PHOTOS: Mary van Balen
"Exultation is the going
of an inland soul to the sea
Past houses – past headlands–
Into deep Eternity." Emily Dickinson
Such was the gift my daughter gave to me last week in celebration of my 60th birthday. The deep spiritual connection of my "inland soul" to sea is well known to family and friends, and for me, time at the beach is more retreat than vacation. This trip was no different. Read More
"Exultation is the going
of an inland soul to the sea
Past houses – past headlands–
Into deep Eternity." Emily Dickinson
Such was the gift my daughter gave to me last week in celebration of my 60th birthday. The deep spiritual connection of my "inland soul" to sea is well known to family and friends, and for me, time at the beach is more retreat than vacation. This trip was no different. Read More
When my alarm rang this morning, I struggled to leave the comfort of my warm bed. A schedule change required a half-hour drive for allergy shots before work rather than after. The day was gray and rainy. After visiting the doctor's office, I decided to stop at a local Panera's to pick up a breakfast sandwich and coffee; the drive to work was close to an hour and the day would be long.
This morning I stopped at the grocery store on my way to work and bought boxes of animal crackers to share on Saint Francis' feast day.
Another cool, blue-sky day. I rose early to bake a carrot cake before driving off to work. A friend's birthday is Monday, and this particular recipe requires refrigeration for two days before icing and serving. A kitchen that smells of spices and carrots justifies an earlier than usual start to my day. After making counter top room for cooling cake, I noticed the striking color combination of drying Italian chili peppers and chestnuts waiting to be roasted.
On the last two mornings of September I walked with a friend along paths that wended through her property. New England Asters, golden rod, bindweed, and bittersweet splashed color across fields of browning green grasses and dark stalks that once held summer flowers. Fog hung hundreds of spider webs with crystal drops revealing the variety of design: some webs lay close to the ground, others hung between tall grasses. Later, we sipped tea and ate a breakfast of dates, nuts, and thin toast with butter. A perfect way to say good-bye to summer and September. 
If you have clear skies tonight and a chance to go outside after 9pm, you will see Jupiter brighter than any star in the sky. The planet is closer to earth than it has been for forty-seven years! If you are interested in finding out why, check Astro Bob's website, a user friendly site for those who are new to watching the night sky as well as for those with more experience.
After an "on the porch" picnic of barbecued ribs, homemade applesauce and slaw, steaming cornbread, and fresh fruit, our small group moved to the living room for prayer and a report from one member of her recent trip to Africa where she had presented workshops on centering prayer and mid-life transitions to religious communities in Zambia. 
I take heart remembering that Blessed Pope John XXIII, in his autobiography, 
At 8:30 am I was ushered into the ultrasound room for an inside look at liver, spleen, kidneys, and gall bladder. I watched the screen on my left as the technician skillfully rolled the transducer over my skin, and asked questions as shadowy images appeared. She explained which organs were which, showed me how she measured them, and interpreted bright colors as indicators of blood flow.