Homecoming and Voting

 On Tuesday, Br. John's dad Yates Forbis passed away. May he rest in peace. This was not a surprise but a shock nonetheless. Please keep John, his mom Ida and his sister Liz in prayer.

On Tuesday afternoon, I drove to Newark Liberty International Airport to pick up Bros. Robert Leo and Will Brown who were flying in from Santa Barbara, California. Br. Will our eldest brother at 95 is relocating to our monastery. Both Brothers are currently quarantining.

On Wednesday and Thursday, I saw eight folks in Spiritual Direction for General Theological Seminary on zoom.

On Saturday, four of us went to the village of Highland for early voting. I had never seen so many people at a polling station. Due to social distancing, the lines stretched a long way. People were patient and kind. There were several technical glitches at our station so we ended up waiting three and half hours before being able to cast our votes. Br. Carl who is 87 waited in the car and under an outside pavillion most of the time. While Bros. Aidan and Robert James kept our place in the queue, I went on several short walking errands tallying my daily 10,000 steps in the process.

Voting. From top, clockwise: the queue at the early voting station in Highland; Brothers Aidan and Robert James in line; Br. John and volunteer Susan Barbarisi working together in the monastic library; a late bloom in the gardens.

I was encouraged by the civism I saw on Saturday morning. While I still feel anxious about the election and its outcome, I feel relief  at having done my bit. Please make sure you vote. Take a folding chair, a snack and a water bottle and be with your fellow citizens in the exercise of our democracy.

And in all cases, stay safe, stay healthy, wear a mask and save lives.

Peace!

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