It’s 4:30 a.m.

I was up in time to get to Matins at 4:00 a.m. and will go to Lauds at 6:00 a.m. In between I find myself reflecting on what it’s like to be in residence with a monastic community (on retreat) at a time when there happens to be no other visitors. I’ve come especially for the feasts of All Saints’ and the Commemoration of All Faithful Departed (All Souls).  But that’s not the only thing on the minds of the monks. Read more →

October 1st and 2nd were a wonderful opportunity for Redeemer to do one of the things it does best– offer hospitality to the community. From the throngs of people who flooded through our doors to hear authors speak on a variety of topics from transgender issues to voting rights at the 3rd Annual Morristown Festival of Books to our 27th Annual Blessing of the Animals, where we blessed innumerable dogs, cats and turtles (but no slithering reptiles this year!), Redeemer welcomed the community with its customary grace and hospitality!

Yesterday I was busy in my office most of the morning and hadn’t had a moment to poke my head out of my door until I was headed out for a lunch appointment. As I did, Sandra stopped me. She knew she wouldn’t see me again before she left for the day, and she needed to tell me something important. My luncheon guest was waiting in the hall, so there wasn’t a lot of time, and there really wasn’t any way to prepare me for what she was about to say. “I need you to know something. Marla died.” Read more →

Have you ever enjoyed fresh coconut? I mean really fresh coconut– as in, you cracked the coconut yourself and drank the milk and scooped or scraped out the sweet flesh? I was thinking of nuts that are hard to crack recently, because I’ve been feeling like one.

My mother died recently, just after I returned home from vacation. At 92 it was not entirely unexpected–though I might describe it as “un-planned,” if that makes sense. She had not been gravely ill. Death just sort of naturally happened. She had fought several rounds of pneumonia and a nasty intestinal infection in the last many months, and her body was fatigued. Every breath had become a struggle. I wasn’t entirely surprised when I got the call from my sister, but I was certainly sorry I hadn’t had one last chance to see her before she died.
Read more →