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Friday, September 1, 2023

The Grotto

 

 

Yesterday my "live-in gardener" and I had plans. I was excited, but scared all at the same time. We were going to take our grandson, D, zip-lining for a fun end of summer celebration before school starts next Tuesday. Our D ended up coming down with Covid yesterday and plans were changed. So far he is doing OK and I pray that continues to be so and he will be ready to return to school soon.

I felt like my "live-in gardener" and I should get out and walk. The Grotto is about 5 miles from us and we had been many times to the lower grounds, but had never taken the elevator up the bluff to the upper gardens. It was a rainy day, so we bundled up.

The Grotto is a Catholic retreat center that is open to the public. People come here to meditate, sometimes for concerts, to see the decorations and lights at Christmas, and just enjoy the beauty. The first picture above is the main area where they hold mass and people come to pray.

Let's walk through the upper gardens.

The next few pictures were shrine's representing different countries in honor of Mary.





This was Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Beautiful carvings.

The trees were stunning throughout the walk. Here was a labyrinth, which was the perfect place to walk and meditate. I prayed for many as I walked.

There was also a Peace Gardens we walked through, which took us by the monastery.






 
This sweet little chapel would be a lovely place for a small wedding.

 
There was a small walk where there were Sorrow and Joy plaques.



 
And finally before heading home we sat for a little while in the leather chairs of the Marilyn Meditation Chapel. Yes, It was donated by someone named Marilyn. It was stunning just at the edge of the cliff and overlooking the surrounding area.

 
Not exactly zip-lining, but just perfect for the day. We both said, "why has it taken us over 40 years to come to this part of the garden".  It was so peaceful and the perfect walk on a drizzly, rainy day.

Happy Weekend, dear friends!
Always be flexible to change plans when needed, it is so worth it.
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2 comments:

  1. JeanieSeptember 1, 2023 at 8:58 AM

    All good wishes to D. (And in my book, that would be a much better day than ziplining!) What a beautiful spot, Marilyn. This is a little treasure.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Linda PSeptember 2, 2023 at 5:57 AM

    I hope your grandson recovers well and he gets back to school very soon. I'm glad you got out for a walk in the woods. It looks like a peaceful place.

    ReplyDelete

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