Ascension

Such a beautiful

Sunday.

We (of course)

had to observe the beauty from inside.

The keeper spent most of the day (of course) in church celebrating Ascension and the need to look up and look within and look out, according to Fr.Ryan. Then she celebrated Confirmation with 18 young people from the Eastside and she said that in the quiet prayer of calling down the Spirit, she prayed for all of these children of immigrants, many of whose futures are so fragile in this land-- for all of them in their beauty, in their unidiscovered power, timidity, awkwardness, wisdom beyond their years, in their hopefulness in this land of infinite possibilities for some and less for others. She prayed for their safety, for good mentors, for strength of soul and spirit and that they could know deeply their own cristic power to help them navegate the torments and storms which will threaten them. She prayed that they ascend, like the young boy in the church's tree, to find a bigger vision for their lives and futures.

She said the later part of her day (while we still waited in inside) took her to to a hill in the West where you can look back and see the glistening city. That's where the sisters' residence is where her friend K is recuperating from surgery. She said they had a great time visiting and a good dinner, and she is happy to see her friend recovering so well. The residence is run by the sisters who taught her, and it is a holy place. She said she walked through the halls, recognizing many names on the rooms' doors of sisters, who once commanded the attention of 60 students at once, helping them to solve complicated new math problems, to understand great art and literature. But now many of these same lionesses are so frail they don't know their names, or the keeper anymore. The halls filled with a special light, a peace, a holiness that is as palpable as the lilacs perfuming the gardens there.

By the way, the keeper came home finally, and we did go out and it was heavenly. Tomorrow we are going to be there all day.