This year in the Monastery I was assigned three charges (jobs):
chicken keeper,
sewing assistant
and sous-chef (aka assistant cook).
After spending some time with each of these tasks, I’ve come to discover a few hidden treasures that I’d like to share.
Treasure #1: Chickens are surprisingly smart; they just have poor memories. Sometimes I can’t help but pity them, and then I wonder if that’s how God feels about us…
Treasure #2: It’s awe-inspiring to be able to transform cloth into clothing, and when your work is filled with your love and prayers for the sister you’re making it for, it truly becomes something beautiful. I think of God creating all of us in the same way (but obviously better) and it makes me smile.
Treasure #3: Feeding 16 Sisters is a lot harder than feeding one, let alone 5000. When I worry about making too much or too little food, I think about how Our Lord in His generosity always provides more than enough for us.
In summary, this year in the Monastery I was assigned three jobs: Feeding the hungry, Clothing the naked, and Visiting the imprisoned [chickens]… (though they do free range sometimes too)!