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Monk in the World Guest Post: Anne Buck

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission for the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Anne Buck’s reflection on “In Between Light and Dark.” It was the middle of the night and I was asleep. But maybe, just possibly I was awake. Maybe it was the pain medication or the muscle relaxant. It could have been exhaustion or chemotherapy or my imagination. In the fuzzy dark, I heard a trapped and caught animal, screeching for life and I could not open my eyes, I couldn’t move, even though I felt the life draining out of my bones

June 14, 2017

Writing on the Wild Edges – Participant Poems (Christine Davis)

This past April we led one of our Writing on the Wild Edges retreats on the beautiful island of Inismor off the coast of Galway. We will be sharing some of the writing which participants gave us permission to share here in the next few weeks. Up next are poems by Christine Davis. (If you’d like to join us, we have our dates open for 2018 – August 26-September 1) Focail do a Chara (Words for a Friend) Liturgy of Stillness and Rock Liturgy of stillness and rock, Tell me your stories. I am from a people who dream dreams of places they

June 13, 2017

Call for Submissions: Monk in the World Guest Post

We welcome you to submit your reflection for possible publication in our Monk in the World guest post series. It is a gift to read how ordinary people are living lives of depth and meaning in the midst of the challenges of real life. There are so many talented writers and artists in this Abbey community, so this is a chance to share your perspective. The link to the reflection will be included in our weekly newsletter which goes out to more than 11,000 subscribers. Please follow these instructions carefully: Please click this link to read a selection of the posts and get a feel for

June 12, 2017

Feast of St. Columcille + Self-Study Sale ~ A love note from your online abbess

Delightful to me to be on an island hill, on the crest of a rock, that I might often watch the quiet sea. That I might watch the heavy waves above the bright water, as they chant music to their Father everlastingly. That I might watch it’s smooth, bright-bordered shore, no gloomy pastime, that I might hear the cry of the strange birds, a pleasing sound. That I might hear the murmur of the long waves against the rocks, that I might hear the sound of the sea, like mourning beside a grave. That I might watch the splendid flocks

June 11, 2017

Monk in the World Guest Post: Jane Tomaine

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission for the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Jane Tomaine’s reflection on Little Dresses for Africa. Sometimes it is just hard for me to get going. Tasks mill around my head like my cats before meal times, walking between my legs, mewing impatiently, rubbing on my ankles to make sure that I don’t forget them. But unlike the cats, there are tasks that I just can’t seem to get to. Have you experienced this dilemma? What is it that we cannot seem to begin? Is it a phone call that

June 7, 2017

Writing on the Wild Edges – Poems from Participants (Michelle Winter)

This past April we led one of our Writing on the Wild Edges retreats on the beautiful island of Inismor off the coast of Galway. We will be sharing some of the writing which participants gave us permission to share here in the next few weeks. Up next is are two poems by Michelle Winter. (If you’d like to join us, we have our dates open for 2018 – August 26-September 1) Orienteering Orienteering For getting our bearings: A compass is useful and a map to identify our latitude longitude our altitude and depth A poem, or two and, perhaps, Courage to help

June 6, 2017

Feast of Pentecost and Embracing Holy Surprise ~ A love note from your online abbess

Dearest monks and artists, “What is serious to men is often very trivial in the sight of God. What in God might appear to us as ‘play’ is perhaps what He Himself takes most seriously. At any rate the Lord plays and diverts Himself in the garden of His creation, and if we could let go of our own obsession with what we think is the meaning of it all, we might be able to hear His call and follow Him in His mysterious, cosmic dance.” ~ Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation We live in the midst of chaotic

June 4, 2017

Monk in the World Guest Post: Lacy Clark Ellman

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission for the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Lacy Clark Ellman’s reflection on pilgrimage. I first learned about Iona while in graduate school. Even though I’d spent six months studying abroad in the UK in college, I never made it up to Scotland. Instead I savored my season as a small-town-girl-turned-city-dweller, fully immersing myself in the wonders of London and the community I found there. It was a season of autonomy for me, and I enthusiastically shed what was old like a snake leaving dead skin behind. As it

May 31, 2017

Writing on the Wild Edges – Poems from Participants (Ann Smith)

This past April we led one of our Writing on the Wild Edges retreats on the beautiful island of Inismor off the coast of Galway. We will be sharing some of the writing which participants gave us permission to share here in the next few weeks. We continue with haiku and photos from spiritual director Ann Smith. (If you’d like to join us, we have our dates open for 2018 – August 26-September 1) Ancient prayer grows from the stone. Small fern speaks life into hopeful hearts. Warmth of holiness. Sanctuary of silence. Eternity speaks. I offer my heart on

May 30, 2017

Feast of St. Kevin, Patron Saint of Yielding ~ A love note from your online abbess

St. Kevin and the Blackbird (after Seamus Heaney) Imagine being like Kevin, your grasping fist softens, fingers uncurl and palms open, rest upward, and the blackbird weaves twigs and straw and bits of string in the begging bowl of your hand, you feel the delicate weight of speckled blue orbs descend, and her feathered warmth settling in for a while. How many days can you stay, open, waiting for the shell to fissure and crack, awaiting the slow emergence of tiny gaping mouths and slick wings that need time to strengthen? Are you willing to wait and watch? To not

May 28, 2017

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Monk in the World Guest Post: Anne Buck

Writing on the Wild Edges – Participant Poems (Christine Davis)

Call for Submissions: Monk in the World Guest Post

Feast of St. Columcille + Self-Study Sale ~ A love note from your online abbess

Monk in the World Guest Post: Jane Tomaine

Writing on the Wild Edges – Poems from Participants (Michelle Winter)

Feast of Pentecost and Embracing Holy Surprise ~ A love note from your online abbess

Monk in the World Guest Post: Lacy Clark Ellman

Writing on the Wild Edges – Poems from Participants (Ann Smith)

Feast of St. Kevin, Patron Saint of Yielding ~ A love note from your online abbess

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