4th of July Picnic with Brittany and Tara
It’s been way too long since I sat down to write a blog.  Each day has been very full, very full indeed!  But, at long last, I am able to steal a few moments to fill you all in on the goings on here at Our Lady of Solitude.
There is SO much going on!  On July 1st we had two young ladies begin a time of discernment with our community (called candidacy).  Please keep them in your prayers as they continue to discern God’s Will for their life.  
Last week the seating for the Nuns’ Mass Choir and the Nuns’ Adoration Choir was being installed.  It looks so beautiful and complete (photos to follow soon).
It is monsoon season in the desert of Arizona.  And every year I am amazed by this season.  I remember when we first moved here, the locals would say how they loved monsoon season.  I thought it was strange as, in addition to high heat, there is the added ‘bonus’ of humidity.  Coming from Alabama, I really do appreciate the dry heat.  But I must say, despite the humidity, monsoon season continues to wiggle its way into my affection!  There is something very beautiful and mysterious about a desert storm – the yellow skies, the violent winds, the smell of a desert rain, and the arid ground rejoicing in the needed moisture.  
We have had our fair share of monsoon storms here in Tonopah so far this summer – and thankfully we’ve gotten some rain along with the blowing dust and thunder!  We’ve even had a rainbow or two!
Last week we had a particularly treacherous looking dust storm blow through.  They always come from the East it seems, blowing in from the Valley of the Sun.  And these storms arrive with little warning.  The sky turns a mysterious yellowish brown color in the distance…within minutes the thick cloud is bearing down upon us.  The clear blue desert sky is replaced by a thick brown cloud that is hard to describe. Below are some photos for our blog followers who have not experienced a dust storm in the desert.  There’s a certain helplessness that comes upon us as we watch these storms roll in.  All we can do is brace ourselves and whisper a little prayer (that the power won’t go out…because that’s no fun when it is 110 degrees)…and let it blow over.  And remember that there are blue skies above the dust.  

It’s much like life, I guess.  Especially in moments of helplessness in the midst of the storm.  It gives me great comfort to remember the book of Job – and how the Lord spoke to Job from the MIDST OF THE STORM: “Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm….Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? ”  (Job 38)  

There are times in life when we get a little glimpse of reality and know how little and vulnerable and helpless we are.  But such moments, if we are attentive, are always accompanied by a clearer glimpse of the greater reality of the power and strength and protecting love of Our Father.