Monday, May 26, 2008

Quiet Weekend

It's been really quiet this weekend. Brother Brit is visitng the Dominicans for an extended retreat, and in spite of the fact we have two newbies, well, they've been sent elsewhere, too.

I'm the only one they haven't sent out yet, although Mother Frangelico had said she wants me to go on a Nun Run or to a Vocations Conference. Neither has come up, but I get the idea that they don't want me to go yet. I did ask Mother about it, and she suggested, considering my most recent talk with Father, that it might be best if I get settled into a routine first and just learn to "live in the present." So she reinstated me as sacristan, and put me in charge of the web page, and just do stuff around the monastery. And it's peaceful, and I admit I like it. But sometimes I get the feeling they're walking on eggshells around me, like I might break or something if there's a loud noise.

Now I wonder if I said too much? For goodness' sake, I'm not going to fall apart if someone raises their voice here and there!

Anyway, I've changed the font color again in honor of Memorial Day and all those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice, and all those who have served our country. We had a special Mass today and we did visit a nearby cemetary, and decorated graves that appeared to be somewhat neglected.

On the Monastery grounds, there is an old cemetary, doesn't appear to be connected to a religious community, but is maybe an old family or town cemetary. We've decided to clean it up and adopt those souls, so they are people we pray for every day. Mother Frangelico is busy looking up some old town records as most of the gravestones are unreadable now. I wonder if Sister Pepetua would come with me to do gravestone rubbings? I think we could pick up some names to help Mother Frangelico in her research!

And {{shudder}} maybe Sister Maxine can study interesting bugs out there. I don't know if she's artistic or wants to do grave rubbings, but she can do that, too, if she wants.

Anyway, the oddest thing happened...I think we live in Bermua Monastery. Because the other evening I was walking behind Sister Maxine and Sister Perpetua (although she's hard to see in the evening because with all that black she blends in and kinda looks like a disembodied face in the dark), and they just DISAPPEARED!

I was right behind them, our cells were further down the hallway and I looked back towards the cloister door when I heard a "click" like the door was opening. Only it didn't come from the door, so I was confused. When I turned around, they were both GONE!

For awhile I thought they'd been taken by the ghost, so I ran up and down the hallyway, looking for them. And then suddenly, POOF! they were there again! And I asked them where they'd been, and Sister Perpetua told me in her completely flat way (she must be from the midwest...she doesn't even have an accent) that they'd been there the whole time and wanted to know why I was running around like a fool looking for them.

I was completely chastized, and then Sister Max started coughing and wiping her eyes. Maybe my running around stirred up dust. I bet she's allergic to dust. I apologized and said I'd dust our wing in the morning so that she wouldn't suffer more than necessary.

Sister Perpetua and I seem to be the only ones not affected by allergies in this place.

2 comments:

Sister Maxine said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Some graves I've seen:

I.C.U.R.2.YS.4.ME

and

W.X.Y.Z.
Walter Xerxes Yansi Zabriskie

and

a Husband & Wife next to each other
"Her Cup Runneth Over and I got the leftover"

Then I saw one stone with a winged hourglass and a rooster!

any clues???