"Yesterday Father Macarius and I went out and blessed the fields, starting with the wheat and oats. ... Out in the calf pasture we blessed some calves who came running up and took a very active interest in everything. Then we blessed pigs, who showed some interest at first. The sheep showed no concern and the chickens ran away as soon as we approached. The rabbits stayed quiet until we threw holy water at them and then they all jumped." - Thomas Merton, The Sign of Jonas
~ This is one of my favorite passages from Merton's diaries. Our house sits atop a small knoll in the rolling hills of rural northwest Mississippi. Not exactly the Abbey of Gethsemani, but tranquil nonetheless. We have horses, a good bit of pasture and a grove of shade trees on one side. A lake, that often serves as a resting place for migrating Canadian Geese and an oasis for thirsty deer, waits at the bottom of the slope just beyond the trees. We get our fair share of brown bunnies, too. Our neighbors have cows. Our friends have goats, pigs, and guineas. So, the idea of blessing the land and all that is on it just seems natural. That last line, however, always cracks me up! Built into the importance of our own vocations and how we carry those out is a abundance of joy and humor.
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