Our season of Summer is coming to an end…

This summer of 2013 will leave it’s mark on all of our hearts and  memories as the summer of the fires in Black Forest, the summer of the floods and yes, a summer of celebrations.  In July , eighteen of our sisters journeyed to Mount St. Scholastica in Atchison ,Kansas where the seeds and roots of our Benedictine vocations were nurtured. Our Benet Hill community, as a daughter house of the Mount, were special guests for the celebration of the Mount’s 150^th anniversary of their beginnings.

The Picnic In the Pines was a family-fun celebration with over 400 guests enjoying our beautiful forest, all you could eat bar-b-que, pony rides, petting zoo, bounce house and  many other fun activities for folks of all ages.  We were privileged to honor the fire-fighters and their families who protected our Monastery and grounds during the fires.

Our summer rains have been a wonderful blessing for many parts of our state, since we have been in a drought for years.  As we delight in the greenery of the kinnikinick on  our forest floor and the kaleidoscope of flowers adorning our grounds, our hearts are saddened for those caught  in the devastating floods in Manitou Springs, on highway 24 and the burn scars of Waldo Canyon and Black Forest.

From the Wisdom of Ecclesiastes Ch. 3 we believe…

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under   heaven—

A  time to give birth and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.

A time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up.

A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.

A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.

A time to search and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep and a time to throw away.

A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
A time to be silent and a time to speak.

A time to love and a time to hate;
A time for war and a time for peace.

As our summer comes to an end, I invite you take some time to DWELL  in these Holy Words and embrace the Mystery of the Divine in   our lives.

Rose Ann Barmann, OSB