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Sunflower Seeds

 

Celebrating Everyday Spirituality

Sunflower Seeds

Celebrating Everyday Spirituality

“The Book of Joy”: by the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu

Here 8217 s another good book you might enjoy The Book of Joy by the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu These two Nobel Peace Prize Laureates and international spiritual leaders were also very close friends In April 2015 Archbishop Tutu visited the Dalai Lama 8217 s home in India to

A number of years ago I was struggling with someone a co worker who was about 15 years older than I was I didn 8217 t know him very well but we rubbed shoulders at work from time to time About once a month for example we were required to

April is national poetry month As is my custom I 8217 m posting poems in honor of poetry 8217 s marvelous beauty and power Today I 8217 m featuring three poems about Jesus by two friends of mine and myself I suggest you read these poems slowly and aloud The

Easter is the season of hope 8230 Easter reminds us that our hope is rooted in the persistent and unconditional love of God for us 8211 not in our goodness Our hope is rooted in the life and teachings of Jesus 8211 not in ourselves Our hope is rooted in

One thing I like about praying anything goes I didn 8217 t always believe this As a little girl I thought praying was mostly something you did in church on Sundays or something you did before eating supper or you did kneeling beside your bed every night I didn 8217

Some of us will experience a total eclipse of the sun on Monday April 8 2024 The Cleveland Ohio area is in its direct path We will be privileged to witness this astronomical phenomenon from 1 59 20 PM to 4 28 57 PM EST How 8217 s that for

Last week this blog focused on beauty 8211 especially the beauty of various art forms as seen in the works of local artist Pat Firem This week we are focusing on a topic that may be uncomfortable for many of us the ugliness and power of evil But as we

In my book The Grace of Beauty I write 8220 Beauty can affect us in many ways It can stop us in its tracks lighten our heart calm our anxiety ease our pain move us to tears 8230 Beauty even has the power to draw us to the ultimate source

A friend recently gave me a marvelous new book to read during my recovery from hip surgery It 8217 s called Alfie amp Me What Owls Know What Humans Believe by the award winning ecologist Carl Safina The book tells the story of how Safina and his wife Patricia on

This past month I visited a special place I call Hip Replacement Surgery Land 8212 or Hippy Land for short During my sojourn there I learned or re learned many things Here are a few of them The power of prayer So many people said they were praying for me

Meet Sr. Melannie

Hi and welcome to my blog! I’m Sister Melannie, a Sister of Notre Dame residing in Chardon, Ohio, USA. I’ve been very lucky! I was raised in a loving family on a small farm in northeast Ohio. I also entered the SNDs right after high school. Over the years, my ministries have included high school and college teaching, novice director, congregational leadership, spiritual direction, retreat facilitating, and writing. I hope you enjoy “Sunflower Seeds” and will consider subscribing below. I’d love to have you in our “sunflower community.” Thank you!

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Upcoming Events

Finding God in the Ordinary and Amazing: An Afternoon with Sister Melannie

Sunday, May 19, 2024 – 1:30 – 4:00 Central – via zoom

Sponsored by the Portiuncula Center for Prayer – Frankfort, Illinois

Fee: Donation

For details visit: [email protected]

Weekend retreat at Villa Maria Education and Spirituality Center, Pulaski, PA
October 11-13, 2024

October 11-13, 2024

Details to follow

Retreat with the Sisters of Loretto, Nerinx, KY
September 8-13, 2024

September 8-13, 2024

Details to follow

Retreat at Lial Renewal Center, Whitehouse, OH
August 11-18, 2024

August 11-18, 2024

Retreat at Heartland Center for Spirituality, Great Bend, KS
April 14-19, 2024

April 14-19, 2024

Details to follow