In a Monastery Garden
04/July/2007 Filed in:
JottingsI was trying to solve a problem and looked out into the garden for inspiration. A tangle of sweet peas laden with heavy drops of rain caught my eye. Sweet peas are my favourite flowers, but at that moment their sombre purples and mauves seemed as glum as my mood. Then the sun made a brief appearance and everything was transformed. The flowers shimmered and shone, the drops of rain diamond points of light among the petals. Nothing in the garden had actually changed, only my attitude. I think that was God's homily to me for the day. The last few days have been quite demanding for the community and we are all just a tad grumpy, so it wasn't really by accident that vases of deep mauve sweet peas appeared in the oratory and the dining room at midday.