We live within ten minutes of Mount Angel Abbey, a peaceful monastery perched above a nearby town. Sometimes the kids and I will go there for the short walk up the hill, going through the Stations of The Cross which recall the suffering and death of Jesus. Once at the top, we'll walk around the grounds and the kids will watch for monks, whispering excitedly, "I see one!". Sometimes (when we don't have busy little babes with us) we like to go listen to the monks sing their vespers which they do six times a day. We also love the little, almost hidden, museum full of all kinds of strange taxidermy including some deformed animals like a cow with eight legs. Today, on the way back down, the girls insisted on holding church at the Grotto of Mary complete with an offering plate collecting chestnuts. Peaceful, beautiful and together with family: a good way to spend a New Year's Day thanking Jesus for the many blessings of the last year.
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