Say It With Flowers

How do you say LOVE? At last weekend's Cursillo, it was said over and over with flowers. This huge cross completely covered with flowers was a love offering to all of us at Saturday's dinner. It filled the room with love and joy and beauty. It lifted everyone after two days of intense study and discussion.








Flowers and candles decorated the base of the cross.

Each of us received our own little bouquet as we entered the cafeteria-turned-love feast. I brought mine home in a plastic water bottle; the rose and one of the yellow daisies are still sitting by my bed. (Okay, they're ready to go to the trash, but I hate to part with them!) Iknow that cut flowers are such a luxury...and a waste, right? They just wither and die as all these did by the next afternoon. But in the moment of their glory, don't they just scream LOVE?

Letters, We Get Letters...

We get lots and lots of letters! During the long, busy days of my Cursillo weekend, there was at least one break for 'letters.' While the facilitator read letters from literally all over the world written by other Cursillo communities in support of our weekend, personal letters were delivered to each of us. These are a sampling of what I received....letters of love and support from friends at St. Timothy's. The very first one I opened was from the young woman whom I mentored through her Confirmation process! She's spending her summer in Baltimore having surgery and doing physical therapy to lenghten one leg which is a bit shorter than the other. I received a card from her all three days! Do I need to tell you that each one brought tears to my eyes? Every card and note was personal and special to me. I feel truly blessed by care and friendship I received.

PS...unless you're as old as I am, you might not know that the title of this entry and its first sentence are from the Perry Como Show theme song. He got letters requesting songs; I got letters of love!

A Cursillo Weekend

This is where I spent my weekend...the University of St. Mary in Leavenworth, KS. Yes, that Leavenworth; we drove by the military base and the federal prison encircled with razor wire on our way to this beautiful site. I'll be blogging about my experiences of the weekend here and at Dona Nobis Pacem over the next few days. It was quite an experience, this Cursillo event! The University welcomed us with dorm rooms, shared bathrooms, and thankfully, air conditioning. The weekend was hot and steamy as only the Midwest can be. The public areas of the campus were beautiful, filled with lush plantings, beautiful statuary, great woodwork and old stained glass. The food was plentiful...almost too plentiful! When explaining to friends what this weekend was about, I used the word 'retreat.' Not exactly correct because although we were in retreat from the world with no TV, computers, watches, or phones, it was neither quiet nor restful! It was jam-packed with talks, discussions, activities, worship and singing. It was a weekend filled with love, with fellow pilgrims, with scripture, and with thoughts to ponder. I'm only just beginning to sort through it all and determine what it means for me.