What a simple, ordinary thing it should be to pray.  Today's reading gives us the prayer of all prayers.  Hallowed be thy name.  How is that possible in my life?  What will it look like for this old gardener in South Saint Louis?  

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.

Simple, ordinary comfort.  Simple, ordinary challenge.  Amen.

Happy Monday from the old gardener from Carondelet.  

I've been thinking about the "what if?" lately.  What if we simply stopped worrying about the things we can't control.  What if, where others were upset or possessive, I was objective, calm and clearheaded.  How relaxed I would be.  What if I simply enjoyed what I have while it is there and accepted things when they were no longer there.  Instead of craving more, I should enjoy what I have now.  Not as easy as it should be in our culture.  

I was doing my daily meditation and thinking about the reading from Matthew 13 today.  The things we are asked to do are simple, ordinary things.  We are asked to give food and drink to the hungry.  Take care of those who are sick and in need.  Help those who haven't the means to clothe themselves.  Simple, basic, ordinary things most of take for granted.  When I do this for the ones in most need, I am doing it for Jesus himself.  Simple. Ordinary. Basic.  Something for this old gardener to think about on this last Monday in February.

Rest, Relax, Renew!  

Snowdrops on the ground here in the Carondelet Garden on this last Saturday of February.  It's a bit cloudy and overcast this morning but the sun should arrive by this afternoon as the warmup begins.  We are excited to see the final home Men's Billikens Basketball game tonight at Saint Louis University.  Let's Go Bills!

It's a quiet start to the morning.  The music is playing.  It's Saturday morning so that means we are listening to "Radio DeLuxe" on WNYC and the Smart Speaker.  If you haven't listened to John Pizzarelli, then you are missing out on one of the best jazz guitarists around today.  The channel is called "New Standards on WNYC."  Highly recommended!

It's a good day for a good day.  Be good to yourself.  Be good and be kind to others as you get your Saturday started.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

The skies are clear and sunshine spreads across the Carondelet Garden on this Fish Fry Friday in South Saint Louis.  It seems Winter has returned to the Garden as we woke to temperatures in the lower 20s this morning.  These little Crocus flowers can handle it, thank goodness!  Such a beautiful reminder that Spring is coming.

Lent brings a kind of darkness with it but also a bit of light.  One of the bright spots of this Lenten season is Fish Fry Fridays.  Here in South Saint Louis we are blessed with an abundance of Fish Fry options.  Luckily we have one of the best just down the street at St. Stephen Protomartyr Catholic church.  If you are out and about you will definitely run into this #supercoololdcouple hanging out and playing the State 50/50 game and enjoying a great meal.

It's the first Friday of Lent.  We enter into that kind of darkness and explore our hearts and minds as we journey toward Easter.  "You have given all to me.  To you, Lord, I return it.  Everything is yours.  Do with is what you will.  Give me only your love and your grace.  That is enough for me."  Amen!

Create in me a clean heart, O Lord and have mercy on me according to your endless love.  Today I am presented with a choice.  A choice of life and death.  Which one do I choose?  Do I turn away and act as if I do not hear?  Do I turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to that small voice?  Do I have the courage to actually act on what I hear today?

Today I am given radical freedom, so many choices.  Sometimes I feel like it's so much easier to simply keep doing what I've always done.  It may not feel right.  It may not be the best thing.  Yet, I travel the road more traveled.  I keep on down the same old path because it's easy.  Making decisions can be difficult.  I have so much freedom to choose that I simply don't.  I stick with the familiar.  The easy path.  Today I'm questioning is this what God wants?

Saint Ignatius has a radical prayer.  The "Suscipe," which is Latin for Take.  It goes something like this:

​Take Lord, Receive 
All my liberty,
My memory,
My understanding,
My entire will.
Everything I have and possess.
You have given all to me.  
To you, O Lord, I give it back.
Everything is yours.  
Use me according to your will.
Give me your Love and your Grace.
That's enough for me.

That's enough for me.  That's enough for me.  Take Lord, Receive.

"Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return." Today, we are called to remember our mortality and failures.  We are called to confront our beautiful, messy, sinful selves and bare ourselves to our God.  This becomes even more real as I am getting older and mortality is more real than ever.  There comes a bit of calm knowing it is not all up to us.  It is comforting to know that God loves us, just the way we are, right now.  

I love this prayer by Jan Richardson called "Ash Wednesday:  Blessing the Dust"
So let us be marked
not for sorrow
And let us be marked 
not for shame
Let us be marked
not for false humility
or for thinking
we are less
than we are
but for claiming
what God can do
within the dust,
within the dirt,
within the stuff
of which the world
is made,
and the stars that blaze
in our bones,
and the galaxies that spiral
inside the smudge
we bear.

We begin our journey into Lent today.  Through the messy ashes comes the holiness of God.  

Happy Fat Tuesday.  Happy Mardis Gras, or Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Tuesday or just plain Tuesday if you wish.  It's the end of Ordinary Time and the preparation day for Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.

I'm feeling a bit like this tree today.  Feeling a bit twisty and turny on this Tuesday morning.  This tree and the world we live in right now is a bit twisted and turned. The path is not straight.  The journey is not mapped out.  Fortunately, we have mentors and helpers along the way. We have the gift of grace to lift us up when the turns are too sharp.  We carry on through faith.  We cling to hope.  We live because we love.  

It's Shrove Tuesday here in the Carondelet Garden.  A day of preparation for the journey of Lent. The journey is not mapped out but we have the tools to carry us through.  A backpack of faith, hope and love to make the journey.  That's all the news from the Carondelet Garden.

This majestic beauty in the pond at Lafayette Park on Saturday just caught our attention.  Such beauty and grace in motion.  What a lovely weekend to get out and about and enjoy a bit of nature.  

Happy President's Day 2023.  It's a beautiful day.  Hopefully you have a long, three day weekend to enjoy.  The weather should be perfect.  No matter, I hope you have the opportunity to get outside and soak up some of the lovely sunshine and Vitamin D.  Be good to yourself.  Be kind to yourself and others as you travel about this Monday in February.  We're getting busy already this morning.  That's all the news from the Carondelet Garden.

The crocus are in bloom.  The daffodils and tulips are pushing themselves out of the cold ground and reach upward towards the sun.  Spring is showing itself in South Saint Louis on this Ordinary Sunday in February.  The skies are blue and sunny.  There is a warmth in the air.  I know Winter is not over yet.  I will enjoy the sunshine today.

Enjoy today.  Smile a little more.  Love a little more.  Enjoy what we have right now.  That's been a focus for me these past few weeks.  Enjoy this simple, ordinary life.  You never know when it will be over.  We recently learned that Jimmy Carter has decided to stop all medical interventions and live out his final days in hospice at home.  I think of President Carter and the kindness and love he showed so many during his life.  I pray for comfort for him and his family at this time.  He was the first President I was able to cast a vote for.  I'm still proud of that vote.  No one is perfect but he is a good, decent man who did his best for his country.  Even after his presidency he continued to do good works through the Carter Center and Habitat for Humanity.  

A lot of things happening this week.  Fat Tuesday or Mardis Gras.  Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.  I pray that we all have a week filled with kindness and love this week.  Kindness and love. Nothing could make the world better than more kindness and love.  Amen.

He's a bit camera shy.  Every time we try to take a picture, he either runs away or turns his back on us.  Considering how much bird food he eats you would think he would be a bit more cooperative.  He is a daily visitor to the Carondelet Garden.  At first, we were frustrated that he was eating the bird food and the poor birds would suffer.  Well, we've been watching, and the birds have no problem running him off when they want to feed.  It's hysterical to watch!

It's a sunny Saturday morning here in on the south side of Saint Louis.  A slow start to the day after a busy day on Friday.  Lots of running around.  Having fun at a few shops and stocking up on some wine.  The cellar is restocked and ready for Spring!  

I hope you have a chance to have a slow Saturday.  It's nice to slow down and truly enjoy the day.  We picked up some Raclette yesterday as well.  Melty, gooey cheese for dinner this evening!  I'm sure wine will be shared as well.  It's good to slow down and enjoy the good things.  Be good to yourself and kind as well.  We all need the goodness and kindness right now.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

We were walking through the park and noticed this spooky old tree and as we passed you could see the sun just peeking through the clouds.  The sun shone through the branches of the tree and just struck me.  Love broke through.  That was my thought.  Love broke through when I needed it most.  Love broke through when the burdens were too heavy.  Love broke through when the sorrow and depression felt overwhelming.  Love broke through.  

We have all been through so much these past few years.  The news is still filled with mass shootings and war.  We don't hear much about the goodness of people.  Yet, it's there when we look.  Goodness breaks through when we need it the most.  A kind word from a stranger.  A phone call out of the blue.  A card or letter arrives in the morning mail. Just when you need it most, love breaks through.  

It's the last Ordinary Friday before Lent.  I pray and hope that love breaks through for all of us this day.  We all could use that ray of love and the light of sunshine in our lives.  I hope it is a simple day.  An ordinary day.  A simple, ordinary day filled with faith, hope and love.  Simple, ordinary love.  

We have taken to walking in various parks at least once every week.  It's a lovely way to get out and about.  To explore places we normally do not see.  This past week we returned to a favorite park.  Lafayette Park is an oasis in the middle of a Victorian village for lack of a better term.  The neighborhood is beautiful, to say the very least.  The park is filled with trees and hidden little paths to small ponds with ducks and geese.  There's a school nearby so there are often children running around and filling the area with the joy of laughter and fun.  All ages of walkers and pups are seen throughout the paths.  It is always a joy to walk.  

As we venture about, you can feel the earth groaning as spring is just waiting to burst through the ground.  Signs of Spring are everywhere.  Daffodils are beginning to poke their little heads up.  Crocus are beginning to appear in my front yard.  The birth pangs of creation are felt everywhere.  From seed to bloom we are sowing love.  Planting a seed is a step of faith and hope.  We are planting love and then we see that plant pushing itself toward the sun, lifting and growing through the dirt.  Creation bursting forth in love.

If you haven't noticed I am getting a bit of gardening Spring Fever.  I'm looking forward to spending more time in the garden.  I'm ready for the longer days.  I'm ready to get a bit dirty and feel the earth again.  We have had a few days these past weeks but that just makes me yearn for more.  Enjoy this time of in-between.  Rest and plan and renew as we prepare for what is coming.  Lent is also just around the corner.  Another time of prayer and reflection and renewal.  Just as we are waiting for spring with reflection, we enter into lent with an open heart and mind.  We pray, repent and renew.  We wait until once again we witness Creation bursting forth in love.  Amen.

The sun is casting deep shadows on the ground this Ordinary Wednesday.  The shadows reach out deep and far. A reminder that we, too, cast a large shadow. We touch more lives than we think by how we live and what we say.  A reminder that we need to be careful with our words and actions.  They are a reflection of us and cast a long shadow.  Our shadows reach out and touch things we may not see.

There was an old Sunday School song that said, "O, be careful little ears what you hear. O, be careful little eyes what you see.  O, be careful little mouth what you say." We forget about that sometimes.  I know I do.  I prattle on, as old men do, in my pompous pronouncements.  I can go on and on with my beliefs and my ideals. O, be careful old man's mouth what you say.  I pray for the ability to keep my big mouth shut and listen.  Truly utilize that old saw, "Listen twice as much as you speak.  That's why God gave you two ears and one mouth." 

Today I pray that I may hear that wee, small voice who can provide the wisdom I need to hear on this Ordinary Wednesday.  I need to listen for the wisdom. My wife's late uncle used to take the cousins out onto a lake in the early evening.  Away from everyone and everything and he would quietly say, "Shhhh... just listen to the pretty."  I pray that I may hear the pretty.  I pray that I may hear the wisdom.  Listen. Quiet my mind and the soul will speak.  Shhhh... listen.  Amen.

Happy Birthday City of Saint Louis! Here's to the best Valentine's Day gift ever.  I love our Gateway City and the amazing people living here.  We have an amazing city with problems as all cities have problems, yet, we have so much to offer in terms of culture, attractions, architecture and affordable living.  Let's all show our great City a bit of love today.

Today is Valentine's Day.  I am not a fan. I've never been one to believe that one day of the year should be singled out to express your love for someone.  Love should be expressed daily in many different ways. Expressing love shouldn't be a special occasion it should be an every moment thing.  As I get older, I realize that we never know when that time will end.  It can happen so fast.  Be sure to let those you love know that you love them.  Don't wait for a "special occasion."  Tell them today, and often.  Show them you love them in the little things.  Be there. Be present. Be available. Love. The wisdom writers tell us to love our neighbors as ourselves.  Not easy sometimes. I always laugh and say they tell me to love them, but it doesn't mean I have to like them.  Love them anyway.

I hope you know you are loved.  Not just today but every day.  I hope you remember to reach out to those who don't necessarily have someone telling them they are loved very often.  A note, a real phone call, even a short text can make someone's day.  Something simple and ordinary can change the world.  As the song says, "put a little love in your heart."  Amen!

I used to be one of those people who felt just like the cartoon cat, Garfield:  "I Hate Mondays!"  It was hard to get back into the work week and keep up the motivation and momentum.  It's very odd as I've gotten older, I don't hate Mondays anymore.  I like the idea of a new beginning every week.  You come out of Sunday with a bit of reflection and refresh, and you can face the new week with new eyes.

The sun is shining, and the day is beginning to warm.  Another week is beginning.  Another chance to make different choices.  Refresh the mindset.  Simplify the living of life.  Enjoy what you have right now.  Experience the joy of this simple, ordinary life this week.  Be open.  Be willing to say yes.  That is what I'm trying to do this week.  Enjoy the beauty of this Monday in February.  Take a moment to truly experience the stunning nature of this world.  Open up and say... yes, thank you!

It is the sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time.  It is a day to reflect and respond to choices we are given.  The Wisdom teachings tell us the if we choose, we can act faithfully.  It is a matter of a choice.  We are reminded this week that we are free.  We are given the ability to choose for ourselves.  

How do I choose?  How do I take the time to reflect and respond to these great choices?  Temptation and freedom are cumulative.  They are a matter of getting into habits or choices of our own making.  How do I choose my habits and make my choices?  A difficult question to say the very least.  

I'm trying to live my simple, ordinary life.  It's difficult to stop a habit.  It takes time and effort and, most importantly, choice. What choice do we make? How do I reflect and respond to these choices today and in the future?  We are quickly coming into the season of Lent.  A time of reflection and choices. I hope you have a moment to sit and reflect.  A moment to slow down and simply breathe in and breath out. A moment to make choices with Wisdom. 

​Breathe.  Amen.

Nothing says Saint Louis more than the "Apotheosis of Saint Louis" in front of the Saint Louis Art Museum high atop Art Hill.  Nothing grander on a sunny Saturday than this statue with a bright blue sky as its backdrop.  Another cultural institution that gives Saint Louis such a boost.  

A busy weekend for this #supercoololdcouple.  Our niece and her husband are expecting their first child and the baby shower is this weekend.  Tomorrow is the Super Bowl.  Exciting to have our home state Chiefs representing in this annual football showdown.  

It's a great weekend to relax and enjoy a football game.  Enjoy some good food and drink and hang out with friends.  I hope you get a chance to do some of those things this Super Bowl weekend.  Be good to yourself.  Be kind to yourself and others as you journey about this weekend.  We all deserve a bit more kindness and goodness in our lives.  That's all the news from the Carondelet Garden.

Our Hollyhocks are coming back!  A bit of a miracle in South Saint Louis.  These are the plants that developed a terrible rust disease and I cut them back in the summer all the way down to the ground.  I, honestly, did not expect them to make it.  One did not but this little beauty is rearing its head and is looking quite nice for this mid-Winter's Day.  I'm excited to see the blooms this summer.

It is a grey, chilly day here in the Carondelet Garden.  Not much going on this Ordinary Friday.  Dropped the City Car off at Doc Holloway's for an oil change and once-over.  It's such a good feeling to have someone you trust to work on your car and be so convenient as well.  I'm enjoying a good cup of coffee, music is playing on the radio and the newspapers are waiting to be read.  It's a good day for this old gardener.

I hope you have a chance to sit back and relax a bit this weekend.  It's good to find a bit of time to rest and renew your body, soul and mind.  Be good to yourself and kind to others as you journey about this Ordinary Friday.  That's all the news from the Carondelet Garden.

There is something powerful and majestic about watching water flow through a stream or river.  I love watching the waters cascade over the rocks and hills as they pass my way. I simply stand and watch, lost in wonder as the water passes me knowing that same water will never be seen again.  The poet John O'Donohue writes "I would love to live like a river flows, carried by its own unfolding."  It's a beautiful thought and in so many ways a truthful one.  

The prophet Amos tells us to "let justice flow like a river and let goodness flow like a stream that never runs dry."  Goodness and kindness.  Justice and mercy flowing like a river.  Simple, ordinary thoughts on a simple, ordinary Thursday.  

The rains of yesterday have come and gone.  The streams are full.  The water is abundant.  Let our hearts be full as well and let goodness, kindness, justice and mercy flow on this Ordinary Thursday in February.  My prayer is that I live like the water flows being carried by its own unfolding.  Let me be lost in wonder at the power of love.  Amen.

It seems it is not an if, but when we get rain today.  The rains from the Gulf of Mexico are headed into the heart of the Midwest today.  It could be quite the rainmaker for Saint Louis.  We will be watching with anticipation.  

We have been tidying up our paperwork and estate stuff lately.  Not the most exciting thing to do but it is a necessary thing to do.  As we get older it is important to have an Estate Plan in place.  Not that my "estate" is anything special, but I don't want those who will end up picking up the pieces when I'm gone left with a mess.  Many of us have had to deal with the estates of someone who has passed away and realized what a lot of work it is to go through what remains of their lives.  That's why the estate plan is important.  You are never too young to think about it.  Especially if you have children.  It's difficult to talk about the end of your own life and think about what that will look like.  Yet, it is a good thing for those left behind and a bit of peace of mind after you've finished.

As I continue to try and live a simple, ordinary existence this year, planning and organizing are becoming a regular part of my day.  I've also tried to remember that plans can and do change.  I'm working on being less rigid and being more flexible.  I'm a bit of a work in progress but progress is being made.  As the old saying goes, "if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans." 

​I hope you are safe and dry this Wet Wednesday in February.  Be good and be kind to yourself and others as you sojourn through this crazy old world.  That's all the news from the Carondelet Garden.  

It's a wet Tuesday here in the Carondelet Garden in South Saint Louis on this first Tuesday of February.  Doing a little garden cleanup and discovered these little lovelies poking their little heads out on a mid-winter's afternoon.  I could be wrong, but this may be the earliest I've ever seen these bulbs poking through the ground.  Signs of an early spring?  It is definitely a sign of creation doing its thing.  

There is something mesmerizing about creation.  Creation is not good in of itself, it is good because the creation ultimately comes from a good and loving God.  There is this strong sense of purposefulness and connectedness as we work with nature and nurture the garden.  My ponder for this day is how do I take the time to savor the goodness of creation?  Gardening is one way for sure.  Walking in nature.  Witnessing the rebirth of daffodils in mid-winter in the Midwest.  There is something mesmerizing about creation.  God saw that it was good.  It was good!  Amen.

I love to see water in the Garden.  As we were strolling through the Missouri Botanical Garden after one of our recent snowfalls, I was me​smerized by the way the water was moving but almost looked frozen.  Water is that amorphous thing that can be take on three different forms depending on temperature.  How absolutely incredible! 

Water changes things.  We use it to refresh our bodies; inside and out.  We use it to clean our homes, refresh our gardens and, spiritually, to cleanse our souls.  What an incredible, necessary thing that we oftentimes take for granted.  O come thy fount of every blessing.

It's another Ordinary week here in the Carondelet Garden.  We are doing a bit of cleanup around the beds and a few other things but mostly we are waiting and planning.  I hope you get a chance to enjoy this Ordinary, sunny Monday.  Quench your thirst and refresh your spirit.  Amen!

It's the fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time.  How can I practice Sabbath this day?  How can I take a break from looking at things in the usual way?  How can I see things differently this day of rest?  

I'm slowly changing my approach to Sabbath.  A day of rest but not just for the body but for the mind and especially the spirit.  We know how to rest our bodies.  Good sleep.  Maybe a nice nap in the afternoon.  But resting our minds and spirits are not quite as easy.  It's hard to shut down the mind sometimes and truly rest.  It seems to be even harder now that I am older.  Thoughts keep coming back and haunting my rest.  The need for Sabbath is real and necessary.  

Walking through the garden and being in nature are a form of Sabbath for this old gardener.  A time to let things slow down and the mind and spirit to simply rest.  Pulling weeds while thinking of nothing but pulling weeds.  The mind and spirit rests while the body does a simple, repetitive task.  Sabbath.  Rest. Quiet the mind. The soul will speak.  Sabbath rest. Amen.

It is a beautiful, sunny Saturday morning here in the Carondelet Garden.  It's one of the mornings in mid-Winter that you dream about.  Sunny skies, warming temperatures and not a lot on the calendar.  As the song goes, "who could ask for anything more?"

We headed out for a walk yesterday in the cold blast and then decided to head to the warmth of the Missouri Botanical Garden and visit the Orchid Show.  What a joy to have such beauty on display in the middle of Winter.  If you haven't had a chance to visit, do yourself a favor and go!  The new display space feels a bit smaller than the older one but is very airy and is filled with the splendor of these lovely orchids.  

I've been thinking a lot about contentment this past week.  Be content with what you have keeps coming to mind.  Counting my blessings this first Saturday of February.  One of those blessings is living here within an easy jaunt to one of the best botanical gardens in the world.  I hope you get the opportunity to enjoy a bit of beauty and contentment this sunny Saturday.  A simple, ordinary, sunny Saturday in mid-winter in Saint Louis.  I hope you experience a bit of contentment and take a moment to count your own blessings.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.