Sr. Theresia Elder, RPB

For as long as I can remember, I have had a heartfelt desire to give “my all” to God. This desire assisted me in coming to a more profound realization that within me is both a sinner and a saint in the making.

I discovered that the nourishment for prayer is often my stance of need. The poems within this book give a poetic expression of these prayer experiences through which I hope to connect with people with similar experiences or aspirations. The beauty of poetry is that it is open to interpretation.

Behind my poetry is the image of my holding a dandelion and God saying to me, “This is our meeting ground.” Dandelions symbolize my life and what God called forth from me. It was also then that I truly fell in love with dandelions. Wouldn’t you?

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Book Reviews:

“I really liked how dandelions kept popping up throughout the poems. Your way of helping us see the wonderful influence if their seeds is great. I will now look at them after they bloom with new wonderment. I also loved the surprise images jumping off the page in each poem. Leave it to the poets to do this. You are so insightful, creative and full of delightful; poetic flourishes”.  Fr. Prieur, London, ON.

“Your poetry is lovely and so expressive. It shows how any object, scene, thought, scripture can lead us to God in our personal spiritual live. And so they should since our Creator gave them to us”. Jude, Peterborough, ON

” It is obvious that you write from your own inner experience, and you have the ability to express yourself in writing that is accessible to a wide range of readers. I hope the book brings hope and new vision to many people searching for God”.  Rev. Brian O’Leary, SJ, Dublin, Ireland

“I am so impressed with your God-given talents to be able to write spiritual poems even at an older age. God’s hand has been on you all your life”. Jini, Brampton, ON

“Amid the distractions and noise of modern life it is not easy to hear the voice of God. How can you listen? How can you know when God is speaking? Many Catholics, who go faithfully through life, take part in their parish, raise their families, and reach out to others, still say that they have never felt the grace of God’s Holy Spirit. Like St. Mother Teresa they stay the curse, without experiencing God’s presence in their lives.

Recently I spent some time with the Precious Blood Sisters at their monastery, located in a wooded section of Dundas, Ontario. While there I began reading a short book of poem prayers composed by Sister Theresia Elder. Sister Theresia embraced the cloistered life in 1952 at the age of eighteen. Life in a monastery is not always as sublime and free of care as some imagine. Silence, long hours of prayer, daily chores and living in close (enclosed) proximity with others can be difficult. No stranger to suffering ( poliomyelitis has been a challenge most of her life), Sister Theresis never shirked from monastic responsibilities. Deeply spiritual, the community recognized her gift of vocational discernment, entrusting to her the formation of young women joining the community.

For Sister Theresia poetry has been a way of finding words to capture the inexpressible presence of God’s grace in our world. Dandelion Experiences: Poetic Prayers for a Windy Day is a collection of over fifty poem prayers chronicling the ins and outs, ups and downs of a life lived in faithful response to a vocation not easily understood by the world today. It is a chronicle of a nun’s spiritual journey of over seven decades. During this time the author has learned to see beyond appearances and penetrate into the mystery of God’s presence in the most ordinary, sometimes disappointing experiences.

Dandelions, a nuisance for gardeners and magic for young children, are a strong image of the ambiguity of life. Sister’s poems help unwrap the unexpected gift of the Lord’s presence in the most unlikely places. ” The dandelion is a weed? Ah! Take another look and journey now with me into my precious book.” These words from the book’s Forward are an invitation not so much to read her poems, as to pray them with her.

Filled with gentle humility, quiet humour, and prophetic hope. Dandelion Experiences is a treasure of contemplative wisdom worth having nearby. Pick it up and spend quiet time with the Lord”. Richard, Hamilton ON