Goodbye, Tom...Thank you, Diane!

Two people that were guests at the Inn a number of times were Tom and Diane Weber. They had a steady and gentle way of getting acquainted with Sister Chanelle and myself. I experienced both of them as very people-centered, giving and lots of fun. As time went on we learned that Tom had cancer: multiple myeloma. Tom died September 2^{nd --} this Labor Day. This seemed to be a fitting day since Tom extended his hand to so many people during his life.

During the last couple of months of his life Tom was on hospice at home. Sister Chanelle and I had a chance to visit them. We were also blessed to be with Diane, family and friends at the funeral.

Tom was an initiator and Diane is as well; persons who make things happen. Because of their ideas and suggestions we have been able to beautify the entrance of the Inn with a new pathway, perennials, hanging baskets and colorful flowers. They also led a birding weekend here at the Monastery. They are good friends! We are grateful for Tom's presence and ideas for the Inn and our prayers go out to his wife Diane.

(A poem suggested by Diane for Tom’s Mourning Card)

Grief never ends,

But it changes.

It’s a passage,

    Not a place to stay.

The sense of loss

Must give way
If we are to value
The life that was lived.
Grief is not a sign of weakness,
Nor lack of faith.
It is the price of love.

 -Anonymous

"A Gift Exchange" by Evelyne Ello Hart

Sister Corinne asked me to write for her blog. The request came to me as a gift. Recently, I have been reflecting on my life experiences through each decade lived so far as I am preparing to enter a new one. I realized that God showered me with gifts and graces. Every morning during my stay at St. Gertrude’s, prior to my morning meditation at 4 am, I watched the sky and observed the horizon. What I saw was again a gift from God that left me speechless.

I counted my blessings/gifts and I realized that God had matched my love for writing with journalism and my love for speaking with radio broadcasting and medical interpreting. Currently, I am pursuing a doctoral degree in Leadership Studies and a Spiritual Direction formation at Gonzaga University in Spokane, in order to gift my love of teaching and my experience of the communion of the Holy Spirit to others. I kept hearing that a gift received should be a gift shared. This transaction leads us to a joyful place, where our spirit is renewed. Coming to the Monastery of St. Gertrude was a gift from God. My thank you to Him was to give back. Indeed, gift my hosts with my presence, my talents, my passion, and a taste of my culture.

My 8-year-old daughter Alexis Mérane also said thank you to God. She gifted Sister Placida with her enthusiasm when she rode Foxy bareback. It was her first time to ride a horse. She saw that moment as a special gift for her 8th birthday. She was fully herself in the Monastery, present in all activities, so committed that one afternoon while I was working as a housekeeper for the Inn, she left me a note that read, “Dear mommy, went to evening praise” and left me the key of our place on the note. I was so moved that I decided to capture it as one of our souvenirs.

In this amazing gift exchange the Lord reminded me of what it is to be a lay missionary. I was missing my home in Côte d'Ivoire, my land and my family, especially in the upcoming of my big birthday, and God brought to my attention the commitment that the Sisters made to live at St. Gertrude’s. I saw the connection between their way of life and mine. I saw the missionary thread in all of us reunited in the renewal room, on the fourth floor of the Monastery. Like me, they left their families, their homes, their lands to come as missionaries in the Nimiipuu’s country to serve, to love God, to simply be servant-leaders. Robert Greenleaf wrote in his seminal essay, The Servant as Leader that “the servant-leader is servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first.

Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead”. As a scholar in Leadership Studies, I believe that to lead is also to inspire, to influence others to become who God called them to be. While at St Gertrude’s, the daily life inspired me to make the connection between my relationship with St. Benedict and my leadership philosophy, which is Servant Leadership. I clearly saw while praying in the chapel, the seed of a scholarly paper in my heart. I saw how Robert Greenleaf walked in some of St. Benedict’s footsteps. I saw Servant Leadership in the rule of St. Benedict and shared the beginning of that inquiry with the Sisters. That was one of the highlights of my stay. It tasted as sweet as the sweets I made for the guests at the Inn.

I can now return to Gonzaga replenished and ready to submit to the action of God as the plaque reads in the back of the statue of St Ignatius standing in front of College Hall. My time at St Gertrude allowed me to say again my yes to the Lord, to live my life as a lay missionary and to serve others using all my birth gifts.

This post features Francie Ford, who generously agreed to be the volunteer innkeeper during community week last fall.

During Community Week last autumn, when the Sisters conduct the business of the Monastery, a family requested several days of reservations for the entire Inn. Because they did not want to disappoint their guests, the Sister innkeepers turned to me.

I felt like a little girl, playing house; it was going to be “my” space, into which to welcome the guests. I would serve the treats; I would get the breakfast. But, shortly before the guests arrived, the reality hit me. This week was my responsibility. It was going to be up to me to see to the credit card transfers, the assignment of the rooms and the sorting of the proper keys, the maintenance of the flower gardens, the coffee and food. And, although I knew I could interrupt the Sisters if an emergency occurred, I did not want to have to do that. Yikes!

My greatest concern, however, was that I would not provide the true welcoming hospitality the Sisters give. And for this lack there was no panic button; I could not ask a guest to wait while I found someone to take over welcoming them. Yikes, again!

Oh, me of little faith. I had not counted on the grace that abounds in that place. The Sisters would never have asked me had they not believed I could do the job. They had carefully trained me, so gently that I had not realized how much I had learned. When the guests arrived, welcoming them was natural. When I had difficulty with the credit cards, the guests were patient.  When I did anything for them, they were unstintingly grateful. 

What I received in turn were blessings beyond imagining. When my friends ask what I do at The Inn, or why I continue to volunteer, I reply that being there provides the way to experience what really matters to me: service, hospitality, conviviality. I can hardly wait to go again.

Francie Ford

Many reasons to be thankful

November is here; Thanksgiving will soon be here.

We have many things to be grateful for at the Inn, our Bed and Breakfast at St. Gertrude’s. I will ponder a few briefly and then reminisce about one of several items I have specially marked.**  I will journal about the others at some future date.

To begin, I am grateful for:

• the many new guests we have had the last year and for you that have returned for a second, third, fourth time; you come from many places and many walks of life
• the warm and creative affirmations and suggestions from you, our guests
• the warmth and graciousness of all of our guests
• the presence of your children at the Inn.

I am also thankful for:

• the effort to continue to enhance and beautify the outside of the Inn — special thanks go         to Tom and Diane Weber and Suzanne St. Pierre**
• the first ever Birding at the Monastery event***
• the generosity of the Wilson family and friends**
• the volunteer innkeepers at the Inn.**

I am grateful for:

• the immediate attention by Sr. Carlotta when there is trouble with a TV
• the awesome work of Theresa Henson — our artist and communications person — her       brochures, website, etc. are commented on by us and many of you, our guests!
• the support and interest of our Community members
• and the Support and Visionary Committee, the Supervisory Group, and Sr. Clarissa.

Birding at the Inn

Tom and Diane Weber have been frequent guests at our Inn; they have also taken a personal interest in the Bed and Breakfast as well as its future. While talking to one another during a stay they wondered if doing some “Bird Watching” would be an attraction. The Webers are avid bird watchers and so we agreed on a date and some advertising. The date was September 25- 27, 2012 and two people signed up. I found myself disappointed at first; however, this was the perfect number to start with. Some of the quotes from attendees: 

“My days with you opened up a whole new interest in my life and I also have found myself surrounded by birds.” 

 “As I move over to the Inn or climb the hill I am so much more aware of birds, their size, their sounds, and their habits. The visuals used for presentations were so informative regarding our flying friends of Mother Earth.”

Generosity Is Their Name

The following speaks of the concerted effort of our two leaders and two guests:

As a foursome they went to dinner on the first night of the bird watching event. While at the restaurant one of them noticed two people who seemed in great distress. The mother and son had serious car problems, were planning to travel a great distance and were looking for a place to stay overnight. The four birders knew that we had a vacant room at the Inn and encouraged them to come. They called and made arrangements. When the newcomers arrived at the Bed and Breakfast the four were so attentive and used their unique gifts to help the newcomers as well as the innkeepers. The travelers truly needed a good night’s sleep and comfort. The next morning one of the birders went with the son to solve the problem of the car. Soon the mother and son were on their way. It was such a collaborative effort. I am full of amazement at such kindness and generosity!

Finding Goodness on Mom's Weekend

Many years ago, when I was in my mid 20's, a woman I met taught me the value of trusting in the goodness of people. I don't know how it happened, but it did  happen. I saw differently in my journey of life. 


This trusting in the goodness of people, especially young people played itself out during a weekend at the Inn during April of this year.

Washington State University in Pullman had Mom’s weekend the 14^th of April. The particular Mom has two sons in college. Her plan was to pick up the one son in Central Washington and then for the two of them to meet the other son in Pullman. To make this a special son/Mom weekend the Dad figured that renting a convertible sports car for the event would be cool. In the meantime the youngest son in Pullman came to the conclusion that his Mom would enjoy coming to the Inn at St. Gertrude. He had read a newsletter of the minister of Chi Alpha Campus Ministries who had made a retreat at St. Gertrude and spoke so highly of his experience. This son figured that his Mom would appreciate being at the Inn at St. Gertrude rather than staying on campus for the weekend.

Their stay was filled with hiking the trails through the Monastery Wood, eating, meeting people, studying and driving their rental to the warmer river country on highways 13 and 12 which pass through Stites, Kooskia and Kamiah.  Needless to say they speeded along with their convertible top down.

When asked what they liked the best towards the end, the one thought the hide abed was the best ever and the other “grooved” on the homemade bread at our place. I mentioned to the Mom that she and her husband must have great parenting skills. She shook her head “no” and replied, “Oh, no. We have a great God!”

Visit the Inn at St. Gertrude