Remember When

Today is St. Birgitta’s Day, the day on which she died. She was a Swedish saint who founded the Bridgettine Order of nuns, otherwise known as the Order of the Most Holy Savior of St. Bridget (another spelling of the saint’s name).

¶ It brought to mind a memorable occasion from years past. I had decided to try my vocation in a monastery in Michigan. It was connected with a monastery in Sweden. In my first summer in the monastery I traveled to Sweden to meet the Swedish brothers and see a bit of Europe. An American friend and I took the train from Stockholm to Milan and back. We arrived in time to celebrate this day in Vadstena, Sweden. It is a charming town next to a beautifully blue lake. It is where the first convent of the Bridgettine Order was established. ¶ There was a conference of clergy and religious from all over the world to remember the 600th anniversary of St. Birgitta’s death. This music teacher from South Dakota was totally amazed by the gathering. There were many speakers both formal and informal. The formal lectures were translated into major languages. The informal talks took place in meeting rooms and dormitories with small groups huddled around a person who would translate for the speaker. In any given space there might be six or seven languages heard. Questions would be asked and answered and translations flew around the room. It was an incredible experience. Obviously, it is something that I can’t forget. ¶ On Thursday the materials for the roof were delivered and on Friday the crew arrived to shingle the roof. They worked in the awful heat and humidity from 7:30 AM until 8:30 PM when the clean-up was finished. It is such a pleasure when workers show up when expected, do their job and tidy up after themselves. ¶ Sophia, however, hopes they will not be invited back again. The poor thing spent most of the day cowering in the basement. In her opinion the crew was far too noisy with their nail guns and pitch forks. It was very hard to sleep so most of today has been spent enjoying the peace and quiet and sleeping.

¶ Thankfully, I was away most of the morning and some of the afternoon. I had the excuse that it was my volunteer time at the Pavilion. ¶ We had such a crazy spring that most of the vegetables aren’t ready to be harvested yet. I braved the insane traffic to go to the Farmers’ Market here last week and walked away with nothing. One can eat only so many potatoes. It takes longer to get there, park, and get out again than the time one spends shopping. I’m happy it’s a success but it’s just too crowded. Today I went to Cherry Rock Gardens in Brandon. I arrived at 10:30. They open at 10:00. Most of the produce was already purchased. In both places there was no corn as yet.

¶ The week following chemo has been fine. There have been a few episodes of nausea which seems to strike in the evening, particularly if I don’t eat on time. Other than that issue I’ve felt well. I’m grateful for the medication that takes care of same in short order. ¶ My gardening friends deserve the credit but I’m the one who gets the compliments. Nearly every morning while I’m doing the watering, someone will walk by and compliment me on the front garden. I thank them and wish those responsible could receive the kudos in person. ¶ I hope everyone is coping with the heat and staying sane and safe. Thanks for reading, for prayers, for thoughts, for cards, and all that you do for me and for others. Bless you.