HOLY WEEK FAVES

 

It's Friday.....but Sunday's comin'!!!!!

I'm sharing FIVE of my FAVE blessings from this Holy Week leading up to the most important holiday for Christ followers:  Jesus' Resurrection/Easter!! Although I've had horrible upper back pain going on 3 weeks now, and it's annoying and difficult to treat, there are always blessings among these physical trials. 

Linking up with Susanne and friends...head here to learn more. 

New Skete Nuns Gift Shop
Cambridge NY
12 April

Spring Flowers at New Skete Shop

• AFTERNOON DRIVE:  Last Saturday, although it was  chilly and dreary, my oldest daughter and I went on a little road trip to the Taconic Hills of this county about 40 minutes  east of our town. Most of the county is in the foothills of the Adirondacks but we were on the eastern edge near Vermont. I wanted to check out the trails at the New Skete Monastery as I was going to be leading a hike there the next week. My car wouldn't make it up the hill on the loose gravel and mud but we at least found the road where the trail is located.  On a whim, we decided to pop in to the nuns' gift shop and surprise Dave with some cheesecake (Which they are known for) and buy some jams and soap  which they also make. The jam is made by the Trappist monks in central MA. We had such a great time and Dave ended up loving the Kahlua cheesecake slice I bought him. (she and I are allergic to cream cheese so can't eat it). The jams I bought are Elderberry and Boysenberry.  SO good on an English muffin or a scone. I'm thankful for spontaneous road trips. 

 

backyard flag

• SALE!  Hobby Lobby in our town was having a good Spring decor sale so I grabbed this flag for the backyard wildflower garden area.  Obviously no wildflowers have sprung up yet but the flag is so pretty and brings a spot of color to the muddy grass.  I'm thankful for good sales!

image courtesy of Am*zon

• WRAP UP!  Tuesday evening brought a smile to my face as all the ladies but one were able to  come to our last discussion of this book study we have been doing since January. I received positive feedback regarding the study and my leadership/hosting this group and that brought a smile to my face. What made me especially thankful was that each of us took a turn sharing what we learned from this book and that some of the women are hoping to return in September for the next study.  I have no idea which book God will lead me to use but I was thankful they enjoyed this study and that our group ended well. (I've reviewed the book in an earlier post if you're interested.) 

sitting on her nest in our cherry tree

• NESTING:  This past week, we discovered mama mourning dove sitting in almost the exact same spot as last year, on eggs in a nest patiently waiting for the babies to be born.  She actually  allowed me to get pretty close although I did have to zoom in with my iphone  camera to get this shot. If we get too close, she leaves the nest and won't  come back. Thankfully, our grass doesn't need mowing yet, so Dave can keep away from the tree. I'm thankful for the signs of new life all around us as we move into the most holy of celebrations for our Christian walk. 

just to the left of the highest part of the rock wall was
where we had to walk through to continue on the trail

Joan on the red trail with some art
on the center tree...depicting various signs of creation
(the sea, a bird, a person).

me, Shawna (her first hike ever!), Anita
used with permission
before hitting the trail

the yellow trail.....almost the entire trail was moss covered!

The Bell Tower
at New Skete Monastery
Cambridge, NY

Brother Tom and Guiness

MID-WEEK HIKE!  My group, SoulSteps, had its 4th hike this season, in a trail system that is technically in the foothills of the Adirondack mountains but closer to the Taconic Hills of eastern NY/Vermont.  In fact, we were only about 15 miles from Arlington, Vermont.  The trail system is on private land owned and managed by the New Skete Monastery Monks.  It is free to park in their lot but you do have to sign in at the bell tower.  We were fortunate to meet one of the younger monks who is also one of the dog trainers.  We met Brother Tom and Guiness, a female German Shepherd. There were 4 of us for this hike and 1 beginner so we took the easier trails through the woods and up a ridgeline.  After the hike, we did the self guided tour through the grounds of the monastery itself and were allowed to go inside two of the chapels.  I'm not Catholic, but the art work in there was amazing as were all the various Catholic symbols. It was especially awesome to do this during Holy Week. I'm thankful that although it was cold and at one point snow flurries were swirling around us, we all had a great time and got a good 2.4 miles of hiking in.  

New Skete Monastery
 the main Chapel

That wraps up the fave blessings from the week.  I also am thankful for friends near and far who exchange prayer  requests with me;  for a good visit with one of the HomeBound clients I see; for a great rehearsal for the Easter service, and for my husband's prayers and hugs and sharing awesome podcasts with me.