Uphill

You're going downhill this year, James," [the doctor] says to me, but I am eighty-three. What can you expect? "If you mean my chest is worse," I said to him, "I will accept your judgement as a medical man, but don't tell me I'm going downhill. The road climbs upwards, upwards to the light. It must do. It wouldn't be such hard going if it was going downhill." 

The Wounds of God, Penelope Wilcock

AMDG

Changes Along a Country Road

Ever since we moved here I've been intrigued by the way the fields that we pass change from season to season. You never know when a field full of grass might fill with cows. A field of tall green corn turns into a field of parched brown stalks, and a month later it may rain for a week and there will be ducks swimming in the field. I wanted to record these changes so every Saturday morning for about twelve weeks, I've been stopping at first four, and now five places along the way to take pictures on my way to Mass. 

A while back, I started slowly uploading the pictures into a blog, and now it's more or less ready to be seen.  There's only one post, but there are five pages on the sidebar, one for each of the locations. I'll be adding a new picture to each of them every week, and I hope to continue for at least a year. I realized while I was loading the last bunch that I should have loaded them with the most recent pictures on the top, so I arranged the Cornfield page that way, and I'll try to find time to change the others little by little. 

Of course, I doubt that anyone will want to look at them very often. I'm doing this more or less for my own enjoyment. Every trip down that road--and I make that trip at least 12 times a week--has become more interesting. I'm always checking to see how things are going, and I notice so much more. Ever since we started walking, I have felt more and more a part of the area where we live, and this project has increased that sense of belonging to a place. 

There have been other really nice things that have happened also. Frequently people stop to ask if I need help. Over the past few months almost every sort of person has stopped: old, young, black, white, people with nice cars, people with beat-up old trucks. Once I was able to help an older lady who had gotten lost was frightened. 

And then, sometimes unexpected beautiful things show up. Last week I saw a bird that I've never seen before. It was small and bright yellow with black markings. Unfortunately it was too far away to get a picture, but I'll always remember it. Week before last, as I was walking back to my car from the swamp, I noticed that hundreds of swifts were flying back and forth over the bridge ahead. Most of the area was in shadow, but the sun was beaming down the path of the river and all the birds were aglow with light. I walked up to the bridge and managed to get a picture this time, but I could never convey how exhilirating and lovely it was to stand there in the midst of them.

Click the picture to see a larger version.

So, I hope that you will visit at least once. You can find it here.

AMDG

Inner Pilgrimage

Somewhere along the road of life, by the grace of God, my soul woke up, and its hunger became a fire, a fire that consumed me, ate me up, with its intense, devouring heat. 

I could not rest anywhere except in motion—in a motion that led me to God. That is how I began the journey inward, that long, endless journey that every soul must undertake if she is to meet her God. 

 It is a strange journey, across arid plains and verdant valleys, and deserts—a journey of many crossroads and endless sharp turns that confuse and clamor for a rest. But the hunger for God knows no rest. So I go on and on and on. 

 Yes, it is a strange journey that slowly makes me shed all the baggage I took for it—the baggage I took for it before I knew that it was too heavy a load for this kind of journey. I don’t know where I left it—somewhere back there by some crossroad. Now I am baggage-less, but somehow still too heavily burdened. 

Journey Inward, Catherine Doherty

This is the first part of a poem by Catherine Doherty. The first time I heard it, probably 25 years ago, I was riding home from a conference in New Orleans with friends. My friend Betsy had bought a book which included this poem, and she read it to us. I was thinking, "No thanks. Not for me. I'm not there yet and if I ever get there, it will be a long time from now." Well, I was right, and now it's been a long time.

There is more, and I plan to post it soon, maybe tomorrow, but you see how frequent my posts have been lately, so we'll see how that works out.

The Purple Book

About 20 years or so ago, someone wrote a history of the seminary and had way, way too many copies printed. Now it has become a sort of joke, and a long-standing tradition, that when anyone leaves the seminary, they are presented with a copy of the purple book which has been signed by the other employees. Over the years, I have seen many, many of these books given away. Less than four weeks ago today, I had not the slightest idea that today I might be sitting at home, the possessor of a purple book, having turned in my keys, and brought home eight years worth of junk, waiting to begin a new job on Monday. I don't really believe it. I know I've said this before, but I am still in a state of shock.

When I first started working at the seminary, I bought a set of four cups that matched these coasters.

One by one, the cups broke and we always had a joke that when the last one broke, I had to go. The cup with the mallard was the last one. I have dropped that cup on the tile floor in the kitchen, and on the marble floor in the Great Hall. I have dropped a heavy stoneware bowl on it while I was washing it twice. It seemed to be invulnerable, but about 6 weeks ago, I dropped it in the kitchen and it shattered. It was funny at the time. 

I wish it was Monday! I'm ready to see what the next part of my life is going to be like!

AMDG

The Last Day

Very, very, very odd. I think that part of me believes that I will just get this quitting stuff over with and then I will show up again next week.

AMDG

Well, I see I haven't posted anything since Saturday.  I've been very busy trying to organize my office and train my replacement. Tomorrow is the last day. I hope to write something then. I haven't decided to go away yet. ;-)

AMDG