An Accidental Monk

Four years after reading Thomas Merton's autobiography, The Seven Story Mountain, I found myself living six miles away from the same abbey where---before his death---he had his stability. There was no Oblate program, but my family and I were invited to participate in Cistercian ora et labora, spiritual direction, and friendship. It transformed our lives, and those who joined us, in a way I can't imagine otherwise. But the center only held for 10 years, then we moved on in pain and confusion. Our soul work had just begun. Speaking for myself, it was so worth it.