The first steps to getting anywhere is deciding you’re no longer willing to stay where you are.
On the Road Again
I heard a tagline aired recently in a Fountain Tire commercial: “We’re on this road together.” Are we not more deeply aware that we are travelling on the road of life together? Hourly, we witness in TV-land multiple local, national, and global realities. However, we often experience ourselves as restless travel companions. Frequently, I hear my table companions utter, “I can’t watch the news anymore.” On CPAN, we witness our politicians acting childishly. Oftentimes, we hear truth substituted by lies and half- truths.
Amid the continual global chaos and evolving crises, we struggle with the temptation to pull over and stop. We easily identify with the words penned by the novelist, Oliver Goldsmith,
“Life is a journey that must be traveled no matter how bad the roads and accommodations.”
Perhaps the words of Dag Hammarskjöld set the course for an authentic response to the bombardments of the daily newscasts.
The brilliant diplomat succinctly captures where we discover ourselves wandering. In seven, ordinary words, Hammarskjold profoundly states, “The longest journey is the journey inwards.”
As virtual and emotional globetrotters, bereft of modes of travel, we are left to our own devices. We soon discover ourselves pulled into an inner soul quest. Part of my daily soul quest is to set aside quiet time for dedicated soul searching where I can seek to untangle my thoughts and feelings. This quiet time of self reflection allows me to avoid the temptation to pull over and stop. Instead, I am in a better position, if challenged, to give as Peter says, “a reason for my hope.” (Peter 3:15)
On the road again
I just can't wait to get on the road again
The life I love is making music with my friends
And I can't wait to get on the road again -Willie Nelson
by Sister Nancy Wales, CSJ
Here Comes Summer
The calendar announces, “Two weeks until summer”, but I’m sure it’s already here. The early rising sun peaks in my window at six a.m., beckoning me to go for a morning walk. The birds are chirping in the leafy trees. Squirrels and chipmunks are jet-propelled as they scamper from tree to tree and best of all, we are having our first outdoor barbecue of the season at noon today! Pull on the well-worn straw hats, slap on some sunscreen, don’t forget your sunglasses. Head toward the beautiful, enclosed garden, lured by the sizzling aroma of burgers on the grill. We’ve been waiting for this summer ritual for months.
Last year, whenever a barbecue sign was posted, it always ended with, “in the dining room”. Rain prevented our backyard party every time. Today will be different; yesterday’s sunny hours said so.
This morning, here I am, preparing to head for our first summer cookout. I pull back the curtains and survey my kingdom. What’s this I see? Heavy clouds fill the sky. I run to check the sign. There I read the fatal words, “in the dining room”. Foiled again. Guess I’ll have to wait until summer begins.
-Sister Jean Moylan, csj
Weekly Pause and Ponder
Summer Reading for Lazy Days
Summer Reading for Lazy Days
Have you decided that you deserve a break this summer from reading intellectual textbooks, reports, and dense papers? If so, let me recommend an enjoyable series of light mystery stories written by Ashley Weaver. Murder at Brightwell is the first of a series of seven books. The protagonists are a wealthy couple who, especially the wife, become interested in solving murders while working through the marital conflicts stemming from their personalities and histories. The plots are surprisingly complicated and the development, or not, of marital bliss keeps you hoping that the couple will have success both as amateur detectives and marital partners.
There is another series of three mystery novels by the same author which I found entertaining. The main character is a young woman whose family consists of persons who are loyal to England but sometimes on the wrong side of the law. However, family members have skills that become valuable to the British Government in England during WWII. Once again, a mix of patriotism, romance, and unusual skills result in enjoyable hours of entertainment.
The Ashley Weaver novels are available in public libraries but can also be accessed for reading on your iPad using the readily available APP Libby. Library staff will facilitate your acquiring and using this APP. I suggest that these books, whether in print or on your IPad are delightful companions when you are lounging at the beach, loafing in the backyard, or awake in the small hours of the night.
-Sister Pat McKeon , csj
Image: Anna Hamilton/Unsplash