Sr. Sue's Thoughts on Prayer

Many areas of our continent are being affected by the wildfires in Canada.

Let us pray for all affected:

~ For all those working to extinguish the fires by land or by air, may they be successful and stay safe in the process.

~ For all that is destroyed by the wildfires – the trees and plants and animals, may we honor their existence.

~ For the tens of thousands affected by the smoke and ash in the air, especially those who have health conditions that already make it hard to breathe, may they have places where they can breathe easily.

~ For anyone who has lost their homes, business, school, or place of worship to fire, may they find a community of support in the rebuilding.

~ For each of us, that we be conscientious of the conditions around us and the things that might spark a fire in dry conditions, may we always treat the gift of fire with respect 

Be well and be at peace!

Some days, things just happen - like the maintenance truck stops working in the parking lot of a store. Then you have to call AAA and wait for roadside assistance... watching and waiting until help arrives.

In the course of our day or week, unexpected things happen. The prayer becomes, "Help" and then we wait and watch for assistance. God always answers, but maybe not in the time frame we would like or in the manner that we hoped.

God, give us the grace to wait and watch for your presence with us whenever we are in need of help.

Be well and be at peace!

On this July 4, 2026 let’s pray for our country:

~ May the values of freedom, equality, justice and democracy be the guiding principles for all our governing bodies.

~ May we be mindful of the common good in all decisions that we make.

~ May we treat every other person with dignity and respect.

~ May we welcome those seeking a safe place to live.

~ May we cherish and steward wisely the natural resources that the land, waters, and air provide for us.

As we honor 250 years, may God give us the grace to celebrate what we have done well, acknowledge where we have caused harm, and commit to doing our best to create a country where all have enough and are able to live with each other in peace.

Be well and be at peace!

I don't know if any of you are composters.  We belong to a service that picks up our compost and takes it away, to allow it to go through its process.  The interesting thing is what goes into the compost - an array of scraps, peels, over-ripe fruits and veggies, things that are past their prime, coffee grounds and tea leaves to mention a few. Often, it looks bad and smells worse! This collection of undesirables, over time, becomes a nutrient rich material that replenishes the soil and feeds new growth.

So I wonder...what am I composting in my prayer?  

What scraps of experiences, frustrations, challenges, sadnesses, disappointments have I discarded without a second thought...or purposely tried to forget about?

God, give me the grace to see and understand. Help me to learn from them so that they may enrich my life and become food for new growth, no matter how uncomfortable or undesirable they may be at the time.

Be well and be at peace!

Have you noticed how hard many salespeople push you to buy something that is more that you want or need? The concept of "enough" seems to be lost and even frowned upon.

Let's pray with enough: 

~ God, give me the grace to see and understand what is enough for me in a particular situation. 

~ Help me to be content with enough so that others might have enough. 

~ Be with those who do not have enough to make ends meet...or to survive. 

Be well and be at peace!

It has been a really rough allergy season this year. For those of you affected like I am, you know what I mean. So as I was watching the clouds of pollen floating through the air and covering everything, I decided I needed to pray with the pollen and find something good in all of it.

So we pray for all the plants that send their life-force out into the wind as a means of survival and fostering new growth.

We pray for all the pollinators (bees and butterflies and more) that move from plant to plant, carrying the pollens that need more than wind to end up in the right place.

We give thanks for the beauty of the flowers that attract the pollinators.

We give thanks for the fruits, vegetables and new plants that result from successful pollination.

God, help us always to see the good in the wonders of creation around us! 

Be well and be at peace!

Last year our Japanese maple tree in the courtyard was dying... except for one branch with a few leaves at the end of it. Apparently, this was the effect of an early warm up followed by a severe frost in a previous year. I decided to wait one more year to see what happened. 

Talk about resilience! That one trunk has all sorts of new growth on it. So, we cut away what was dead and will continue to see how this part progresses.

Prayers from a Japanese maple tree: 

God, give us the grace to let go of that which no longer gives us life - old habits, ideas, desires which no longer serve us.

God, help us to nurture the gifts you have given us - bringing new energy to our life, and beauty to be shared with those around us.

God, help us to see the little signs of hope that are hidden all around us, waiting to be noticed! 

Be well and be at peace!

They say "Many hands make light work". 

We just had a grounds day and extra hands helped us get much more done and made it quite enjoyable! Prayers from Grounds Day:

God, give me the ability to see where my hands can be of help to others. 

God, give me the grace to accept the helping hands of others when I am in need.

Be well and be at peace!

On this Memorial Day weekend, may we pray for all who have experienced war:

~ For those around the world who have fought to protect those they loved, the country they lived in, and the beliefs they cherished.

~ For all those around the world that have been affected by war in any manner - loss of loved ones, loss of home, hunger, fear, illness, grief, incapacitation, loss of hope...

~ For the ability to find a way to peace, ending all wars and division and inequality. 

Please God, may it be so!

Be well and be at peace!

It’s that time of year (for some of us) when our thoughts turn to planting. Some people are getting their flowers in, others are planning their vegetable gardens or herb gardens, still others are planting some trees.

Perhaps planting is a good image for our prayer!

Listen closely! What are the messages that God is planting in your heart in prayer?

Where are the roots of your prayer taking hold?

What seeds of something new in your life would you like God to nurture?

What prayers are you planting in God’s heart?

May God bless the continual growth of your prayer!

Be well and be at peace!

There are plans for the road in front of the retreat house in the coming years. The powers that be are calling it a "traffic calming" project. It made me think how hard it is to calm the traffic of thoughts in my brain when I'm trying to pray. So....

All my worries, concerns, anxieties, and fears that float through my mind - hold them tenderly God, and calm my mind, heart, and soul.

All the tasks, projects, and deadlines that have to be accomplished - hold them tenderly God, and calm my mind, heart, and soul.

All the wonderings about conversations past or yet to be voiced - hold them tenderly God, and calm my mind, heart, and soul.

All the grief over that which cannot be changed - hold it tenderly God, and calm my mind, heart, and soul.

All the hopes and dreams both for myself and those I love - hold them tenderly God, and calm my mind, heart, and soul.

Be well and be at peace!

It’s spring, and one of the things I am noticing more this year are the birds. When I walk to the retreat house early in the morning, I can hear them all chirping as they greet the dawn. There has been a cardinal visiting me outside my window regularly, and last week I saw a bluebird! With the spring winds, there have been hawks riding the drafts in the sky. Perhaps this week we can pray with our feathered companions!

For these creatures who grace the sky:

~ May they remind us of the gift of freedom if we can go with the flow of the currents in our lives.

~ May the beauty of their diversity help us to recognize the diverse beauty in all our human companions.

~ May the gift of their songs bring joy and comfort to our hearts.

~ May they be a reminder to look up at the sky – to look beyond all the cares and worries that are right up in our face and remember that God is bigger than all that. And that, as I heard someone say this week, “God’s got this!”

Be well and be at peace!