Thankful

There was a lot of processing going on at the monastery.  I was working on my novel, but my soul was being transformed by being in a holy place and living differently.  I walked along the path to the Lake and did yoga. The Benedictines find God in everything and encourage seeking, spending time in nature, and doing important work in the world. They honor art and creativity. Coincidentally, I packed a CD called “Chant” by the Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos, and the music is haunting and beautiful.

After reading the day’s dawn readings in Thomas Merton’s Book of Hours, it was still dark outside but I was rewarded by a starlit sky, amazing in its beauty.

Sue Monk Kidd writes about the difference between the Self that is God within us and the Self that is the Ego that we create, a false self, but a necessary self. As we grow, those selves merge. All is good. Just being alive gives us much for which we can be thankful.