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May 2019

Daylilies are blooming now in abundance in the front yard flower beds at the Motherhouse. We have several different colors of blooms - yellow, burgundy, pinkish rose, and an almost purple shade. However varied the colors of the blooms, they all have one thing in common: they all only bloom for one day and then they wither and die and I cut them off the stems the next day.

Daylilies remind us of the brevity of life. They also remind me of some of the things I am reading in a book called The Grace in Aging: Awaken as You Grow Older by Kathleen Dowling Singh.
Singh says that we need to be able to wrap our heads around our own mortality, and that it is helpful to let go of all that binds us far before the hour of our death (p.21)

As Sisters of St. Joseph we are called especially to practice the virtues of humility and charity which we promised when we pronounced our vows. On our seal we have violets symbolizing humility. Since violets do not grow well here in Florida, I think daylilies symbolize better for me the need for detachment, for humility. They tell me that life is short and beauty is fleeting. 
Of course, if you are a gardener, you also know that daylilies tend to multiply over the years. I have not had to buy any new plants for a few years, as I simply divide the plants and spread them around the beds each year as needed. 
May we all accept the limitations and sufferings of this life and, through the grace of God, ripen into the wise, peaceful, awakened elders God calls us to be. 





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