Some of us around here never turn down free help (or good company). Wednesday afternoon found Dawn Eden helping in the monastery vegetable garden. On her way over, Dawn had just received a package with her book, "The Thrill of the Chaste" hot off the press from the Polish Dominicans. It's exciting to think that readers worldwide will profit from Dawn's powerful work!
In addition to providing quality weed-pulling (and vine-untangling) skills, Dawn brought a cheerful perspective about the cycle of life that one finds in the garden. It it sad to evict the (albeit) fruitless squash vines which seem to serve as appetizers for the tomato-sampling squirrels but in the long-run, it just might benefit the rest of the garden. Quiet, reflective time in a garden -- even amid marauding squirrels -- can provide a wealth of opportunities to reflect on both the beauty of creation and the countless miracles of nature which surround us daily. When one considers that man was created in a garden, it should come as no surprise that man cannot help but to find God in a garden."Besides all this, I bade you gather a little bouquet of devotion, and what I mean is this: when walking in a beautiful garden most people are wont to gather a few flowers as they go, which they keep, and enjoy their scent during the day. So, when the mind explores some mystery in meditation, it is well to pick out one or more points that have specially arrested the attention, and are most likely to be helpful to you through the day."
St. Francis de Sales
St. Francis de Sales
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