Sunday, February 3, 2008

Sunday Afternoon






I went to mass at the College of St. Catherine this morning, then went to Bethany to have lunch with S. Joan. It was a day of recollection there, which I think they have about once a month on the first Sunday, so lunch was eaten in silence, or mostly, anyway. "Come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest a while" (Mark 6:31). The dining room in a large convent isn't precisely a lonely place, but I suppose the practice of eating alone at a table without talking to anyone there must nevertheless be restful when every meal of every day is taken in company with most of one's neighbors.
Anyway, afterwards Joan and I went down to Fort Snelling State Park, where we counted at least twenty deer, and one owl. Someone in a blue pickup truck had put some corn out for the deer, and it had attracted a large crowd, much closer to the cars than is usual. One was a buck with antlers. The older deer seemed calm, but the young ones were kind of agitated and competitive with one another when in the vicinity of the corn, and entirely silent except for a little heavy breathing and hoof-strike sounds. I know that it is not usual for deer to make much noise, but the churning energy in such a quiet place was quite remarkable.
We then went downtown to see the Winter Carnival ice sculptures in Rice Park, but alas, they were pitifully melted and cloudy remnants of their former glory. Have to get down there earlier next year.
Praying today for: the people of Kenya, those who mourn, RA and AV. Thankful today for: the amaryllis, my vocation, my friends, K's sobriety and new life, RH, LL, MH, and the winter beauty of Fort Snelling State Park.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Welcome to the blogosphere. Hope it's a good connector for you. It has been for me.

Amy