RAMBLINGS ON A TUESDAY MORNING

Kathleen Norris wrote one of my favorite books, A Cloister Walk. It describes a year she spent at St. John’s Monastery in Minnesota. Many times I just thumb through it and read the underlined passages.

Anyway, “the cloister,” an enclosure inside of a monastery is a special place. It is a place where a person walks and prays. Sometimes people sit there and read sacred books and pray. The reason I mention this is that we have a cloister at our hospital. Only one person has ever walked it besides myself and is probably the only one that knows about it. In fact, there is a hesitancy for me to tell you about it except for one thing, it is an important religious place for myself.

On a particularly “religious morning” I will do a couple of things unusual. First, I eat oatmeal. Oatmeal is an important religious food because that is what they always eat at the Abbey of Gethsemane. No eggs. No bacon. No ham. Just oatmeal and cheese. Secondly, I walk through the cloister, up the sidewalk to the place where the “black SUV sits” then turn right into the building. The whole trip is fairly short but usually I pray during the journey.

I know, where is the cloister? Well, if you must know, it is besides the place we always eat Corky’s Barbeque. It is an enclosed sidewalk that no one uses. It does not have a covering but is basically enclosed and looks just like a cloister at a monastery. Be sure to let me know if you walk through it, ok?

This morning, after my journey through the cloister, I happened to see USA Today. Now, this is the most important day in the year to buy USA TODAY. Do you know why? Because it has the final batting averages for the major leagues for the year. This is especially important if one keeps up with the playoffs. And, yes I have been keeping up with batting averages since I was in the 8th grade. One of my teachers use to think I memorized all of the batting averages. In fact, it is the only thing I have ever had a photographic memory about. But, it is playoff time and the Braves have a distant chance once again, something to be happy about.

Well, that’s about it. Some have complained I have not written much lately, but really I have just gone through a lull, which by the way isn’t all bad. There are some good things happening. Inky, the Maine Coon Cat, has come to live with us. Inky is a lot like a dog which is especially nice since our dog, Prissy, recently passed away after 18 good years with us. And Inky is always entertaining. He is an especially good at hiding in unusual places, running through the hall at breakneck speed and scaring one to death. And should there be a visitor he immediately jumps in their lap for attention.

And yes, tomorrow is my birthday and I will be preaching my first birthday sermon, FOUR THINGS EVERY CHRISTIAN SHOULD REMEMBER, which I am sure you don’t want to miss. Cheers!!