Showing posts with label Franciscans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Franciscans. Show all posts

11/07/2010

From a Dog's Eye

There has been a lot of action at Clare's Well lately. 
Halloween brought the neighboorhood trick-or-treaters.  My ears perked up at the sound of "treat!"  I didn't need eyesight to recognize my little friends from next door. We are too far out in the country for many children to come. I and the Sisters are happy when Tanner and Madi show us their costumes.





A squash caused a lot of excitement in the kitchen last week. How could a common garden squash raise such exclamations?  Sister Carol explained and said it weighed almost as much as I do.  I've heard that every meal this week contained a squash entre of one kind or another even though some of this giant was given away and some of it was frozen. 


The construction workers came to reshingle the roof of the farmhouse.  Mother Nature did her best to make the November weather pleasant for the roofers. Nice weather or not, I choose to stay out of the yard and indoors.  You know how it is when one gets used to certain pathways only to find them blocked with strange vehicles and other obstacles.  I find with my blindness it takes more energy than I want to give to learn new routes through the yard.  I even hear the Sisters say sometimes that they get tired more easily than they used to with the many new things these days bring.  It is good there are four of them here now. It takes every one of us to keep this place going.  We help each other when a day's events feel overwhelming.  I hope you have someone to help you grow through your challenges.

9/06/2010

GOD CONTINUES TO CREATE

Everytime I turn around there is something new on this piece of Earth.  This week more guinea chicks came strutting out with their protective mother, aunts and uncles hovering all around.  My Franciscan care-takers go a bit ecstatic at evidence such as this that God still believes in creation and can't seem to get enough of pouring out life and beauty.

I notice Clare's Well guests kind of "wake up" when they see the tiny birds with the gaudy yellow legs stumbling over blades of grass behind their mother.  Sometimes this sight makes people laugh.  Sometimes they just stop and watch. The presence of newborn anything touches all of us.  Right?

The guinea mother tries to be caring and protective.  I identify with her as I watch her guarding her scurrying children all day and tucking them under her wings at night.  This is how I feel about those entrusted to my care.  Wish I had wings . . . .

6/10/2010

Goat Population Tripled

The family of my goat brothers and sisters tripled this summer! 
Both Gemma and Nibbles had twin kids in May. 
Gemma has a boy and a girl, Heidi and Hank.  Nibbles has two boys,
Shadow and Stormy.  Heidi and Stormy are black and white. 
Hank and Shadow are totally black in color.  I hear people say how interesting that the Mom's have matching pairs of kids.

Sister Carol's grandniece, Rosie, and friend, Elizabeth, came to visit this week.  The kids put on a great show for them;  I could hear the girls laughing.

Even though I can't see, I feel like my old self again. This is good because Carol needs me to bark at these rowdy kids when they escape from the barn.  My bark gets them in before they eat the flowers.  It means the world to me to still be needed! 

Good eyesight isn't required to answer voice requests for help.  How do you respond when someone needs you and you can't see them? 

(Do you think Carol lets the goats out of the barn on purpose sometimes just so I have more to do??)

5/10/2010

CAN'T DO - CAN BE

Blindness.  I don't think I will ever get used to it.  I have had to let go of doing my jobs:  going on long walks with Clare's Well guests is what I miss most.  I no longer find my way home when I get turned around.  I bump into things everywhere.  People who are trying to protect me from hurting myself sound distressed.

I'm at my best when I just lie down and rest close to where others are.  I am reluctanty moving from doing into simply being.  Do you think I'm still of value?  When guests arrive, I'm still the first one they reach out to touch.  That's a comfort, but . . . . I need more time to digest the changes I'm going through.  Do you have any suggestions to help me continue to grow into a mature dog?