The best way to avoid mistakes

 We all make mistakes. I was glad to see this quote for Mother Stuart and copy it here for our daily reflection:

"It is quite certain that the best way of avoiding too many mistakes is to live in union with God by recollection, the spirit of prayer and complete dependence on God's will. The light of the Holy Spirit trnsforms our nature and give us a Wisdom and Prudence which are the very virtues of God."

Tomorrow I leave for the Dominican Vacation House in Santa Cruz for a Guided Imagery weekend. I ask your prayers.

Do not be discouraged!

 Mother Stuart said, "Never allow yourself to yield to discouragement." I think we all need to remember this as so often we seem to be caught up in bad news, or we get discouraged because we want to do many things and then do not have the time nor the energy to do them.

What do you do when you find yourself feeling discouraged? No matter why you are discouraged, stop and consider the good things that are happening and that gives us courage to face the difficult things. Most of all, let us turn to the Lord who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and loves each of us with an infinite love. When we realize this, it gives us hope and joy and banishes all discouragement.

I must admit that it is not easy to stay hopeful and joyful with the headlines in the papers always alerting us to the bad things that are happening in our world. Those things like war, natural disasters, famine, floods, fires, etc. are terrible and cause a huge amount of suffering. We need to respond by prayer and whatever help we can give, but we need to see the good that is being done by so many to alleviate the suffering, to feed the hungry, to rescue those caught in earthquakes, floods, and fires, etc.

I guess I am saying that "every cloud has a silver lining" and we need to learn how to keep seeing the good and not be discouraged. It is not easy, but it is possible. Trust the Lord who can bring good out of evil.

Book Club

 Our little Book Club meets every Tuesday here at Oakwood. I am facilatating the two Chapters today.

We are reading Phil Kilroy's Life of St. Madeleine Sophie, She did so much research for this book and she really shows us how much Sophie had to suffer to keep the Society of the Sacred Heart faithful to its original charism. Sophie wanted an International Society where we are one body and can be called to serve wherever we are needed. She needed freedom to send our Sisters from one house to another; to send from one country to another. She fought to have Provincials who would have more authority, but was only allowed to have "Vicars" so her work was overwhelming. She wrote thousand of letters, but needed a secretary to help her as the foundations were increasing. Incredibly, no one was free to help her and so she struggled on with poor health. She was patient, loving, and forgiving and a great example for all of us.

I am used to having a book club that sticks to discussing the book. Our group seems to be more for spiritual conversation that is inspired by the book but also brings us into the present. I suspect we will do the same today!

I am also having a zoom with my spriitual director today. That is always a grace.

A new week to praise and serve the Lord

Although I am thinking that this is a new week to praise and serve the Lord, I am also aware that it is a new week to let God love us and be grateful. I did not get far with my list of titles for God last week, but I am overwhelmed by His goodness to me and to all of us. 

Yesterday we had the Induction of the seniors who are being accepted into the Sacred Heart Society here at Sacred Heart Prep in Atherton. Because of Covid, there were fewer applicants in their Junior Year so only seventeen were accepted for this year. I have the vice-president of the student body and we have had four great visits as we have an hour each week with our Senior just to build a relationship. This year, because of Covid, the Induction Ceremony was not during our Sunday Mass but in the afternoon and the students were told that only one parent was to come with them. Usually, we had a Mass with both parents and then food and social time in the patio and it was always the fourth Sunday of August. Things change.

I also had a small group to discuss the booklet we all received after our special Provincial Assembly. I put up a sign and some were interested and came. The truth is that we often receive things from the Province and do not take time to discuss them and so we forget about the good things that are happening to move us into the future where we will be organized differently, but we will still be the Society of the Sacred Heart with the same charism and spirit. We are international and, just now, the vocations seem to be mostly in Asia and Africa. Fewer entering in so many Provinces means we need to think about merges in the future as we are all getting older. I think that it gives me great hope to see how we are beginning to plan for the future.

Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

 The Collect for this Sunday asks God, who manifests His power above all by pardoning and showing mercy, to bestow His grace abundantly upon us and "make those hastening to attain your promises heirs to the treasure of heaven."

The first reading is from the Prophet Amos: 6:1a, 4-7

Reponsorial Psalm: "Praise the Lord, my soul!"

The second reading is from Paul's first letter to Timothy: 6: 11-16

Paul charges him to keep the commandments until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Gospel is from Luke 16:19-31 and is the story of Lazarus, a poor man covered with sores, lying at the door of a rich man. When Lazarus died, "he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham from far off and Lazarus at his side." Now, the rich man begs for a drop of water but Abraham tells him that he received what was good during his lifetime and now there is a great chasm between them.

What is the lesson for each of us? Are we ignoring the poor, the outcast, the hungry? What am I doing to help those who so desparately need help? The refugees, the migrant workers, the disabled, the homeless in our land so in need of help.

Saturday at Oakwood

 Since we are a retirement community, you would think that every day would be much of the same. Not so at Oakwood. I suspect that each day is different because of the different activities scheduled for each day. I am usually not one to participate because I am busy with other things, but Saturday is the end of the week and seems to be a special day that begins with a breakfast of eggs benedict, hash browns, and bacon plus my piece of raisin bread toast and melon. Then, the morning is free and I usually go to the 2:00 movie. It is just a quiet day, but somehow it is always connected with Our Lady. 

I am reading again lives of RSCJ that I have known and loved. It is good to remember how they influenced me in so many ways. Of course, we do not write the lives of most, but usually only those who have been connected with our Central Government. However, two of those I lived with in Miami in community, another I grew to love in Rome and kept up through letters with her when I was in Chile, and it is good to go back over their lives and see how faithful they were to whatever the Lord asked.

I guess I need to go back to find a quote from Mother Sturart to share today. How about this one:

"Be faithful to the touch of the Holy Spirit upon your soul. The Holy Spirit when free, works marvels within us."

Mary was faithful and helps us to be faithful, too.

Beauty is Everywhere

 Today I noticed that we do have a few trees with red and brown leaves so summer is behind us even if we are going to have another hot weekend.

Now, I am still reflecting on my names for God, who is the all-loving One, the compassionate One, the all-knowing One, the infinite One, the merciful One, etc. I think I need to thank God for being each of these and God is all of these at once!

Someone wrote me that she was in the doctor's office looking at her arm and she began to thank God for her arm and then thought that she should thank Him for all the parts of her body. I tried doing that this morning, and found it very helpful and left me feeling very grateful. I suggest you try it, too!

Composing your own list of names for God

 Muslims pray with the ninety-nine names of Allah. How would you compose your own list of names for God?

I hope to answer letters tomorrow. It is so easy to lose myself in a book and forget that I need to stay in touch with friends, clear out my room which seems to be something that I do every week and then find papers and magazines piling up. I like to have my desk clear except for my laptop, desk lamp, and my gratitude box. However, I clear it often by just dumping everything, including my calendar, into my top drawer so that gets a weekly clearing out and I have neglected to do it for two weeks. I also have a stack of books that need either to be shelved or returned to the library, if they are borrowed books from our libraries. In Rosewood, we have the Society books plus all the other novels, biographies, mysteries, poetry, history books, etc. In the fireside room in Oakwood, we have a spiritual library. I have quite a few spiritual books in my room that I brought with me from Miami and need to begin to get rid of some as my bookshelves are overflowing.

None of this blog is very spiritual, but if it helps you to clear out, then that is good. Most of us find it easy to delay destroying or filing papers, getting rid of extras, and weeding out what is not necessary. I guess I am ready for an autumn clearing out. Do pray that I find the energy and time to accomplish this. Clearing out is not my favorite pasttime. I perfer to read and ignore the messy top drawer!

Some favorite names or images of God

 I hope you have been reflecting on your favorite names or images of God. I used to always address my daily journal to "Dear Lord" but now I always begind with "Dear Lord Jesus" as I wanted to include the holy name of Jesus. I think of God as Father, a loving and powerful Father; I think of God more as the Son, Jesus, who is both human and divine and so I feel very close to Him. He is friend, lover, constant companion, one who cares and shepherds me. The image of the shepherd is very special for me.

Now, I hope you are doing your own reflection on the questions I shared yesterday.

What is your favorite name for God?

 California, at least where I am living, does not have an Autumn and I do miss it. However, it is cooler today and it makes me think of the leaves we raked, the bonfires we used to have, and the lovely colors of autumn. 

I missed posting on Monday, but we did have a great Open House and I think we are all happy about that. On Monday morning I had all of my spirituality group here in person. Usually we just meet by zoom, but once a month they all come and we had a great conversation this morning catching up with everyone. We did not look at the discussion questions today so we are still on Chapter 2 in Barbara Bowe's Biblical Foundation of Spirituality. However, I have been reflecting on the first two reflection questions and will share them with you.

What are your favorite names or images for God? Why do these images capture your attention and imagination?

What Biblical image do you prefer and why?

Have your images for God changed over time?

Open House Today

 I thought I had written about the Sunday readings but do not see them. We are just concentrating on our Open House today to celebrate the 50+ years of Oakwood. I actually live in Westwood, but Westwood and Rosewood are part of Oakwood. We have been praying for rain for months and now it is finally going to arrive, but only tomorrow, the very day we would prefer not to have rain. However, I am praying that we only have showers in the morning and then a huge, long rain all evening and night. We have men making our patios beautiful, cleaning rugs, and we will have Sunday dinner at 11:00 in order to have all cleaned up before the Open House begins at 1:00. More later, if time, but now I go to the Saturday movie.

Weeding the garden of our minds

 Since I have had a busy week, I am sharing some guidance here from another source I read that speaks of weeding our gardens so only the good flowers are left. We must also weed our minds of all the bad thoughts - there are different kinds of weed in our minds: unkind thoughts, angry thoughts, critical thoughts, selfish thoughts, jealous thoughts, etc. So today, examine the garden of your mind and do some weeding out to prepare for the Sunday Liturgy. It is good to take time to examine our thoughts and do some real weeding out, and prune what may need our attention.

I find I have some thoughts that I need to discern what to do with them. They are good thoughts, but may be thoughts that need not be expressed yet, or only to one with authority to examine them. I guess I want to reform things that I really have no control over and these thoughts may be a kind of weed. They may also be a seed that is not yet able to see the light but is still dormant below the surface.

We have prayed for rain and need it desperately. Now, finally, we have a prediction of 90% rain for Sunday, the day of our open house. I think we will pray that it pours early and late, but not between 1:00 and 3:00! Still, I think it will be safer to plan the refreshments inside as the patio may be wet. Rain will be such a blessing as California needs it so badly!

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

 When I was in the Holy Land, the guide told us that Jesus would never have been speaking on the heights but lower with his back to the sea so the wind would carry his voice to the crowd. We forget that there were no michrophones in those days and so Jesus taught from the shore, or even from a boat at times. 

The first reading today is from the Prophet Amos: 8: 4-7 

Amos says: "Hear this, you who trample upon the needy and destroy the poor of the land!" and then Amos says that the Lord will never forget a thing they have done. I am thinking of the way we are treating the migrants and the refugees who are needy.

The Reponsorial Psalm is "Praise the Lord, who lifts up the poor."

The second reading is from Paul's first Letter to Timothy: 2:1-8

The Gospel is Luke 16: 1-13 but the shorter form in 10-13

It is a difficult Gospel to understand as Jesus seems to be praising the unjust steward; really, Jesus is just praising the ingenuity of the steward. The last part of the Gospel shows us that we cannot serve both God and mammon. 

Braving the Storms

 This treee is at Villa Maria, my favorite, sacred spot where I have made so many retreats. The tree can be seen for miles down the beach. It has withstood years of storms and exists to give us shade and comfort. It also often shelters birds.

Westwood, where I live, is getting a new hot water tank today so we have no water over here and I need to go to the Chapel now but the installation seems to be difficult and noisy. My only spiritual thought is a great desire to go sit in the presence of God and be loved by Him!

I am enjoying keeping up with some of my former seniors who are now scattered in different Universities.

Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows

 Mary had many sorrows and yet she stayed serene and I imagine her as being able to remain calm as she was so united to her Son. Sadness did not cause her to lose peace of soul. I wonder if we are able to accept suffering and death of loved ones with the same serenity. I once had a dream years ago when I was a young nun suffering from a huge disappointment. Mary came to me in that dream and she was crying and told me that it was good to be able to cry and, in my dream, I saw her standing and weeping at the foot of the cross. It was a powerful experience and has stayed with me for more than sixty odd years!

I must share the beginnings of my Bible Group in Mountain View. Since I was asked to start this to help some of the elderly who are in this daycare, I did not know what to expect. Yesterday there was one woman and four men with another two joining the group next time. I let them introduce themselves and each said their age. I was amazed to find that I am older than any of the others! However, I love the group and think I will have fun teaching them many things by telling them Bible stories. I am also happy to have one of my spirituality group who will help as well as drive me back and forth and it is a good half hour from here.

We continue to beautify our patios in preparation for the Open House on Sunday. I think more than 3,000 invitations were sent out. I am sure that we do not expect even a third to come in person, but it is difficult to know how many will come. We are having cooler weather and that will be a big help.

Now for something spiritual to reflect on - this is something that I read and liked from Pedro Arrupe, S.J.:

"More than ever I find myself in the hands of God. This is what I have wanted all my life from my youth.

But now there is a difference; the initiative is entirely with God.

It is indeed a profound spiritual experience to know and feel myself so totally in God's hands."

Our Lady certainly must have felt in God's hands from the beginning; the initiative is from God!

This is a busy week

 

I am retired but this week is full of extras and we are preparing for our Open House on Sunday. I began my Bible Group in Mountain View this week and arrived home in time to make the Book Club; today I have a dentist appointment and tomorrow a doctor's appointment - both just routine after three months, I think or four months. I see my student on Friday and our Provincial and two of the Provincial Team will be here for the Open House. We will be showing off our new reception area, the two new parlors, a large office and a small room for the copy machine and supplies and then our visitors will go to see our history displayed in the Fireside Room where we also have our spiritual library. I hope they visit the Chapel before or after that and then a lovely stroll through our patio, past Westwood, where I live, and into the Gathering Room to see a slide show of all the present members of Oakwood and some of our activities. From there, guests may go to the Rosewood library where we will have an art display. They are invited to Deming Court on the other side of our dining room for some refreshment before they leave.  Now, you know what our Open House is planned to be this coming Sunday from 1:00 to 3:00. It is really celebrating our 51+ years of existence as Covid kept us postponing it. I think we will enjoy it and I must remember to take a few pictures.

I do have a quote from Mother Stuart and suspect it is one that I have used but worth repeating:

"You begin every day just where you are, no matter where. It is always here and always now."

I think that is an encouraging quote as we can always start from the present moment and God is always with us in the present moment!

Joy is the song of the spirit

 Mother Stuart said that "joy is the song of the spirit under the pressure of happiness." She also said that the "most blessed thing is to be an active element of joy." I hope I am that as I really find that I have a special calling withing our charism and it is to give joy to Jesus and to others. I may not always do this well, but I feel that God has called me to live in joy, even when things look gloomy. Every cloud has a silver lining. 

Here is a quote from St. Vincent de Paul that I love and have framed: "If God is the center of your life, no words are necessary. Your mere presence will touch hearts." I am sure I must have shared this quote before, but it comes to mind now as I think joy fills us when we keep God as the center of our lives!

Do you wrestle with God?

 I am thinking about the Biblical story of Jacob wrestling all night; Jacob is wounded for life, but he realizes that the stranger who has been wrestling with him is none other than God. Barbara Bowe, in her wonderful book on Biblical Foundations of Spirituality, suggests that we also wrestle or struggle to find and know God in the midst of our busy lives. Jacob says in Genesis 28:16: "Surely the Lord is in this place--and I did not know it!" We, too, do not always know how to recognize God's presence in our midst. So, today let us reflect on where God is present in our lives. What might I be wrestling with and could this somehow bring me to recognize the presence of God in my own life? Or maybe He seems to be absent and wants me to search for His presence.

I thought a great deal about the 3,000 who died on September 11th all day yesterday. I guess I also was thinking of those left behind and the great tragedy that day was for so many of us. Now, this hekps me to understand better what those in the Ukraine are suffering. I think I might be wrestling with God about all the bad things: war, famine, floods, draught, climate change, 80,000 refugees, etc. I guess I need to return to concentrate on a list of present joys.

One personal joy is that I am going to make the Guided Imagery Weekend at the end of September with my spiritual director. Now that I am really enrolled, I am looking forward to it. It is to be at the Domincan Vacation House which means bringing sheets, towels, etc. but I think the Lord waits for me there in a special way.

Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

 Since September 11 is remembered for the tragic events that have made most of us remember exactly where we were and what a terrible day it was for all of us, I am sure the Liturgy of today will move us, beginning with the Collect: "Look upon us, O God, Creator and ruler of all things, and, that we may feel the working of your mercy, grant that we may serve you with all our heart."

The first reading is from the Book of Exodus 32: 7-11, 13-14

"The Lord said to Moses, 'Go down at once to or people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, for they have become depraved....'"

Responsorial Psalm: I will rise and go to my father.

Second reading is from Paul's Letter to Timothy 1:12-17. 

"Beloved: I am grateful to him who has strengthened me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he considered me trustworthy in appointing me to the ministry.....

The Gospel is from Luke 15:1-32, but the shorter form is 15: 1-10 

Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees and scribes and tells them this parable, "What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, 'Rejoice with me becase I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance." The longer form has the parable of the woman who has ten coins and loses one of them  and then the Prodigal Son parable.

There is a choice of two Communion Antiphons, both worth my copying here- I think. The first is from Psalm 36: "How precious is your mercy, O God! The children of men seek shelter in the shadow of your wings."

Or from 1 Corinthians 10:16 -"The chalice of blessing that we bless is a comunion in the Blood of Chrsit; and the bread that we break is a sharing in the Body of the Lord.

Let us remember September 11 and pray for peace!

Our heat wave is helped by a snow image

 Now, I have been thinking of my list of joys. I picked up Matthew Kelly's book, I Heard God Laugh, and, while it has not helped me with my own list of joys so far, I do have something worth sharing from this book. Kelly says that there are six significant moments along the way even if every journey is unique. But these six are important for all of us. Here they are and they are all helps for prayer:

"First: Begin the Conversation

Second: Ask God What He Wants

Third: Give Yourself to Prayer

Fourth: Transform Everthing into Prayer

Fifth: Make Yourself Available

Sixth: Just Keep Showing Up!"

I think the last is what is most important. Just show up and let God act in us.

I will continue to think about my own list of joys - I keep thinking of past joys and want to make a list of present joys. I guess one is having a delicious breakfast served to me each morning. I love breakfast, but never fixed a big one for myself. Now, we have a variety of offerings and it is a joy to go and be with some of my sisters and just enjoy breakfast. Not a very spiritual joy perhaps, but a real one for me! It also means that I am up, dressed, and in the dining room by 7:30 or, usually, closer to 7:40. There are always some who go very early and so are served first so it is better to wait the ten minutes, 

Not a very spiritual joy, but I think I often wake up so grateful for another day to love and serve the Lord and let Him love me.

Joy

 Mother Stuart says that "joy is the most heavenly atmosphere found on earth - we ought to cultivate it as a duty always." Now, what are we doing to cultivate joy?

I think joy is rather spontaneous, but I am the one who keeps asking for a comedy on Saturday afternoon. Usually, I only go to the movies on Saturday, but we have them almost everyday!

Anything that makes us relax, laugh, and see the good gives us joy. However, there is a spiritual joy that comes as a gift. I think we can prepare for it by seeing how God is constantly giving us gifts, taking care of us in extraordinary ways, wanting us to experience His joy. I think gratitude for everything also gives us joy. Maybe you have your own list of joys; I used to keep a list and maybe it would be good to make a new one full of present joys. It will help these days when it is really hot for California.

The value of silence

 

Mother Stuart has this to say about silence and I am sharing this quote today as I think we all need to build silence into our busy lives.

"Without silence, no real purity of heart, no real devotion to the Holy Spirit, no real teaching from God who cannot make His still small voice heard in the talkative soul." 

When I was a novice, I was told to go pray to St. Madeleine Sophie during the morning free time to ask her to teach me the value of silence. I went every single day, although I think the rule of silence was something I guess I did not understand. I often thought during my first year in Chile when I could not speak the language, that God had a good sense of humor and also knew what I needed as I really had to keep silence, even at recreation as the community spoke Spanish and I had arrived without knowing the language. It seems they wanted the children to learn English and thought it would be better not to give me any lessons in Spanish. I learned the third person singular from the children!

We all need to build times of silence into our daily lives so as to hear the voice of God.

Feast of the Nativity of Our Lady

 I love the idea of celebrating Mary, my heavenly Mother's birthday. We could ask her what she wants from us and let her choose the gift we give her. I suspect it will be something that is pleasing to her Son. Let us take time to celebrate Mary, Mother of all of us, who is always watching over us. She tells Jesus what we need just as she noticed when the wine was running out at Cana. Let us thank her for all she does for us and give her whatever she asks on her birthday!

Slow down and enjoy life

Our heat wave continues. Of course, since we do not usually get hot weather in this part of California, we are finding it really hot. My room is 81 degrees and I have the fan on, the window and blinds closed, the door open, and it is quite warm! Hence, the snow scene, which helps one cool off just to look at it.

Now I love this and reflect on it often:

“Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the intermediate stages. We are impatient of being on the way
to something unknown, something new.

And yet it is the law of all progress, that it is made by passing through some stages of instability, and that it may take a very long time.

And so I think it is with you

Your ideas mature gradually. Let them grow. (From Teilard de Chardin)

Now, slow down, trust in the slow work of God, and all will be well.

The present moment

 We cannot control the past; we do not know what the future will hold; we have only the present.

The present moment is what counts and yet how often we are not living in the present but still thinking about something in the past or wondering, if not worrying, about the future. Try today to really focus on the present moment. I think you will see how often we are not in the present, yet this is where God's grace is for each of us. 

Here is a good quote again from Mother Stuart:

"It is always here and now, there is always the present moment to do the very best we can with, and the future depends on the way these moments are spent."

Let us try to live each moment in the present; it might even be my last moment as we never can be sure of what might happen. We are given the here and now to live fully as God calls us to live. It is not easy, but it is important to cultivate the present moment. 

Labor Day Holiday

This is a holiday and we rejoice in it. It marks the end of summer and celebrates all labor and all of us who labor. Some workers toil long hours and deserve this holiday and our thanks for all that they do for us. I am thinking of the many migrant workers who help grow our crops in hot fields with little pay and poor living conditions; I am also thinking of the hidden workers who empty our trash, clean the streets, fight fires, patrol our streets, etc. And then, think of all the mothers who labor to care for family, keep house, cook and clean-up and take care of their families in so many hidden ways! 

One thing I think about Labor Day is that it is a day of gratitude. Let us pray for and thank all who are laboring for us. And, why cannot our government realize that workers should have another free day when it is time to vote? We need to make it easy for the workers to have time off to vote.

We will be having our traditional Labor Day picnic, but it will be very hot this year so some may stay inside. 

Let us take time to consider all the people who are laboring for us and let us be grateful!
 

Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

I copied this from the British Jesuit website as it is a good summary bt does not mention the Collect which asks for true freedom and an everlasting inheritance.

The First Reading states bluntly that we have enough difficulty grasping the world around us, so how can we understand the mind of God? Only through the gift of Wisdom might we begin to do so.

The Psalm expresses confidence in the Lord. Despite the transience of life, may God give us ‘wisdom of heart’.

Paul, in his letter to Philemon, appeals to him to welcome back a runaway slave. May he do this in a real spirit of Christian brotherhood. (Second Reading)

The Gospel gives us Jesus’s teaching on true discipleship. This requires total commitment and will affect our nearest and dearest.

If you are one who wants to look at the readings, the first is from the Book of Wisdom 9: 13-18b;

The second reading is from the Letter to Philemon 9-10, 12-17; and the Gospel is from Luke: 14:25-33.

First Saturday of September

 California is having some hot weather. Usually, the climate here is so perfect, a real Mediterranean climate and one of the five best climates in our whole world! South Africa, Australia, Central Chile, and the Mediterranean countries are the others and I was in Central Chile for about 15 of the twenty years I spent in Chile and now I live in California so cannot mind a bit of hot weather. It cools off as soon as the sun goes down. Anyway, our hot weather is why you see a snow scene today - it is cooling to look at!

Here is a good quote for today from Mother Stuart:

"To go into the presence of God is like going out into the freshness of the morning air."

First Friday

 I seem to have published two blogs on August 31 so I hope you will go back and read the one titled a New Venture. 

On the other hand, I am happy to be writing for the First Friday of September. I think that every First Friday makes me think of the processions into the Chapel with banner and red sashes and, in Chile, I even taught the school to sing "When the battle rages fiercest..." - a hymn I only discovered when I entered at Kenwood. Now, First Friday is a call to me to review the month. I am delighted to know that some of the students I have had still are keeping a journal. It helps me to review my month when I have been faithful to write something each day in my journal.

I love the quote from St. Philippine Duchesne that I keep in fron of me:

"I am where God wills me to be, and so I have found rest and security. God's wisdom governs me, God's power defends me, God's joy sustains me, and all will go well with me."

A New Month

I am not sure why I cannot move the cursor where I want it today, but I will try writing anyway. 

Now I have that fixed and I am thinking of how it feels to begin another September. The students have been back for two weeks, so it is not the thrill of seeing them again as they walk around our beautiful campus. The leaves have not turned on most of our gorgeous trees, the weather is hot and a really hot spell is predicted, yet September has arrived and there is a sense of new beginnings.

However, today I only have time to share another quote from Mother Stuart:

"Please establish firmly in your mind, that to abandon yourself to the providence of God and the love of the Sacred Heart is no myth or illusion, but the humblest, truest, most worshipful stand that your soul can make against any temptation, difficulty, or danger."

That is a consoling quote!