VITAL LIFE: A FRIAR’S EXPERIENCE

Fellow Residents and Staff,

Summertime,

and the livin’ is easy.

Fish are jumpin’,

and the cotton is high.

Summertime is my favorite aria from Porgy and Bess. Summer is indeed here. In early June I leave for a week and a half’s vacation in Maine, the Maritime Provinces, and the Gaspe Peninsula. I’m brushing up on my Bon jour, S’il vous plait, and Merci from fifty-plus years ago. I don’t expect to see any cotton, and I don’t think lobsters jump, although the tides in the Bay of Fundy rise over thirty feet. In any case, I hope that the livin’ will indeed be easy.

I don’t usually take vacation in the summer, and I haven’t had an extended vacation in three years. I’ve wanted to visit Atlantic Canada for ages, and this year early June seemed like the right time to do it. Our culture considers summer to be a carefree time of relaxation. Carefree relaxation sounds delightful. Wouldn’t we all like to enjoy it? Such cultural considerations, however, can lead to unrealistic expectations, which can lead disillusionment, which in turn can lead bitterness. Life is messy, and nothing is carefree. Happy people learn to accept the mess, alleviate what they can of it, and find joy in living life on life’s terms.

All is gift, life is gift, and God is the giver of all gifts. How attentive are we to God’s gifts? Can we learn to enjoy them, to share them with others, and to find even greater joy in giving them away? If we do, we have become God-like; and we become God-like by opening ourselves to the Spirit. Whatever difficulties you might experience, whether in your health, your family, your finances, or something else, open yourself to the Spirit. Don’t lose sight of the gifts that God wants to give you. Trust in God, gratefully accept those gifts, and enjoy your summer.

In the words of Saint Francis, Peace and every Blessing!

Loren Connell, OFM,

sacramental minister

May 31, 2012