Letters from Ascension Hermitage and Sanctuary

 Sharing this email message from Forward Movement. Blessings on this first Sunday of Advent.

Thanksgiving Day was lovely here, but not without a sense of sadness - our little cat, Weej (aka Weejie) left us for the Rainbow Bridge. Her going was not entirely unexpected - her sister Pye died earlier this year. Weej was quite old and had been losing weight, but we didn't know she would leave so soon. She was eating well, talking a lot, and following me as I fed the cats and cleaned up after them. Weej was always ready to dress up for holidays and loved having her picture taken, and she was much loved by the other cats. To say we will miss her is a definite understatement. Heaven is richer with her there!  

My friend Dana sent these great words from a Rogation Day hymn. They were written by Edward White Benson (1829-1896) and are #292 in The Hymnal 1982 . . .they words are too good not to share! Have a blessed day.   O Jesus, crowned with all renown, Since thou the earth hast trod, Thou reignest, and by thee come down Henceforth the gifts of God. Thine is the health and thine the wealth That in our halls abound, And thine the beauty and the joy With which the years are crowned. Lord, in their change, let frost and heat, And winds and dews be giv’n; All fost’ring power, all influence sweet, Breathe from the bounteous heav’n. Attemper fair with gentle air The sunshine and the rain, That kindly earth with timely birth May yield her fruits again. That we may feed the poor aright, And, gath’ring round thy throne, Here, in the holy angels’ sight, Repay thee of thine own; That we may praise thee all our days, And with the Father’s Name, And with the Holy Spirit’s gifts, The Savior’s love pro...

Yes, yes, this is hectic time of year - cooking, cleaning, out-of-town guests . . . or travelling to visit family near and far - shopping, football.   But in all that craziness, I hope you find at least a few minutes of peace . . . just disappear into a good book and let the chores go - temporarily, of course! If you are fortunate enough to belong to a church that has a Thanksgiving service, I recommend worship and prayer, too! No church? May your heart be filled with prayers of thanksgiving. . . the angels and friends and family who have gone before will be praying with us!  

Yes indeed - it is cold and cloudy here! Thea and Sammy decided to climb into their favorite chair for an after-breakfast nap. We hope you are having a great day - if it's cloudy and cold where you are maybe you can find a snuggly place for a nap or for reading a good book. The beagles aren't really interested in reading, but they (and all of us at Sanctuary House) spend a large part of the day listening to classical music on NPR . . . hooray for WSCL for providing our indoor background soundscape!  

This morning our yard is full of robins, no doubt because the English ivy is full of ripe seeds and berries . . . yes, the ivy does spread by roots and tendrils, but it gets a lot of help from birds, too - especially robins! Robins are with us here all year, but it is always amazing to see and hear a large flock of them in the Autumn.   We hope you are having an amazing day too!

 If you like to shop online y ou can  help Ascension Hermitage and Sanctuary with free donations whenever you shop online with iGive.com. Right now, iGive is giving out bonus donations! New members who join today can get an extra $15 donation for Ascension Hermitage and Sanctuary if they make their first purchase within 30 days. The stores make this possible because they want you to like them and shop at them over and over again. There are 1558 great stores helping to make donations happen. I hope you'll give it a try. To learn more or sign up now, use this link: https://www.iGive.com/hzsWbO . . . and the best part of this is that except for a very little time, this doesn't cost you anything - it's like helping us for free!  Thanks!!

This afternoon when I let the doggies out at 5:15 the November Beaver Moon was just rising . . . it will be at its fullest tomorrow, but in case I'm doing something else I decided to take a picture today! And there are clouds in the sky here - if they clear, the night will certainly be bright. This full moon is a symbol of grounding and renewal. If you get a chance, take the opportunity to look at this full moon!  

 Since November 2nd was a Sunday, today is technically All Souls Day - but it also St. Winifred's Day! This image is from Wikipedia -  Stained glass depiction of Winifred, designed by  William Burges , at  Castell Coch ,  Cardiff . St. Winifred's story is built on legend to say the least - you can read about her here:  St. Winifred . I don't know how the name Winifred came to my family, but I am named in part for my second great-grandmother Mary Winifred Beale Harris, as were my mother and a grandaunt. We three are Emily Winifred, although many people also know me as Mary Winifred. Our foremother Mary Winifred was a strong character - she was born in Washington, DC in 1826, but spent most of her adult life in Houston, Texas. Her husband Joseph Harris was 20 years her senior. The Harrises had six children although only four lived to adulthood. The last child was born in 1857, the same year Joe Harris died, leaving his wife with four children under the age o...

Here we are - November 1st, All Saints Day - and my tomato plants that have produced only leaves all Summer are finally blooming! And the bell pepper plants that had a slightly more productive Summer are also blooming! The pepper plants are in pots so they can move indoors, but the tomato plants are in the ground. Will we have tomatoes this year? Seems unlikely, but we'll see! On a happy note, our beagle Sammy is Star of the Month in the Good Dog Jack newsletter. You can read his story here: Good Dog Jack Presents "Three Sleepy Westies" We hope you are having a wonderful day full of good surprises!