I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series. Read on for Janice Burns-Watson’s reflection on welcoming the stranger as a friend. Too many years ago now than I want to admit, I was a young missionary in Kenya.  I was in my twenties, still inexperienced in life and as a minister.  But I was up to a challenge and excited about “experiencing life as most of the world lived it.” To prepare for our time of service my then husband and I were sent to a site near Nairobi to learn

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to our Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Nancy Agneberg’s reflection, Surprise, Nancy, You are Retired! “So what do you do?” My husband Bruce and I were spending a long weekend in one of our favorite vacation areas, Door County, WI. Often called the “New England of the Midwest,” Door County is a long, narrow peninsula with Green Bay on one side and Lake Michigan on the other. We loved roaming the countryside, as well as enjoying the water views. Restaurants, galleries, theatre. Time there was restorative. One morning

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Anne Marie Vencill’s reflection on the spirituality of beekeeping. For more than 30 years I had an idea. It bubbled to the surface at odd times, often with the change of seasons. Thoughts tumbling; gossamer threads pulled out in moments of daydream. The reasons to keep it suppressed were numerous: early on there were frequent moves and limited resources; then a flush of children, five in six years; the busy-ness of caring for said children; the potential

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Jessica Curtis’ reflection, The Pace of Nature . This past summer, I up and moved my family to France. I have always wanted my children to experience a different culture and learn a second language. The decision to do it now came more from a desire for them (and myself) to experience a different pace of life. Back in the U.S., I thought I was making conscious decisions not to overschedule our family. Saying no to events, extra clubs and commitments. But by last

I’m delighted to share another beautiful submission to our Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Mayra Hall’s reflection “Sustaining Our Traditions.” It’s been a week and a day since my granddaughter’s birth, and finally, during a grace-filled conversation, I was able to be fully connected to the emotional swell in my heart.  It had been building up since the moment my daughter went into labor. My daughter started having contractions on Friday and Nova was born on Sunday, August 20, 2017.  Her name was inspired by the recent Solar Eclipse.  Labor was a

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Barb Morris’ reflection on the danger of being a Monk in the World. “DANGER.” That’s the sign that should hang at the entrance to every cloister. In big red letters. The fine print should say, “Warning: Being a Monk in the World is dangerous. Your commitments to silence and solitude, hospitality, community, kinship with creation, work, Sabbath, conversion, and creative joy are subversive and will cause conflict and strife in your everyday life. Your striving for greater