Connections!

Good morning, and may God be with everyone today as we begin another bright day of promise.   Before we even begin, though, let us keep in prayer our brothers and sisters that are facing once again a cat 5 hurricane in the Caribbean and another, though lesser one,  facing New England.

Let us pray also for our first responders that they get rest between their incredible and God given strength to jump in and be able to give so much of their strength and loving care to those in need.  God Bless you all.   One of those connections between humans  making life a matter of the heart once again.

Yesterday we experienced one of those Connections.  

Mark had called a couple of weeks ago inquiring if there was a Secular Franciscan Fraternity in the area.   The more we talked the more I felt his strength. My spirit connected with his passion and desire to serve the Lord.   As we continued to visit he said that he and his wife were new to the Panhandle and were building a home in Canyon, Texas.  He was looking for other Franciscans in the area and wanted to find a Fraternity.  Once again it seemed that God was taking that  round about path to create yet another "Connection".    We made arrangements to get together and that date was yesterday.   

We were all filled with such joy.  You'd think we were old friends!   The visit progressed and we laughed, prayed and shared together.  We talked about everything including the big red tomatoes in the garden  which they helped to pick).   The overwhelming sense of community continued to grow.  Mark, a disabled veterans is an RN and worked at Bethesda Hospital in Washington, DC  (how's that for connections) and Joan worked as an accountant for a large firm there.  "Wow,",  Mark said, "what a change of pace, but a welcome one"

When Mark first called us a couple of weeks ago, he had just visited the St. Benedict Monestary and was led to us from the sisters.  Now what does that have to do with the story? Well, hold on to your seat beacuse this is going to be a big head jrking moment in the conversation.

It was actually St. Benedict and the Benedictine Monestaries that began to take in the sick and care for them as if it was Jesus himself who had entered and it was St. Benedict that sent Mark and Joan to us and Mark and Joan are on fire with the desire to help with HOMES OF LIFE ACROSS AMERICA!

We never know how God is going to make connections in our lives and for sure in our mission and ministry in life!  The moral of the story :Be open to all the connections that God will send your way to help you to create a Home of Life somewhere in America and become part of this great movement of love.