Archive: by Monika Ellis, OSB
Golden Jubilee Joy ...by Sr. Monika
There are no words that have not already been said about celebrating a golden jubilee. “How time flies!” “I can’t believe it’s been 50 years. . . ” “Where in the world does time go?” I just celebrated my Golden Jubilee as a Benedictine sister here at St. Placid Priory. I came right after high school graduation in 1971 and made first vows in 1974. My dad was 46 then. He’s 96 now.
Doings ...by Sr. Monika
What do I do all day? Part of my time is spent on practicing strokes and drawing images based on the Zentangle method. I am teaching a series of 9 classes, Tuesdays at 1:00 through August. Students have given me some lovely responses to these classes.
Awareness ...by Sr. Monika
I was born into this world both as the person God created and to become the person God intends me to be. The process of becoming is dynamic and ongoing throughout a lifetime. I am a person with a particular set of genes and characteristics inherited from my parents.
Fallow Time ....by Sr. Monika
The psalmist wrote, “. . . the hills are arrayed with flocks; the fields are blanketed with grain. ” I enjoy these images. Blankets of grain. It isn’t hard to imagine such a glorious scene. The earth in our part of the world is bursting with new life right now–hyacinths, violets, fruit trees, big leaf maples.
What I notice ....by Sr. Monika
When I finish a piece of art, I'm not really finished with it. I like to look at it now and then and see if I notice more in it than I originally thought or intended. Often, I find more than I expected. In this example called Hearts A-Blossoming, I see motion--lines swirling around the heart of things. Hearts blossoming, flowing out from the center. God's heart, my heart, the hearts of everyone.
Community is a Verb ....by Sr. Monika
When I was vocation director many years back I wrote a little reflection on the topic of community. I called it, “Community is a Verb. ” I want to revisit that reflection. Community life is beautiful. Prayer calls us together three or four times a day.
Choir Practice ....by Sr. Monika
This afternoon I am getting ready for our Thursday choir practice. This happens in every Benedictine monastery because it takes practice to chant the psalms and canticles in our Book of Praise twice each day. We practice chanting in one voice--no voice standing out louder than others or sounding very different from the rest. St. Benedict wrote in the Rule that our hearts are to be in harmony with our voices. Sometimes our community can chant so heavenly.
Wait ....by Sr. Monika
I was born in the front seat of our car. Dad made it to the hospital driveway. The doctor and nurses came outside on that early, snowy February morning to help Mom and me. One nurse took my 11 month old sister, one nurse took me, one nurse took Mom, and Dad went to the ER to have his broken thumb looked at.
Why oh why? Y, indeed ....by Sr. Monika
Human beings like to ask, “Why?” Why did that earthquake happen? Why does it rain so much in the Pacific Northwest? Why do people have to suffer? “Why?” can be a rather useless, unhelpful question. Many times it simply cannot be answered. Frustrating. Now, “Y’s” are everywhere to be seen. Y’s are in trees, bushes and architecture. Once you start looking for them, you will see thousands of Y’s around you.
Finding a Quiet Place ....by Sr. Monika
Have you ever longed for a place of utter quiet? I have. My ears pick up every little (or big) noise. It's a blessing and a curse to have the gift of accute hearing. Many days find me looking for silence--REAL silence. As I sip my morning coffee, enjoying the quiet . . . oops, there goes the commercial refrigerator gearing up its cycle. Sigh. I go to my bedroom to sit in quiet, and . . .
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- Knocking at My Door: The Bible and Autumn ...by Sr. Paz
- Of Monasticism, Jello, and Corn ...by Sr. Anna-Camille
- Home ...by Sr. Julian
- Golden Jubilee Joy ...by Sr. Monika
- Come and Follow Me ...by Sr. Paz
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