"There is not a 'fragment' in all nature, for every relative fragment of one thing is a full harmonious unit in itself."

Notes from the Field - Last year, I walked into an apartment in an active construction zone in Boston, where I did not know anyone and where I would spend the next two years of my life. Going into it, I was terrified.

Family, relatives and friends of Sr. Clare Crockett gathered in St. Columba's Church Long Tower May 2 to remember the 33-year-old sister killed in Ecuador during an April 17 earthquake. Crockett and five postulants of the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother were among more than 500 people killed in the quake.

Reflecting upon the history of Mother's Day, that it was intended originally to celebrate life and state that mothers did not want their children killed by war, I believe the added history is significant in our time.

GSR Today - After a week of experiencing the frenetic pace of Beirut, a day spent in the Beqaa Valley offers the opportunity for a bit of respite: mountainous landscapes, green valleys, crisp air free of the humidity common to the capital city's coastal climate.

"In the container of community life, I experience the stability my free spirit needs in order to be vibrant."

My village visits were part of an exposure program that Guwahati archdiocese has organized for seminarians and nuns in training since 2007. Archbishop Menamparampil, who started the program, explained that the exposure would give young missionaries a taste of village life. "It would help them come out of the four walls of secured seminaries and convents and see for themselves the challenges faced by the people in the world," the Salesian prelate used to say.

While at work the other week, I took a break to run the Boston Marathon with a friend, Kelly. I managed to get through the entire event without spilling my coffee or breaking a sweat.

Appreciation - Margaret Brennan's life meant much to many. What she did moved mountains few actually realized at the moment of their turning but which, before the process was over, we all felt.

Sr. Meena Barwa has forgiven the men who attacked her nearly eight years ago. The gang rape was a horrifying experience, but the aftermath was more painful, she says. Barwa, 34, is a member of the Handmaids of Mary, an indigenous congregation of Odisha, an eastern Indian state. She was among the victims of the worst anti-Christian violence in India's modern history, which began Aug. 24, 2008.