Colwich Benedictine Monastery

[bernadette d]

What a lovely post, thank you

[Feankie]

Nunsense,
Prayers ascending

[OnlySunshine]

[quote name='nunsense' timestamp='1318167451' post='2318499']


Yes, God has blessed me with a lot with my sister. she and I weren't all that close over the years since she and I are five years apart (she is younger) and I used to be closer to my older sister who is only a year older -- but after I got kicked out of Kirk Edge and came back to Oz, this sister stepped up and started helping and supporting me so much that we have become very close now. God obviously has His own plans. Tonight she encouraged me to watch the Steve Jobs video of his commencement speed at Standford (2005 I think) because she said it would help me to follow my dreams and she was so right! I just finished it and he said so much that was quotable and dealth with issues like facing death and being happy and following one's heart and all kinds of things.

And what was especially significant to me was his description of being fired from Apple, the company he helped to found, and how at the time he couldn't see what he can now that he is looking back, that all the dots connected to lead him to where he is today, having created Pixar and Next and meeting his wife and starting a family and then having Apple by out Next and hire him back again etc. He said we can't see how the dots connect if we look forward, but later when we look back, we can see how they all connect. Despite my trust in God, sometimes I have really wondered why everything has had to happen to me the way that is has, and yet the story isn't over yet, and one day when I look back, I'm sure it will all make sense, and all the dots will connect.

Another thing he said was that we need to keep looking at our lives as if we were going to die soon and ask ourselves if we are doing what we want to be doing before that happens. And no, I am not. So whatever fears or doubts I might have about what I hope to do, I have to push them aside to follow my heart. I also like that he told us not to worry about what others think about what we are doing, that we can't live for the opinions of others. And of course, his final quote was from the last issue of the Whole Earth Catalogue, which was 'stay hungry, stay foolish'. That pretty much sums up the attitude I want, which is to stay hungry for the possibilities God is offering me and to stay foolish enough to ignore the fears and doubts.

Then my sister wrote an email to me asking if I needed financial help to get the documents I need to go to England. I don't because I am working now, but I just thought that was so sweet of her to offer. Here is a person who is a non-Catholic (agnostic) but who completely respects my faith and shows me more charity than many nuns I have known! [b]So, one day when I look back to see how the dots all connect, I will know for sure that one of the reasons I had to leave KE was to come here and develop a close personal relationship with my own sister and to get advice from Steve Jobs[/b] !!
[/quote]


That's beautiful. I wish my sister and I were closer. She lives about 3 hours away and I rarely see her anymore. When my parents visit her, I have to stay here because they stay in her flat and there isn't enough room with my sister's roommate. When she comes home, she is only here for 2 days before leaving really early Sunday morning so she can make it back in time for church (non-denominational). We are closer than we used to be, but not as close as I would like. She respects that I am discerning and doesn't try to dissuade me anymore from the Catholic faith since she sees how important it is to me. She used to try to convince me that I could go to any old church and find God, and for a while I believed her, but that was before my reversion. I never did go to a different service out of my own will. Now, I don't attend any service except the Catholic Mass. I remember that I once went to a Christmas performance at one of the non-denominational churches she used to be a part of. I felt so out of place. It seemed more like an auditorium than a sanctuary. They had a stage instead of an altar and there was no cross to be seen anywhere. It was weird. I don't even go to the Methodist church anymore where my grandmother and grandfather go for Christmas service. It doesn't have the fullness of the Mass and I miss the Eucharist immensely when I'm there.

Anyway, I am praying for you. I hope Mother Abbess sees that your financial and career stipulations require that you be more discerning about where your money goes. I hope she allows you to do a live-in soon after instead of having you return home.

[OnlySunshine]

[quote name='brandelynmarie' timestamp='1317695962' post='2314986']
The dog is an extern?! I think pets can be very beneficial as long as they contribute to a sense of family & are not interrupting monastery life. As I've I said somewhere else. "Peace is a prayer on the lips & a cat in the lap." [u]The Little Monk[/u] (Of course I wouldn't mind a bird &/or a dog either!) My family once had Jake, the 80+ lb. black lab, who thought he was a lap dog! I kinda miss him
[/quote]

Apparently, the RSMs have a dog in the postulant house. The postulants take turns walking, bathing, and feeding it. I like that a lot although it's not a deal breaker for me if they don't have one. I know that I'm going to miss my dog tremendously if I leave. She is almost 13 years old (next month) and has bad arthritis, but she has given us so much joy over the years. I love her so much and she is like family. When she finally leaves us, it is going to be a very difficult time. It's so difficult that I can't even think about it without getting tears in my eyes. I can't remember a time when there wasn't a pet of some sort in our house. We grew up with (at varying times):

3 dogs named Dixie, Muffy, and Lucy (Lucy is our current)
6 Hamsters (mostly mine) named Scooter, Clifford (sister's), Ashes, Buddy, Tigger, and Ruby (she was a Chinese dwarf)
1 mud turtle named Myrtle (she is no longer with us; she died earlier this year at 15 years old)
1 musk turtle (accepted him as an adoption; I cannot remember his name because I didn't have him for very long before he died)
2 red eared slider baby turtles (don't remember their names)
1 white guinea pig named Cosmo (after Kramer from Seinfeld)
2 zebra finches (that I was given by my 10th grade science teacher) named Daisy and Magellan (later called Julian)
2 baby zebra finches (Daisy's babies) named Gabriel and Lacy (I gave them to my sister)

Lucy is our only pet right now. I don't want anymore small pets at this time.

This is the RSMs dog, Kirk, that lives in the postulant house (this was in March this year, so I hope he's still there so I can meet him):

[img]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ygFe4dY-eT0/TMGjVJDhdaI/AAAAAAAABpg/Mg4xGeB9i98/s640/moving%2520and%2520much%2520more%25202010%2520034.jpg[/img]

Edited October 9, 2011 by MaterMisericordiae

[LaPetiteSoeur]

Prayers for you, nunsense!

[brandelynmarie]

Yep, more prayers nunsense. Keep connecting them dots!

[AccountDeleted]

Thank you all for your prayers and keep them coming please. I heard back from Mother Abbess today and she confused me a little so I have written back asking for clarification again. She can't have me in the enclosure after a certain date (but she doesn't say why so I don't know if they are on retreat or what is happening there) so our original two week period would have to include the guest visit and a possible few days of aspirancy if they voted for that, but then she went on to suggest a May visit, and it wasn't clear to me if that was to replace the Jan-Feb visit or in addition, but this would be hard since getting time off work and enough money for another visit within a few months might not be possible (if I want to have a job when I get back) so I just wrote back asking whether she means one visit at either date or two visits... and suggested that this might be really difficult to do.

It may be that since there are only two weeks available in the Jan-Feb timeslot, she is suggesting a longer visit during May, but I just need to make sure that is what she means before I start planning travel. England is going to be very busy in 2012 because of the Queen's Jubliee and the Olympics so any planning needs to be done now!

Anyway her email didn't sound discouraging at all, so we just need to get the dates all lined up so I can get things organised at this end. So prayers, prayer and more prayers please!! And thank you.

[AccountDeleted]

[quote name='MaterMisericordiae' timestamp='1318181151' post='2318560']


That's beautiful. I wish my sister and I were closer. She lives about 3 hours away and I rarely see her anymore. When my parents visit her, I have to stay here because they stay in her flat and there isn't enough room with my sister's roommate. When she comes home, she is only here for 2 days before leaving really early Sunday morning so she can make it back in time for church (non-denominational). We are closer than we used to be, but not as close as I would like. She respects that I am discerning and doesn't try to dissuade me anymore from the Catholic faith since she sees how important it is to me. She used to try to convince me that I could go to any old church and find God, and for a while I believed her, but that was before my reversion. I never did go to a different service out of my own will. Now, I don't attend any service except the Catholic Mass. I remember that I once went to a Christmas performance at one of the non-denominational churches she used to be a part of. I felt so out of place. It seemed more like an auditorium than a sanctuary. They had a stage instead of an altar and there was no cross to be seen anywhere. It was weird. I don't even go to the Methodist church anymore where my grandmother and grandfather go for Christmas service. It doesn't have the fullness of the Mass and I miss the Eucharist immensely when I'm there.

Anyway, I am praying for you. I hope Mother Abbess sees that your financial and career stipulations require that you be more discerning about where your money goes. I hope she allows you to do a live-in soon after instead of having you return home.
[/quote]


It is hard when you are not close to a sister. My older sister, with whom I had a very close relationship, cut off all communication with me over eight years ago and despite all my efforts to make it better, she refuses to have anything to do with me - so there was a lot of grieving over that lost relationship. Maybe that's why connecting with my younger sister now is so special - she and I comfort each other over the fact that our older sister doesn't want anything to do with either of us. There were times when the three of us had such fun together and it is sad that our older sister would continue to hold a grudge for so long and deny us all that joy again! She is missing out as much as we are... that's why forgiveness is so important - not to do so is damaging to everyone!

I hope over time your sister and you will become closer.

[AccountDeleted]

[quote name='MaterMisericordiae' timestamp='1318181572' post='2318561']

Apparently, the RSMs have a dog in the postulant house. The postulants take turns walking, bathing, and feeding it. I like that a lot although it's not a deal breaker for me if they don't have one. I know that I'm going to miss my dog tremendously if I leave. She is almost 13 years old (next month) and has bad arthritis, but she has given us so much joy over the years. I love her so much and she is like family. When she finally leaves us, it is going to be a very difficult time. It's so difficult that I can't even think about it without getting tears in my eyes. I can't remember a time when there wasn't a pet of some sort in our house. We grew up with (at varying times):

3 dogs named Dixie, Muffy, and Lucy (Lucy is our current)
6 Hamsters (mostly mine) named Scooter, Clifford (sister's), Ashes, Buddy, Tigger, and Ruby (she was a Chinese dwarf)
1 mud turtle named Myrtle (she is no longer with us; she died earlier this year at 15 years old)
1 musk turtle (accepted him as an adoption; I cannot remember his name because I didn't have him for very long before he died)
2 red eared slider baby turtles (don't remember their names)
1 white guinea pig named Cosmo (after Kramer from Seinfeld)
2 zebra finches (that I was given by my 10th grade science teacher) named Daisy and Magellan (later called Julian)
2 baby zebra finches (Daisy's babies) named Gabriel and Lacy (I gave them to my sister)

Lucy is our only pet right now. I don't want anymore small pets at this time.

This is the RSMs dog, Kirk, that lives in the postulant house (this was in March this year, so I hope he's still there so I can meet him):


[/quote]

You have certainly had a lot of pets... very much like me. I do so love animals and I haven't had one in years because of all the discerning, visits, live-ins, entrances, etc. My sister usually has dogs but this year she and her hubby got a cat, and she has taken over the house - she is still a kitten basically and she is so sweet and playful. So even though I can't have my own, I can live vicariously through her. It would be so nice to go to the convent and be with the two poodles. I didn't really relate to the dogs at Nedlands - there were too many of them and they were the responsibility of one of the sisters, so they seemed to be 'hers' rather than 'ours'. And besides, I do love poodles, so it will be good to be around them again!

[OnlySunshine]

[quote name='nunsense' timestamp='1318208077' post='2318824']

You have certainly had a lot of pets... very much like me. I do so love animals and I haven't had one in years because of all the discerning, visits, live-ins, entrances, etc. My sister usually has dogs but this year she and her hubby got a cat, and she has taken over the house - she is still a kitten basically and she is so sweet and playful. So even though I can't have my own, I can live vicariously through her. It would be so nice to go to the convent and be with the two poodles. I didn't really relate to the dogs at Nedlands - there were too many of them and they were the responsibility of one of the sisters, so they seemed to be 'hers' rather than 'ours'. And besides, I do love poodles, so it will be good to be around them again!
[/quote]

LOL, I used to very much want to be a veterinarian. It was my dream when I was 7 years old and I was heavily pursuing it (even looking at veterinary schools and had chosen one to apply to) when God pursued me and called me to discern. So I gave up the idea.

I always said as a young girl that I wanted a lot of animals. I am very fond of horses and wanted a barn so I could care for them. I also liked the idea of owning several different kinds of pets like dogs, cats, birds, etc. I love Border Collies, Golden Retrievers, and Labrador Retrievers, so having a house and barn out in the country seemed ideal so they could run around and have plenty of room.

[AccountDeleted]

[quote name='MaterMisericordiae' timestamp='1318211059' post='2318858']

LOL, I used to very much want to be a veterinarian. It was my dream when I was 7 years old and I was heavily pursuing it (even looking at veterinary schools and had chosen one to apply to) when God pursued me and called me to discern. So I gave up the idea.

I always said as a young girl that I wanted a lot of animals. I am very fond of horses and wanted a barn so I could care for them. I also liked the idea of owning several different kinds of pets like dogs, cats, birds, etc. I love Border Collies, Golden Retrievers, and Labrador Retrievers, so having a house and barn out in the country seemed ideal so they could run around and have plenty of room.
[/quote]

In junior high, I wanted to be a bird doctor! That never came to pass but I did manage to surround myself with a lot of animals, and I eventually bought a horse ranch and started training horses for many years! That was fun. I loved having horses and my daughter grew up loving them too and is an excellent rider and now owns her own horse. I think loving animals actually makes people more human, if you know what I mean.

[OnlySunshine]

[quote name='nunsense' timestamp='1318212066' post='2318868']

In junior high, I wanted to be a bird doctor! That never came to pass but I did manage to surround myself with a lot of animals, and I eventually bought a horse ranch and started training horses for many years! That was fun. I loved having horses and my daughter grew up loving them too and is an excellent rider and now owns her own horse. I think loving animals actually makes people more human, if you know what I mean.
[/quote]

Wow, we could be sisters! I seriously love horses and dogs. I've never had a horse of my own, but I've ridden on horseback many times, mostly in the valley of the Smoky Mountain range in North Carolina. I would do it more often if I could and I considered taking horseriding lessons, but I cannot afford it. Maybe it could be on my "bucket list" of things to do should I ever get accepted to the convent.

[AccountDeleted]

[quote name='MaterMisericordiae' timestamp='1318212326' post='2318871']

Wow, we could be sisters! I seriously love horses and dogs. I've never had a horse of my own, but I've ridden on horseback many times, mostly in the valley of the Smoky Mountain range in North Carolina. I would do it more often if I could and I considered taking horseriding lessons, but I cannot afford it. Maybe it could be on my "bucket list" of things to do should I ever get accepted to the convent.
[/quote]


We had quite a few horses and I used to rescue PMU foals so one time we had a delivery from Canada of 30 foals in the middle of the night. How they got across the border without a proper health check, I'll never know because one of them had strangles, and contaminated my own horses, who all ended up with ulcers that I had to clean out several times a day. Since it was dead winter in upstate NY, the ulcers would freeze over between cleanings and I would have to put a gloved hand into each ulcer to open them up and clean them out again! It was a long, hard winter and I nearly lost my elderly grea Arab mare! Here is a photo of a few of the horses during the spring - a much nicer time!

[img]http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab166/nunsense/P6030108.jpg[/img]

[OnlySunshine]

[quote name='nunsense' timestamp='1318213334' post='2318884']


We had quite a few horses and I used to rescue PMU foals so one time we had a delivery from Canada of 30 foals in the middle of the night. How they got across the border without a proper health check, I'll never know because one of them had strangles, and contaminated my own horses, who all ended up with ulcers that I had to clean out several times a day. Since it was dead winter in upstate NY, the ulcers would freeze over between cleanings and I would have to put a gloved hand into each ulcer to open them up and clean them out again! It was a long, hard winter and I nearly lost my elderly grea Arab mare! Here is a photo of a few of the horses during the spring - a much nicer time!
[/quote]


30 foals?!? Wow! That's quite a number. The ulcerations sound awful. I'm not sure I'd be able to see a horse in that much pain.

What is your favorite kind of horse? Mine is the Quarter Horse and Paint Horse. I think the Thoroughbred and Arabian horses are incredibly beautiful, too.

When I went horseback riding at a ranch, there was a beautiful Quarter/Paint Horse mix gelding named Jeb that I got to ride twice (without even asking for him). He was a gorgeous chestnut color (which is my favorite color of horse, BTW). He was so funny, though, because he reminded me of Rusty on Seinfeld who tooted a lot. The trailmaster said that he often did it and it made me and the other trailmates laugh. I got to ride him an hour each time. It was so neat being able to be in control of the reins. The first time I ever did it, I felt so comfortable on him even though the only other times I had ridden a horse was when they were attached to a carousel (not the fake type) or when an adult was holding the reins and guiding the horse. I somehow knew all the commands, too. It just felt so amesome being on top of that powerful, beautiful creature. It was like heaven for me.

The other time I rode a horse that wasn't attached to a carousel was when my mom's friend's sister (who is a boarder) brought over a black Thoroughbred mare named Ruby and a little Shetland pony named Joey. Since I was too tall for Joey, I got to ride Ruby who was about 17 hands high. She was incredibly tall (even taller than Jeb who was about 16 or 15 1/2 hands high). I was about 11 or 12 when I got to ride her and it was quite the experience. A little scary, though, but so worth it!

I used to have pictures online of the horseback riding when I went on the trail. I don't know where they are. I may have to scan them and upload them later.

Edited October 10, 2011 by MaterMisericordiae

[AccountDeleted]

[quote name='MaterMisericordiae' timestamp='1318215829' post='2318907']


30 foals?!? Wow! That's quite a number. The ulcerations sound awful. I'm not sure I'd be able to see a horse in that much pain.

What is your favorite kind of horse? Mine is the Quarter Horse and Paint Horse. I think the Thoroughbred and Arabian horses are incredibly beautiful, too.

When I went horseback riding at a ranch, there was a beautiful Quarter/Paint Horse mix gelding named Jeb that I got to ride twice (without even asking for him). He was a gorgeous chestnut color (which is my favorite color of horse, BTW). He was so funny, though, because he reminded me of Rusty on Seinfeld who tooted a lot. The trailmaster said that he often did it and it made me and the other trailmates laugh. I got to ride him an hour each time. It was so neat being able to be in control of the reins. The first time I ever did it, I felt so comfortable on him even though the only other times I had ridden a horse was when they were attached to a carousel (not the fake type) or when an adult was holding the reins and guiding the horse. I somehow knew all the commands, too. It just felt so amesome being on top of that powerful, beautiful creature. It was like heaven for me.

The other time I rode a horse that wasn't attached to a carousel was when my mom's friend's sister (who is a boarder) brought over a black Thoroughbred mare named Ruby and a little Shetland pony named Joey. Since I was too tall for Joey, I got to ride Ruby who was about 17 hands high. She was incredibly tall (even taller than Jeb who was about 16 or 15 1/2 hands high). I was about 11 or 12 when I got to ride her and it was quite the experience. A little scary, though, but so worth it!

I used to have pictures online of the horseback riding when I went on the trail. I don't know where they are. I may have to scan them and upload them later.
[/quote]

My daughter was very much into QHs and Paints, and we had a lovely paint draft cross foal - he was the one who brought the strangles to us!! He survived of course and we found a really good home for him and his owner kept sending us photos of him growing up - and being part draft, he got very big indeed!

We also had a lovely buckskin QH that ended up being sold to a lady who loved to ride in parades, so that mare turned into quite a good parade horse! My own personal favorites though are Arabs (so intelligent, but very hot to handle) and TBs (another hot horse). I worked with Morgans for awhile and they are really lovely, one of the Morgan stallions I started under saddle was a big baby when he was working.. he knew the difference between working time and breeding time by the halter I used on him - the 'smelly' one (it smelled of mares in season), would alert him that he was going to woo a lady, but the regular one with no smell let him know that we were going to ride - and no funny business! I do love stallions because they are so playful but have always had mares to ride - moody things they can be but they have personality. My daughter prefers geldings because they don't play up and they aren't moody!

When I first went into Carmel I thought I would miss horses the most, but really, I am okay about all that now. I still love them, but I guess I've moved on or something.