In the spirit of back-to-school and getting back into the swing of things with the unofficial end of summer, I promise to update this terribly neglected blog this week with an appropriate post: How I Spent My Summer Vacation.
And here's hoping I can get inspired with something I can use to spur some more regular posting. The suggestion box (aka comments) is open....
Happy Back-to-School and Work everybody!
Monday, September 7, 2009
Sunday, July 5, 2009
More fireworks
The start of the finale. The racket you hear at about 50 seconds in is the boats in the harbor and up the creek blaring their horns in appreciation.
Happy 4th!
Enjoy a glimpse of the sights and sounds from Annapolis on the 4th of July. The show takes place in Annapolis' harbor. Thousands of people cram into the heart of downtown to watch. A group of friends and I, however, staked out a spot on the Spa Creek bridge and had a lovely view without having to get up-close-and-personal with quite so many of our neighbors.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
A wonderfully unexpected journey
It's been more than a month since I last posted, so I guess it's time for an update!
Like I wrote in my last entry, my Metro commuting days have come to a merciful end, and I have embarked on a new and entirely unexpected journey. Looking back I really couldn't tell you how this all happened. It just did. I mark my one-month anniversary this Thursday, and I still pinch myself on a regular basis.
I don't really have the words to articulate how much I love my new job. Aside from the surface things -- the money, the location, the greater responsibility -- this opportunity is really turning out to be something special. I haven't felt so "at home" in a situation since I was a college student.
When I was in high school and was first bitten by the journalism bug, I dreamed of doing such noble things -- giving voice to the voiceless and righting wrongs. With my pen and paper and keyboard, my writing could have an impact, my work had a purpose for the greater good. Well, I did write a few stories that fit that description and I will be forever proud of those efforts. But not everyone in the business strives for or considers such lofty ideas.
For the first time since I realized the power of the pen, I'm waking up in the morning filled with that same sense of purpose. My byline isn't on the front page of the paper or online every morning anymore. And I'm not chasing after the governor or some other high-profile state official.
No, instead, I'm traveling up and down the Northeast coast meeting and getting to know a group of men who've given their lives to the service of the Church, specifically the poorest and most abandoned of her members. My abilities are now at their service. My words -- written and spoken -- and my photos are the tools that will help them support themselves in the future, and, God willing, draw more to their ranks.
I really don't know how I got here, and I don't know how or why these men have so quickly found their way into my heart, but I know my priority every day is to do my best for them. They are and have been a gift to so many. My prayer is that they continue to be such a gift for years to come.
Like I wrote in my last entry, my Metro commuting days have come to a merciful end, and I have embarked on a new and entirely unexpected journey. Looking back I really couldn't tell you how this all happened. It just did. I mark my one-month anniversary this Thursday, and I still pinch myself on a regular basis.
I don't really have the words to articulate how much I love my new job. Aside from the surface things -- the money, the location, the greater responsibility -- this opportunity is really turning out to be something special. I haven't felt so "at home" in a situation since I was a college student.
When I was in high school and was first bitten by the journalism bug, I dreamed of doing such noble things -- giving voice to the voiceless and righting wrongs. With my pen and paper and keyboard, my writing could have an impact, my work had a purpose for the greater good. Well, I did write a few stories that fit that description and I will be forever proud of those efforts. But not everyone in the business strives for or considers such lofty ideas.
For the first time since I realized the power of the pen, I'm waking up in the morning filled with that same sense of purpose. My byline isn't on the front page of the paper or online every morning anymore. And I'm not chasing after the governor or some other high-profile state official.
No, instead, I'm traveling up and down the Northeast coast meeting and getting to know a group of men who've given their lives to the service of the Church, specifically the poorest and most abandoned of her members. My abilities are now at their service. My words -- written and spoken -- and my photos are the tools that will help them support themselves in the future, and, God willing, draw more to their ranks.
I really don't know how I got here, and I don't know how or why these men have so quickly found their way into my heart, but I know my priority every day is to do my best for them. They are and have been a gift to so many. My prayer is that they continue to be such a gift for years to come.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
The end of my Metro days
Yes, yes, I know, I fell off the face of the earth there for awhile. But Easter, interviewing for a new job, accepting said new job, preparing 26 kids to become Catholic, and resigning from my existing job have all kept me kinda busy.
At the moment I'm enjoying some long-awaited downtime before I start this new chapter in my life. Last week was my last one as a commuter on the D.C. Metro, and true to form the nation's capital's public transit system just couldn't let me go without a little drama on my last afternoon ride home.
I had a seat in the middle of the first car on the train. We were stopped at the last station in the District. The doors opened, people got off the train and there was the usual few second lag before the driver closed the doors again. In that lag of a few seconds, a black kid, probably 18 or 19, comes running on the train through the first door in the car. He was pursued by a police officer -- short black guy wearing a navy blue vest that said police on it. The kid exited the train through the car's middle door, still pursued by the officer who was yelling into his radio that the kid was coming back toward what we all assumed was more police officers.
There was zero reaction among the train passengers, by the way, through all this -- no screams, no talking. Everyone simply looked up from what they were reading or watching on their iPods and watched the cop chasing this kid.
When the cop and the kid exited the train, we all started craning our necks to see behind us where it seemed the kid had been caught and the chase was over. But then, a few seconds after the kid and the cop left, another police officer boarded the train through the door the previous two had just exited. This was a short white guy, again same blue police vest...this guy had his gun drawn and just stood there looking around the car.
At this point, a number of passengers spoke up and told the cop, "they went that way!," pointing in the opposite direction. The cop looked bewildered and hurriedly left the train. How he got on the train without seeing the swarm of his colleagues around this kid, I'll never know. But he left us all on the train in stitches. Everyone got a good chuckle out of it.
Once the second cop had left the train, the doors closed and we proceeded on our way. There wasn't really any delay...all of this happened in the space of maybe two minutes.
But I guess I simply couldn't end my days as a Metro commuter without a little drama.
At the moment I'm enjoying some long-awaited downtime before I start this new chapter in my life. Last week was my last one as a commuter on the D.C. Metro, and true to form the nation's capital's public transit system just couldn't let me go without a little drama on my last afternoon ride home.
I had a seat in the middle of the first car on the train. We were stopped at the last station in the District. The doors opened, people got off the train and there was the usual few second lag before the driver closed the doors again. In that lag of a few seconds, a black kid, probably 18 or 19, comes running on the train through the first door in the car. He was pursued by a police officer -- short black guy wearing a navy blue vest that said police on it. The kid exited the train through the car's middle door, still pursued by the officer who was yelling into his radio that the kid was coming back toward what we all assumed was more police officers.
There was zero reaction among the train passengers, by the way, through all this -- no screams, no talking. Everyone simply looked up from what they were reading or watching on their iPods and watched the cop chasing this kid.
When the cop and the kid exited the train, we all started craning our necks to see behind us where it seemed the kid had been caught and the chase was over. But then, a few seconds after the kid and the cop left, another police officer boarded the train through the door the previous two had just exited. This was a short white guy, again same blue police vest...this guy had his gun drawn and just stood there looking around the car.
At this point, a number of passengers spoke up and told the cop, "they went that way!," pointing in the opposite direction. The cop looked bewildered and hurriedly left the train. How he got on the train without seeing the swarm of his colleagues around this kid, I'll never know. But he left us all on the train in stitches. Everyone got a good chuckle out of it.
Once the second cop had left the train, the doors closed and we proceeded on our way. There wasn't really any delay...all of this happened in the space of maybe two minutes.
But I guess I simply couldn't end my days as a Metro commuter without a little drama.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Happy Easter!
I hope everyone's enjoying the start of this joyful feast of Easter! I love that we have eight days to celebrate this day, and a month-plus to continue the celebration!
This morning my parents and I piled in the car to go to 9 a.m. Mass. We arrived to find a line of cars backed up on the street waiting to get into the parking lot. We didn't think much of it...must just be the usual Easter crush. When we got inside the church we discovered why the traffic was so bad. It was 8:40 a.m. and the 7:30 a.m. Mass was about two minutes from ending! The church was full, and everyone who had come for the 9 a.m. service was waiting around in the lobby.
Suffice it to say it was chaotic once the 7:30 Mass got out because all the people standing the lobby promptly began filing into the sanctuary before the previous congregation had exited.
But the priest celebrating the 9 a.m. Mass handled it beautifully. He walked about halfway up the center aisle, vested for Mass and with his microphone turned on and told people not to worry. He knew the parking lot was a mess and traffic was a nightmare. But he wasn't worried. He was going to wait another few minutes before starting Mass. He knew there were more people than there were seats, and he apologized for not being Our Lord Jesus Christ who would then be able to create more seats. But he reminded us that all those inconveniences paled in comparison to what we were there to celebrate. In his previous assignment as a Navy chaplain, he'd celebrated Easter Masses on the front lines and in other desolate places, but the bottom line was the same ---
Jesus rose from the grave and became our Redeemer. That's all that really matters today.
It reminded me of a saying of some friends in college who worked in the chapel and served on the liturgy committee. Holy Week and Easter were nothing short of exhausting. But in the end, they had a saying -- no matter what happens, Jesus is still going to rise on Sunday.
Nothing else matters.
This morning my parents and I piled in the car to go to 9 a.m. Mass. We arrived to find a line of cars backed up on the street waiting to get into the parking lot. We didn't think much of it...must just be the usual Easter crush. When we got inside the church we discovered why the traffic was so bad. It was 8:40 a.m. and the 7:30 a.m. Mass was about two minutes from ending! The church was full, and everyone who had come for the 9 a.m. service was waiting around in the lobby.
Suffice it to say it was chaotic once the 7:30 Mass got out because all the people standing the lobby promptly began filing into the sanctuary before the previous congregation had exited.
But the priest celebrating the 9 a.m. Mass handled it beautifully. He walked about halfway up the center aisle, vested for Mass and with his microphone turned on and told people not to worry. He knew the parking lot was a mess and traffic was a nightmare. But he wasn't worried. He was going to wait another few minutes before starting Mass. He knew there were more people than there were seats, and he apologized for not being Our Lord Jesus Christ who would then be able to create more seats. But he reminded us that all those inconveniences paled in comparison to what we were there to celebrate. In his previous assignment as a Navy chaplain, he'd celebrated Easter Masses on the front lines and in other desolate places, but the bottom line was the same ---
Jesus rose from the grave and became our Redeemer. That's all that really matters today.
It reminded me of a saying of some friends in college who worked in the chapel and served on the liturgy committee. Holy Week and Easter were nothing short of exhausting. But in the end, they had a saying -- no matter what happens, Jesus is still going to rise on Sunday.
Nothing else matters.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Holy Saturday
And so we wait. After the drama of the last two days -- the Last Supper, the betrayal, the trials, the beating, the torture, the execution, the burial -- we wait in silence outside the tomb. And ponder the gravity, the power, the redemption that we have seen.
Enjoy one of my favorite meditations on this last day of the Triduum:
"What is happening? Today there is a great silence over the earth, a great silence, and stillness, a great silence because the King sleeps; the earth was in terror and was still, because God slept in the flesh and raised up those who were sleeping from the ages. God has died in the flesh, and the underworld has trembled.
Truly he goes to seek out our first parent like a lost sheep; he wishes to visit those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. He goes to free the prisoner Adam and his fellow-prisoner Eve from their pains, he who is God, and Adam's son.
The Lord goes in to them holding his victorious weapon, his cross. When Adam, the first created man, sees him, he strikes his breast in terror and calls out to all: 'My Lord be with you all.' And Christ in reply says to Adam: ‘And with your spirit.’ And grasping his hand he raises him up, saying: ‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.
‘I am your God, who for your sake became your son, who for you and your descendants now speak and command with authority those in prison: Come forth, and those in darkness: Have light, and those who sleep: Rise.
‘I command you: Awake, sleeper, I have not made you to be held a prisoner in the underworld. Arise from the dead; I am the life of the dead. Arise, O man, work of my hands, arise, you who were fashioned in my image. Rise, let us go hence; for you in me and I in you, together we are one undivided person.
‘For you, I your God became your son; for you, I the Master took on your form; that of slave; for you, I who am above the heavens came on earth and under the earth; for you, man, I became as a man without help, free among the dead; for you, who left a garden, I was handed over to Jews from a garden and crucified in a garden.
‘Look at the spittle on my face, which I received because of you, in order to restore you to that first divine inbreathing at creation. See the blows on my cheeks, which I accepted in order to refashion your distorted form to my own image.
'See the scourging of my back, which I accepted in order to disperse the load of your sins which was laid upon your back. See my hands nailed to the tree for a good purpose, for you, who stretched out your hand to the tree for an evil one.
`I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side, for you, who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side healed the pain of your side; my sleep will release you from your sleep in Hades; my sword has checked the sword which was turned against you.
‘But arise, let us go hence. The enemy brought you out of the land of paradise; I will reinstate you, no longer in paradise, but on the throne of heaven. I denied you the tree of life, which was a figure, but now I myself am united to you, I who am life. I posted the cherubim to guard you as they would slaves; now I make the cherubim worship you as they would God.
"The cherubim throne has been prepared, the bearers are ready and waiting, the bridal chamber is in order, the food is provided, the everlasting houses and rooms are in readiness; the treasures of good things have been opened; the kingdom of heaven has been prepared before the ages."
A reading from an ancient homily for Holy Saturday
Enjoy one of my favorite meditations on this last day of the Triduum:
"What is happening? Today there is a great silence over the earth, a great silence, and stillness, a great silence because the King sleeps; the earth was in terror and was still, because God slept in the flesh and raised up those who were sleeping from the ages. God has died in the flesh, and the underworld has trembled.
Truly he goes to seek out our first parent like a lost sheep; he wishes to visit those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. He goes to free the prisoner Adam and his fellow-prisoner Eve from their pains, he who is God, and Adam's son.
The Lord goes in to them holding his victorious weapon, his cross. When Adam, the first created man, sees him, he strikes his breast in terror and calls out to all: 'My Lord be with you all.' And Christ in reply says to Adam: ‘And with your spirit.’ And grasping his hand he raises him up, saying: ‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.
‘I am your God, who for your sake became your son, who for you and your descendants now speak and command with authority those in prison: Come forth, and those in darkness: Have light, and those who sleep: Rise.
‘I command you: Awake, sleeper, I have not made you to be held a prisoner in the underworld. Arise from the dead; I am the life of the dead. Arise, O man, work of my hands, arise, you who were fashioned in my image. Rise, let us go hence; for you in me and I in you, together we are one undivided person.
‘For you, I your God became your son; for you, I the Master took on your form; that of slave; for you, I who am above the heavens came on earth and under the earth; for you, man, I became as a man without help, free among the dead; for you, who left a garden, I was handed over to Jews from a garden and crucified in a garden.
‘Look at the spittle on my face, which I received because of you, in order to restore you to that first divine inbreathing at creation. See the blows on my cheeks, which I accepted in order to refashion your distorted form to my own image.
'See the scourging of my back, which I accepted in order to disperse the load of your sins which was laid upon your back. See my hands nailed to the tree for a good purpose, for you, who stretched out your hand to the tree for an evil one.
`I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side, for you, who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side healed the pain of your side; my sleep will release you from your sleep in Hades; my sword has checked the sword which was turned against you.
‘But arise, let us go hence. The enemy brought you out of the land of paradise; I will reinstate you, no longer in paradise, but on the throne of heaven. I denied you the tree of life, which was a figure, but now I myself am united to you, I who am life. I posted the cherubim to guard you as they would slaves; now I make the cherubim worship you as they would God.
"The cherubim throne has been prepared, the bearers are ready and waiting, the bridal chamber is in order, the food is provided, the everlasting houses and rooms are in readiness; the treasures of good things have been opened; the kingdom of heaven has been prepared before the ages."
A reading from an ancient homily for Holy Saturday
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