Loretto Retreats – Monday Musings

Every Monday, Loretto retreat directors Susan Classen and JoAnn Gates write a Monday Musing reflection for social media. Here are a few of the recent musings …

What points me to gratitude? The familiar sign pointing to the cabin named Gratitude suddenly stopped me in my tracks with that question. Not “What am I grateful for?” but “What points me to gratitude?” After considerable reflection, I realized that my response is “rest.” When I’m rested, I’m able to see and appreciate the gifts of life that surround me even when times are hard. I wonder what points you to gratitude?

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‘Tis the Season of Creation, observed by Christian denominations internationally from Sept. 1 – Oct. 4. This year’s theme is Peace with Creation. This “obedient plant” makes me wonder: Could obedience to and peace with the ways of nature help us all to flower this beautifully?

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Drop by drop … deep and slow … That’s how to water plants during a dry spell. Drops of water penetrate deeply into the ground thus reaching the roots. The roots, in turn, stretch down toward the moisture which strengthens the plant’s resilience. A large bucket of water poured all at once around a struggling plant does little to encourage depth because the water runs off the surface. How do I nourish my roots during dry spells in my life? Am I encouraging depth, or am I looking for quick, superficial solutions?

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Ironweed, for me, is the harbinger of summer’s approaching end. This year, I’ve watched its stalks climb a good 7-8 feet high, and for the past couple weeks it seemed that at any moment they’d burst into purple. Now they have, along with their reminder that it’s back-to-school time, Kentucky State Fair time, and Labor Day just around the corner. Even though we’re still in the high heat of summer, ironweed — native to Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and Missouri (among other states) says to me, “You can breathe out now; cooler temps are on their way.”

Phenology is the science of observing seasonally-occurring natural events. What do you keep track of in the place where you live? And what things, natural or otherwise, announce to you the nearness of summer’s end?

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Beauty spreads! In 2007, Joy Jensen spearheaded erosion control around the north end of Badin Pond by planting native plants. No one could have guessed that rose mallow planted in one small area would spread until the whole periphery of Badin Pond would break into full bloom every July! May we each do something today to help spread beauty in the world around us.

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Three years after the seeds were planted in the area where the old power plant used to be, the yellow coneflowers have come into their own! Why so long? Because they spend the first two years establishing their roots before blooming. The lesson from the yellow coneflowers stays with me, “Pay attention to your roots rather than to visible results. Blossoms will flower naturally once your roots are strong.”

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“A hidden treasure!” That’s what I thought when I found this nest hidden in a large patch of 6-foot-tall giant ragweed. Ragweed is best known among the human species for causing hay fever, so it isn’t well-loved, to say the least! The nest challenged me to decenter my human perspective in order to see the ragweed through the eyes of a bird family who found it to be a nurturing home. Learning to see from the perspective of others, whether it’s another species or a fellow human, is an important life principle. I hope I remember that principle today when I find myself judging another from my own limited perspective.

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“Just as the rivers do not drink their own water but flow for others’ benefit, just as fruit-bearing trees do not eat their own fruit but bear it for others, and just as clouds do not drink their own rain but shower it down for others, so saintly devotees live simply for others.”

This Sanskrit proverb highlights our interdependence and serves as an important reminder that democracy flourishes when we serve the common good. May we be inspired to “live simply for others.”