So, people have been wondering where I’ve been at lately, blog-wise. It’s been a rollercoaster folks, I tell ya. The end of the school year. Two rounds of chicken pox. Wonderful visits from out of town friends. Very sick grandparents knocking on the portal to a new life. A five year old’s birthday. And of course, Solstice.

The Summer Solstice is about as big as it gets around here. We have three siginifcant holy seasons at Monkfish Abbey: Advent, Lent, and Solstice and all three of them are all about light. The light arrives, the light goes out, the light returns. I write about light a lot, and I think about it even more. It’s one of my most universally friendly … {read more…}

Jim Henderson is one of my dearly beloveds. Paul and I hired Jim to paint our house a couple of years ago. We rapidly discovered that his day job was just a cover for his secret undercover identity as the best champion-and-pal a young upstart pastor type could have. An experienced pastor and leader, a fabulous provocateur, and a damn fine blue’s singer, Jim has recently added “published author” to his long list of accomplishments.

Jim complied some of his experiences about one of his passions into a brand spanking-new book, a.k.a. Lost: Discovering ways to connect with the people Jesus misses most … {read more…}

June 18th
Solstice Parade! Walk in parade while wearing giant silver lame (women) or bright red biohazard suits (men). Gather several tons of plastic water bottles and aluminum cans in our Suessical Reuseable machines. Hug lots of friendly on-lookers. (Pics in gallery soon.)

Family attempts to watch Solstice Pagent with out of town guests. Plan is aborted when it is discovered that four-year-old is breaking out in chicken pox. Return home and attend to feverish child, thereby missing out on fellow-monk’s fabulous fire-spining, live-band-jamming solstice par-tay. (Sorry Craig!)

June 19th
Amber (Eden’s godmom and our good friend from Regent) comes for a week’s vacation and kicks things off by soaking in the hot tub and … {read more…}

of Monkfish Abbey’s Tattoo Gallery….now gracing the shoulder of Ms. Alicia La Joie!

Rebecca Dallin inks out the winning image for our Monkfish Abbey logo! These four little creatures are very monk-fishy, ne c’est pas? Now the question is, which of the four should grace our home page?

Thanks to all who sent entries!

Mama God, Papa God
Stefan Czernecki, illustrator

If you were with me at eight o’clock tonight, the sun would still be with us. This is the miracle of living on the Northern curve of the globe. And if you were with me tonight, when the sun yet shone, I would ask you to think about light. I would bid you to just sit still for a moment with a candle cradled in your hand –or with the sun still streaming through the window, warming a spot on the floor. I would try to work up the courage to chant, “Breath in. Breathe out….In the hand of God, I rest.” I … {read more…}

…who got up at 6:30 this morning to go to morning prayer at the local cathedral, only to find all the doors LOCKED!

Jen’s Plate: Before

Jen’s Plate: After

While the kids are jumping around on the sofa cushions, pretending they are bouncy mushrooms, I thought I’d post this…

(or I could pay the bills…naaah, I’ll post this…)

Catie (age 4) drew this for me yesterday.

Paul noticed that there was a step missing in this transaction and added this…

Guess we’d better go break a plate.

Eden has the chickenpox. She’s got one in her eye, which can apparently cause “significant problems.” They made her eye glow in the dark at the doctors and her cornea looks okay. A tip for parents: if you kids get the chicken pox there is now and antiviral that significantly reduces the symptoms and the duration. (Not the vacination…just an antiviral.) It’s reduced Eden’s pox by 50% in two doses, andit has stopped the new pox from growing to their full and disgusting size. Kids have to be old enough to swallow pills. Eden prefers her in a mouthful of masticated pineapple. (You wanted to know that, right?)

Right now Rosie is over and all the kids are jumping on … {read more…}

What• “A spiritual path to higher creativity”
• A quest to uncover our creative self, and quiet our inner critic.
• A chance to sink into some creative activities.

Involvement• June 30th – August 4th (six weeks), Thursdays @ 7pm (dinner provided
• Purchase of text ($15 approx - please support your local bookstores!)
• 20 minutes daily journaling
• 2hr outing for yourself every week (time/frequency is adjustable)
• 1-2 imaginative/reflective exercise(s) per week (with the group or alone)
• 1 group meeting every week (notifying hostess if unable to attend)
• Suggested donation for supplies - $10 (for whole series)

Important Stuff
Meetings will be held in our Wallingford home .
Kind, generous, and honest attitudes are highly … {read more…}