Stranded on the Mainland: Inner Pilgrimage and Living Alone as a Spiritual Path:

“Jesus loves hidden souls. A hidden flower is the most fragrant. I must strive to make the interior of my soul a resting place for the Heart of Jesus." Maria Faustina Kowalska.   SKIPPING SUMMER This year I skipped Summer. Or maybe it skipped me? That said, I take heart in St. Faustina's quote. I never thought of Jesus loving hidden souls. I'm glad to hear it though, Yes this summer was a dud, But what if the Holy Spirit, Was in my soul this summer making, Another resting place-- For the heart of Jesus? What if this summer wasn't a dud?   But one of deep mystery and love? Cb Amen  

From My Journal:  August 23, 2022 11PM Enough. I need silence.  To go to bed and be still.  I'm shutting the television off.  I'm turning the lights off (all of them), forget the pts. I need to lean back against my pillows and just listen to silence.  Then I'm going to dig out Merton again. ~ What I later randomly chose from Merton's New Seeds of Contemplation :  " They sense, by a kind of instinct, that peace lies at the heart of this darkness. Something prompts them to keep still, to trust in God, to be quiet and listen for His voice; to be patient and not get too excited." (237, Merton, New Seeds). Jim Finley said something to the effect of, "Certain books can be excellent spiritual directors."    Grocery shopping tomorrow morning. Amen

"One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul. Struggling souls catch light from other souls who are fully lit and willing to show it." ~ Clarissa Pinkola Estes. (azquotes). Amen

This quote has stuck with me since making my 30 day on-line Ignatian retreat in July.  It's from Michelle Obama's book Becoming.   " When it came to the home-for-dinner dilemma, I installed new boundaries, ones that worked better for me and the girls. We made our schedule and stuck to it. It went back to my wishes for them to grow up strong and centred and also unaccommodating to any form of old-school patriarchy: I didn’t want them ever to believe that life began when the man of the house arrived home. We didn’t wait for Dad. It was his job now to catch up with us.” (source goodreads.com). ― Michelle Obama. Lord help me install new boundaries, ones that work better for living with the effects of trauma.   And like Michelle Obama how I would love to say to some family and others, " It's your job now to catch up with me." Lord in that vein give me humble boundaries: " There is sacrifice involved in letting others be themselves"  (Rut...

"Connection with gardens, even small ones, even potted plants, can become windows to the inner life.  The simple act of stopping and looking at the beauty around us can be prayer."   -  Patricia R. Barrett, The Sacred Garden. For many years I have kept a small statue of Mary on my balcony in the middle of a bridal-wreath-bush.  This morning I moved Mary to a different flowerpot. This makes me think of my friend Sr. Antoniana moving to Washington. I will miss you sister. Cb Amen imagesource:diycraftsfood.trulyhandpicked.com   PS This post is dedicated to Sr. Antoniana Maria SV. I remember hearing somewhere that if you are lucky enough,  you will meet your angel mother in this lifetime. Sr. Antoniana is mine.