I received a unique blessing Saturday morning: an Indian cooking lesson from Sister Mary Michael, one of the Carmelite nuns who serve our Spirit of Life Roman Catholic Church parish in Mandan, N.D.

She is a cooking whirlwind and chopped the onions in a blaze. She does it all from years of experience, with nothing written down, and uses the spices she brings from India, telling me about how they grind these themselves on a large stone. At her insistence, I mostly observed, took photographs and drank the tea I was offered.

The fragrances of the chicken and beef marsala were nothing short of heavenly, and she insisted that I take some home with me. We will look forward to sharing some American food with the sisters another day soon.

Last spring, the sisters cooked an Indian meal for the parish, and they served hundreds of people.

Cooking is truly love in action, and I am grateful for the blessing of a morning spent with her.