friday this mid-January day.

It is a wonder how nature always seems to find a way.  A mid-January dandelion for example.  How crazy is that?  I know it's a weed but there is something lovely about them.  Little kids seem to be drawn to dandelions.  In another lifetime, when I was working in elementary schools, little ones would bring me bouquets of dandelions.  They were presented as a beautiful gift and accepted as such.  I even had a small vase that I would lovingly fill with water and place the flowers in it on my desk.  The wee ones would light up and I would, too!

Simple gifts are the best gifts.  Gifts given freely with no strings attached.  Nothing fancy, simply given with love.  Another moment of grace in a crazy world.  I wish you many moments of grace this frosty Friday in January. Simple gifts of grace.  Amen.

The white tree caught my eye.  We were walking at the Missouri Botanical Garden on a beautiful day in January and this white tree captured me somehow.  As I looked closer, the tree itself isn't even in the garden. It's on the street just outside the fence. The way the light was hitting it just made it shine.  My photography skills did not capture the way it glowed.  

Moments like that are just another example of grace for me.  A bit of heaven here on earth for just a moment.  A feeling of awe and splendor in a world of craziness.  Time to slow down and appreciate something spectacular that you might have missed before.  A little moment of grace when you need it the most.  

On this wet Thursday in mid-January, I wish us all a moment of grace.  A time to stop for moment to just be.  We all need that mental moment from time to time to stop and simply appreciate the world around us.  I wish us all a moment of grace today.  Amen.

"When Cardinals appear, angels are near."  I've heard that phrase since I was little guy.  Somehow, I still believe it's true.  It helps to be from Saint Louis where Cardinals are sacred anyway, but somehow, whenever I see a Cardinal appear in the backyard birdfeeder, I just feel like there is a thin place happening.

I believe in thin places.  Those moments or places where the gulf between heaven and earth are so thin you can almost cross over.  It's been a time of memories this past week.  I've been just a bit under the weather, nothing terrible just a nasty cold.  It's something I've not dealt with for a while and I was, probably, feeling a bit sorry for myself.  Memories of those we've lost kept coming into my mind.  The good stories.  The funny stories.  Now I see a beautiful Cardinal in our backyard and the thin place makes sense.  I feel better today.  Mentally and physically, I'm a bit restored.  I believe in thin places.

The sun is shining, and the weather is almost balmy for mid-January in Carondelet.  I'm hoping you get a bit of a thin place as well today.  Here's a bit faith, hope and love sent your way from an old gardener in South Saint Louis, because "when Cardinals appear, angels are near!"  Amen!

We went out to the Missouri Botanical Garden the other day.  It's such a joy to walk around the beautiful space and take in nature.  I've always been fascinated by the water features.  I love how they mimic nature yet in a controlled way.  It is such a joy to hear the rippling water and watch it meander down the stream to its final resting place in the Japanese Garden.

It's an Ordinary Tuesday here in the Carondelet Garden.  The sun is shining.  The birds are singing. The temperatures are supposed to rise a bit so it will be perfect day to turn over the planting beds one more time in preparation for Spring.  Every day more seed catalogues arrive and that just tells me we are one more day closer to planting season.  

Have a good day today. An ordinary day filled with the simple pleasures of a simple day. We need some simple days now more than ever.  Amen!

It's the first week of Ordinary Time.  The time of in-between.  Christmastide is over and is not yet time to prepare for the Easter season.  It's Ordinary time.  The time when the work continues.  Time to get things going.  The time of in-between.

I love the time of in-between.  It's the time to get the work done.  Set the schedules and get the supplies ready.  The old gardener loves to make plans and get those plans going.  I'm a fixer.  I'm the person who wants to get it done.  Let's fix it!  It's great until it's not so great.  The truth is, there are many things that we cannot fix no matter how hard we try.  We've learned those lessons the hard way over these past years.  We want so badly to fix the illness or prevent the heartbreak of loss.  I struggle with not being able to control things.  It's hard to give up that control.  Yet, as we have learned through difficult times, you often do not have an alternative.  You have to give it up to a higher power.  Give up the control.  Acknowledging that you can't always fix it.  Accepting that, sometimes, it can't be fixed. Difficult lessons for an old gardener.

Which is why I love the time of in-between.  The Ordinary time.  Time to get down to work. Make the plans and execute them. I'm learning that I don't have control and I can't fix everything.  I still make plans, knowing they don't always work.  I still try things and accept the failures.  I'm learning that I don't have control. It's difficult for an old gardener like me.  That is what Ordinary time is all about.  Time to learn and grow in-between the seasons. Learning and growing in Ordinary time.  Amen!
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We have a series of plates that represents the 12 Days of Christmas.  This past Friday was the 12th Day of Christmas or Epiphany.  We celebrate Epiphany Sunday right after the true Epiphany. The day the Wise men from the East arrive to bring gifts to the true King.  The Messiah has come.

I'm sure it was difficult to imagine this baby boy as the Messiah.  Certainly not the Messiah they were looking for. Born in the humblest of manners to simple people of incredible faith. That's what happens.  We get the Messiah we need not the Messiah we want.  

It is not unlike my prayers.  I get the answers I need not necessarily the answers I want.  Sometimes I get angry about that.  I've screamed why so many times through tears.  I still don't know the answer to some of those questions, yet oftentimes I become aware of the why later.  It makes sense in the fullness of time.  It will all make sense in the fullness of time.  I continue to pray.  I sometimes question why?  I oftentimes lack faith.  Hope is not always abundant.  Love isn't always easy.  I continue to believe.  I cling to faith.  I nurture hope and try so hard to love.  

On this Epiphany Sunday. My wish for us all is a life filled with faith, hope and love.  The answers we need not the answers we want.  I'm thankful the Messiah has come and dwelt among us.  Amen.

I love garlic!  It's no secret in that here in the Carondelet Garden garlic is king.  I have two full beds of it planted right now.  When I first started this gardening journey, I knew that garlic was one of the things I needed to plant.  I had no idea how to grow it, but I know I needed it!  What surprised me the most is that you plant garlic in late fall and harvest in mid-July the following year.  This year on the recommendation of many of my fellow IG gardeners I am growing Music garlic.  Come on July!

We were watching one of those maker competition programs on television the other night.  A space scientist was one of the guest judges.  She said some things that really resonated with me.  I am paraphrasing because my memory is shot, but she said as you chase your audacious dream.  That dream that is so grand.  Be sure to love the things you do along the way.  Love each step you have to take because that may be where you land.  In other words, you should dream big dreams but love the steps along the way because you don't always land the dream, but you can still live the dream.  A different take on "shoot for the moon at least you'll land among the stars."  I hope you love the step you are on right now.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.