August 16

Careful and even occasional readers of this blog (if there are any remaining!) will notice that I’ve not posted since early July. Now it is the middle of August and I am looking ahead at the close of this sabbatical period. It seems to be coming towards me at quite a good clip!

What has caused the drop in posts? The short answer contains two parts.

One is that the Canada trip our family enjoyed in July took a lot of the wind out of my sails. Not that anything was bad about the trip; quite the opposite, in fact. The trip was so good and we enjoyed so many different aspects of our travels, it is almost as if on our return I did not have the energy to process what we had done, seen, tasted, smelled, heard, etc.

Yes, I wanted to continue my sabbatical project and yes, I was able to make progress, but something changed for me on the trip. Plus, it was, I think, nearly 5,000 miles of driving and this alone is probably a good enough reason for the slowdown in writing and reflecting on the sabbatical’s theme – the theology of vocation and work. In other words the trip was a lot of work!

The second reason for the slowdown comes from the inevitable duties that await any contemporary parent of teenagers, or homeowner trying to make the most of warm weather and long days. Part of my agreement with the family was that I would be available to serve as family transportation manager and get Grace and Christopher to volleyball or football camps, friends houses in far-flung suburbs and the like. (When I was growing up, all of my friends seemed to live within biking distance of my home – why is it that my daughter’s friends have to live in another county? – might as well be Kansas!)

But with all the above stated so defensively, I have managed to make progress on my reading and planning for the upcoming year at St. Gabriel, with specific attention given to the theme of the summer’s reflection – that at the core of the mission of God is the people of God living out faithful lives in their various vocations.

In another post, I shall sketch out what I will bring to St. Gabriel on my return.

Finally, as I re-read what I’ve just written, I realize that all that I hoped to be able to pursue – professional and spiritual renewal, physical fitness, time with my family – are areas that indeed were realized over the course of the past three months. For that, and so much more, I remain grateful.

See you all very soon!