Find Benedictine values all around you

The recent snowfall has transformed the backyard of Marmion House into something of a wild bird sanctuary.

Tuesday morning, my roommate and I started our days with a cup of coffee and the view of a bird feeder nailed to a cedar tree behind our home. Regular attendees to the Ecohouse bird center include black-capped chickadees, downy woodpeckers, northern cardinals, white-breasted nuthatches and a committed couple of blue jays. Ryan Imm, my roommate, called me into the living room as I read class materials at the dinner table. I was elated to see a curious pileated woodpecker that came to see what all the fuss was about. I have come to know the birds of Marmion House to be excellent teachers of the Benedictine values. Community living: the family of nuthatches that emerges from the forest every morning is gracious enough to share its home with us. We coexist quite well. Moderation: save for the occasional gluttonous blue jay, each bird takes its share of food and flies on.

Peace: our avian friends are stand-up models of this value. During the busiest hours, I’ll watch five different species patiently eating together. My cohabitation with native birds has allowed me to enact some Benedictine values myself.

Listening: the quiet observation of patterns and plumages has served me well in learning about the changing of seasons.

Dignity of work: I feel pride in hanging the feeder from the cedar and filling it with suet for our neighbors to enjoy.

Stewardship: I recognize value in the diversity of life which surrounds us and will do my darndest to serve it.

I strongly encourage you, dear reader, to become familiar with the natural world around you. Learn to identify a few species of birds by name before you graduate.