A Worthy Cause

On May 11th and 12th, Sister Florian, our in-house creative artisan, along with several assistants, held her 5th Annual Craft Sale in the foyer of our residence. It was home to an amazing array of crafts of all kinds.

A feature of the day was a beautiful hand quilted red and white Dresden Plate quilt. It was created by Sister Florian and carried home to Windsor by a lucky winner.  A large, pink, knitted afghan made by Sister Mary was the prize for another happy lady. Other smaller quilts, runners, placemats and quilted bags were on display.  Handiwork including a variety of knitted items such as popular baby sets, socks, dishcloths, afghans, and much more.

The fireplace side of the foyer housed Sister Dorothy Ann’s fine display of books galore: novels, biographies, spirituality, poetry, crosswords, and the like.  Business was humming as staff browsed the interesting possibilities of choosing a book and settling into a favorite pastime come rest and eventide. Other items were hand crafted cards, gently used CDs, and movies.

In keeping with the spring season, Sister Ruth Anne, with her green thumb, offered a variety of plants to whet the appetite of avid gardeners.  Her sturdy tomato plants were the first ones to be snapped up by staff and guests, and taken home to their waiting garden plots.  Other plants, large and small invited beginning gardeners to purchase a begonia seedling or an already potted array of mixed flowers to try their hand at a new hobby.  Free advice was offered with every purchase.

Throughout the days, eager staff, friends, and associates enjoyed searching through the many items offered.  When the doors closed, and generous donations tallied, the bazaar realized a tidy sum to be presented to St. Joe’s Café, the new name for our soup kitchen now in its larger location downtown on Queen’s Avenue.  Once again, we realize that when many hands work together, amazing things happen.  A rousing thank you to Sister Florian, the many helpers, and our kind contributors!

-Sister Jean Moylan, CSJ

Would you like to contribute to our London soup kitchen? Click here to donate & join the giving ❣️

My Trees

Image: Unsplash/Erwan Hesry

NATIONAL LOVE A TREE DAY is MAY 16th

I never had a favorite tree.  However, I have tried to grow trees from seed.  My first attempt was at growing an orange tree from one of the seeds in the orange I was eating.  Remember when there used to be seeds in oranges?  I think it’s ironic the way we want to control everything having to do with reproduction.  Seeds in oranges are definitely an inconvenience.  But I digress.  My orange tree actually grew quite tall (about 10 cm) and then I moved and gave it up to the elements.

My second attempt at growing a tree was to take a maple seed key from Southwestern Ontario to Edmonton, Alberta to see if I could grow a tall tree there.  Unfortunately, when I put the tiny 4 cm high seedling out in the yard to get more sun, I watch a bird sit on the side of the pot and pull out the plant by the roots.

I have to laugh at myself for thinking that I am the one growing trees when really I only planted seeds and kept them moist.  It really is God who gives the increase.  It’s all part of the plan in which we can actively participate.  

-Sister Elaine Cole, CSJ

Header image: Unsplash/Simon Wilkes