Update on Magnolia Grove after the Winter Storm

Dear Friends,

We have happy news: our power is back on!

Well, nearly completely, that is. Our kitchen and dining hall remain without power but thankfully we still have running water and gas. We now have power again everywhere else: the monastic residences in both hamlets, the big meditation hall, the cabins… etc. 

What a wonderful reminder of impermanence to help us cherish the wonders of life we tend to take for granted—having an instant gush of running hot water with a little twist of a knob or the warmth of an electric heater with a simple button or with a flick of a switch: flooding bright lights.

Our heartfelt and immense gratitude runs deep for all our countless first responders who provided help and safety; our National Guards who delivered supplies and aided stranded vehicles on icy roads; and thousands of linemen, even coming from out of state, who bore the extreme cold outdoors including hazardous icy roads and fallen trees… to restore power during one of Mississippi’s most severe winter storms in over 30 years.

We send our prayers and love to those who have died from the storms, to everyone who is still without power and are heavily affected, to our neighboring states also undergoing grueling freezing temperatures and damages in the aftermath of the winter storm and some even bracing for more upcoming snow and harsh weather.

We are also grateful for your concern and care for our monastery and we would like reassure you that we are safe and well. Though the storm has passed, we still have icy roads, fallen branches, and trees which makes it still unsafe to reopen our monastery for the time being. We regret that we will not be hosting tomorrow’s Sunday Day of Mindfulness and will remain closed until further notice. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and will keep you informed when it is safe to reopen again. Meanwhile, we invite you to join our Thursday Online Sessions which will still continue as usual (unless we experience another unexpected power outage). 

We wish you all profound inner peace and hope you are all safe and keeping warm!