The View Up Here

I've been offline quite a bit this year. Another year of changes, as it has turned out. The big change is that I was invited to interview for an open Director of Faith Formation position at a parish two hours north of Elmira, in Macedon, NY, and I was offered the job. I accepted, but it meant a 3-week turn around on a move. Whew! That's not the fastest bug-out I've ever done - two weeks from interview to start date is my record (for the job at Cornell in 2005, NYS Move #2, incidentally). Because God is in the details, I have friends from college who live in Palmyra (next door to Macedon) in a giant 1800s farmhouse they've renovated over the last 20 years, and they invited me to stay with them while I looked for an apartment. I moved in on August 1st, started my job August 5th, and tomorrow, September 6th, I'll move into my new apartment just up Rte. 31. How wonderful! But really, moving, AGAIN. The older I get, the harder it is to move. God certainly keeps me o...

Normally around this time, I do a wrap up of the year in my own life and estimation. Although I don't remember if I did one last year. Anyway, I'm resuming the tradition.  After spending the Christmas holiday with my family, I arrived home last night to find a pile of Christmas cards awaiting me in the mail box. I had anticipated this and was delighted to open cards from friends and family in other states as well as right here in Elmira. What I wasn't prepared for was a letter tucked into a card from my friend Fr. David, a Trappist in Utah. His letter held some sad news, including the death of their Guestmaster, lay brother Michael. Michael was my first contact at Holy Trinity Abbey, where I spent many a retreat weekend during my year in Salt Lake City, and we had quickly become friends. I will always remember his New Jersey baritone, "We all love you, honey. We're praying for you."  So last night after doing laundry and watering my plants, I made my ...

This morning I arrived late to the temp job as I had an interview for another, long term temp job at a local insane asylum institute of higher learning. My entire morning routine was obliterated as I stressed over what to wear, how I'd park on campus, the fact that I didn't have bus fare, etc. Ultimately, the interview went very well, I thought, and I'm psyched at the prospect of working there for my remaining 2 months in I-town. But by the time I got to my current temp gig, I was out of sorts and just grateful that WICB has a Reggae show on Thursday mornings, followed by 2 hours of jazz in the afternoon. And since I only had part of a cup of coffee this morning, I am drinking the weak office swill because I am an addict. There, I said it. But you know what? Other than the fact that my cat is very annoyed at me for being gone all day (after weeks of freelancing from home), I'm very grateful that I have some place to be in the mornings. Getting out of the house is good...