Desert

God is a funny guy sometimes.   I just wrote about being more charitable.  I picked up a book, Lettets From The Desert I believe, from the library at St. Gregory's Abbey.   It begins as the author recounts an act of uncharitableness involving a blanket and a vivid dream.   I can sympathise with the writer regarding the dream, espicially after the one I had about Cindy and waking up to her being okay.  To him, the dream about the desert rock crushing him was his pergitory for not sharing his extra blanket with a shivering man due to fear of the cold of the night.  This relatively trivial act of uncharitableness--to me anyway--was to torment him for quiet some time.  The idea that he didn't treat his neighbour as himself really haunted him. As an aside,  I was surprised and delighted by the mid-twentieth century cultural view of a rifle as simply a tool as this monk carried it in the desert (and used it) as a necessity for his safety.   Even his writing of it is seemless as he is not trying to justify having it to the reader. Anyway, this is a distraction to the author's point for me.  How many times do we clutch things that we may need or even want when a brother needs it?  We're all so guilty.   Also,  in my whirlwind trip to the abbey, I've been reading a short biography on St. Augustine.  I was surprised by his early life and at the same time recognised his search for God and his duality.   While his mind told him he was living an empty life of depravity, he was unable to change as he searched for truth.  I hope to read more of both these books tomorrow.   Tomorrow being our last day here, it may not happen.  Last summer I came from Monday until Friday.  It was hard but I was happy I did it.  This year, I wanted to share it with Cindy.  So, we both came down for two days.   She did it for me, having little desire to be here herself;  I think she is now enjoying it.  We arrived before the Eucharist today,  and attended that service, sleeping through Sext and napping again between None and Tea.  Tomorrow is not looking promising for Matins and Lauds at this point and I am setting my alarm for six thirty for breakfast at seven.   Enjoying everything except sleeping as we are on separate floors in the dormitory and I am restless. Pax, Wm Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android