ringing in the new year...

i have made a few observations over the course of the last 365 days, which can reasonably be supported:

1.) men and women (if given enough time and grace) can live together
2.) i am no longer lactose intolerant, but i do have some undiagnosed form of acid reflex (after a few caramel chocolate chip brownies and Jake's famous cheesy supreme, it doesn't take too much more convincing)
3.) this may be the greatest time to be a new england/boston sports fan (n.b. for the first time in my life, i'm living someplace other than the east coast)
4.) i am becoming more and more like my father (this doesn't scare me, but in some respects, it gives me cause for concern)
5.) trains are well-constructed vehicles that offer some terrific benefits; however their one drawback is that they take a long time to stop (especially when tracker trailers try to beat them across a railroad crossing)
6.) just because you are a teacher doesn't mean you can teach
7.) to satisfy some people you have to meet deadlines
8.) when you start losing your memory, you become comic relief
9.) you can't truly listen to someone unless you look them in the eye
10.) summer camp may be the closest thing to heaven that we have in this life
11.) there's no greater gift than the gift of friendship

i wish all of my readers/respondents a blessed and great 2008!

s t r e t c h

that's right. we need to stretch ourselves. this day and every day--no matter what the circumstances. this is on my mind right now, because the good Lord knows how strong I am (we are) and wants me to notice something. He does not give us more than we can handle; in fact, sometimes we are amazed with how much we actually can carry. whatever baggage/stress you are carrying with you as you read this, know that you can always empty out that pack and fill up on the grace and blessings of our dear Father. He knows how resilient we are capable of (and have been) and anticipates us bouncing back any moment now...

with anticipation we wait

i'd like to preface this blog entry and this beautiful Advent season by saying that i love buying presents, decorating the house/tree with tinsel and ornaments, writing holiday cards to loved ones, and even singing a few Christmas tunes here and there. BUT the one thing that makes this season especially magical and delightful for me is that Christ (instead of being forgotten and excused from our holiday traditions and celebrations) is visibly present and at the forefront of our minds and hearts. one of my favorite Christmas cards of all-time depicts St. Nicholas himself cradling baby Jesus in his arms and gazing into our Savior's innocent eyes. i cannot count how many times i've seen the expression: JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON pasted on billboards, commercials, and apparel. however, too often that expression, which is certainly well-intended, slowly becomes secondary to the bustle of the holiday season. May the words of one of my favorite Christmas tunes of all-time occupy your hearts this season:

Joy to the World, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare Him room, And Heaven and nature sing, And Heaven and nature sing, And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing. Joy to the World, the Savior reigns! Let men their songs employ; While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow, Nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make His blessings flow Far as the curse is found, Far as the curse is found, Far as, far as, the curse is found. He rules the world with truth and grace, And makes the nations prove The glories of His righteousness, And wonders of His love, And wonders of His love, And wonders, wonders, of His love.

the table of plenty

it's about that time of year again. that time of year when families--whether jointed or disjointed, young or old, together or displaced--travel by car, bus or plane to gather around their own table of goodness. they bring their favorite dishes, games and expectations with them and empty out all three over the course of the next 12 hours of watching football, catching up on school/work, and preparing the heartiest meal of the season. for some, thanksgiving is a time of great pleasure and warmth for others it is a day of great heartache and despair. these days, it seems impossible to celebrate this wonderful feast without remembering those who have very little, if anything. we sometimes feel guilty or ashamed that stuffing ourselves with a variety of casseroles, meats, and desserts (only to find ourselves with upset stomachs and bouts of sleepiness) is wrong and gluttonous. while this may be true, i would argue that it is more important to use these familial gatherings to express our "attitude of gratitude" (to steal a cliche from one of my grade school teachers). GRATITUDE, as it is defined in webster's dictionary, is "the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful," which is derived from the Latin root word 'gratus' meaning 'pleasing.' something that is pleasing is likely to be good, true and beautiful. i would further argue that those things in our lives that are pleasing to us (for me: my faith, family and friends), and that we are grateful for should be remembered and experienced this day and every day (ain't that what leftovers are for). please remember and pray especially for those who have no one (or think they have no one) else to pray for them. they are our brothers and sisters too, and they too have a reservation at the table of plenty. i would like to leave you with the following prayer which has been rehearsed by my family so many times that we too often forget the depth and meaning of our gratitude:

Bless us O Lord, for these thy gifts which we are about to (and have) receive(d) through thy bounty (and thy goodness) through Christ, our Lord, Amen.

all you holy men and women pray for us...

another all saint's day has come and gone, except this year I am finally beginning to understand these virtuous (and at times vicious) human beings who knew their God and allowed Him to become such a integral part of their lives. i struggle with this daily, even though i know that i am called to a life of holiness and compassion. as i read more and more about these incredible people, the more i want to become one as well. and isn't that what the Lord is calling us all to be? YES, SAINTS! as troubled and as imperfect as we are, God is asking (pleading) for us to answer His call and join the company of angels and saints in heaven by bringing about the Kingdom of God. a difficult task? for sure. but one that is only for the strong of heart. i would like to be a saint. i try to be one every day. does that mean i'm full of pride? not necessarily. or envy? maybe. or even concupscience? possibly. the fact of the matter is that i want to grow in my relationship with an ever-loving and forgiving Father who wishes to be reunited with His sons and daughters. oh, what's that? what's that you say? there's a dim halo forming around my melon. oh good, because--for a second--i didn't think the big guy was taking me serious!

a hole in my sock

it's been that kind of week. a hole in one's sock is never fun (especially when it's your last clean pair for the week)! despite the hole and despite challenging week i've had, i am super-excited for our jvc midwest retreat in dubuque, iowa (only a few short miles from the original "Field of Dreams"...and, yes, we will be playing baseball amidst the corn fields). my housemates and I will be reuniting with our fellow midwestern jvs that we first met only 2.5 months ago in tiskilwa, illinois this weekend, so it should be grand. i will be using this retreat for myself and for growing closer to the BGITS (big guy in the sky). if you read this in time, please pray for our cleveland community as well as the greater jvc midwest/domestic/international communities. i encourage all those who read my blog to comment and ask stimulating questions that I may not answer anywhere else except in da' soup. I also encourage you to check and make sure that your socks do not have any holes in them. it can be quite the tragedy. same time. same channel. same purpose.

...some hesitation

when i first created this blog, i was convinced that i would update it regularly. that couldn't have been further from the truth. in fact, it seems my procrastinating tendencies have now flowed into my world of blogging. anywho, i should not waste this space, because who knows when my next post will arrive. on the eve of my first ever visit to the University of Our Lady (Notre Dame), many emotions are racing through my mind as i sit here on a crisp October afternoon in Cleveland, Ohio waiting anxiously for the "sawwcks" and indians to get together in what should be a "wicked pissah" for the ages. while i am somewhat ashamed to reveal this, i know that it is the truth. i am, let me start over. i will be rooting for, supporting the indians as they try to debunk big papi, tido, and the schill these next eleven or so sleepless nights and unproductive days. some may call it treachery. others complete tomfoolery. whatever they want to say, i'm ready to take it like a true baseball fan, because that's what i have become--a true fan of America's favorite pasttime. so keep the clam chowder warm and tell those Bostonians to not worry about me, because they have got enough problems (i'm not even going to mention the Big Dig...woops) to deal with. rest assured Masschusetts, my love. once a New Englander, always a New Englander. raise your mugs of hot apple cider to that.

hitting the ground running...

what's your SMRF code name?...apple picking in Kirtland (i owe Brigid a pair of expensive sunglasses)...1/2 way to st. patty's day...Indian summer...$4 hair cuts at the barber college...the J(esuit) crew...aaarrgghh! (shower curtain earring)...coffee chats with "Wrong Way" Rawlings...teaching phys. ed to 48 juniors in an 8x11 ft area (that's not that big)...meeting people who remind me of two or more folks from home...trying not to reveal my northern accent...learning how to practice patience & humility...feeling right at home.. s t r e t c h i n g myself...still eating too much dairy...keeping in touch with those I love...trying to live in the moment and recognize my frailties...trusting in His Providence...

my s.o.c.

jumping fences...St. Pat's tour...Fr. Mark's wind-up figurines...first hs football game in ohio. (we came to see boardman's marching band)..speed solitaire...JM...my embarassing questions...brunch at 3007 Church Ave...sjp...Labre...da club...obnoxious laughs...midnight box ripping...constantly locking doors/windows...staff party...the Slovenian (Cheers) room...Bill @ ThirdFifth...WESM play...the prot lot...pretending like i'm not lost...that's all for now

work study serve lead pray...that's our motto and i'm here to stay

Day 2 of being a hs teacher and i'm already loving it. the faculty is both friendly and supportive, the students are already well-disciplined and attentive, and the patron saint of the school happens to be a Dominican (yeah, the Jesuits couldn't keep him out). i'm in the process of setting up a global pen pal program, contacting a relative of Dr. MLK to visit the school, and trying to educate and transform the hearts and souls of each student in Cleveland at a time. some lofty goals even for a rookie ;) have a good week everyone. i'll post later this week.

overwhelmed in Ohio

i've been in the city of Cleveland, OH for roughly 72 hours, and I already feel like a celebrity. From being introduced at the 11am Sunday Mass at St. Pat's parish to mooching meals off the residents of the greater Cleveland area, the red carpet has certainly been rolled out for my roommates (Allison, Brigid, Veronica) and I--which is rather ironic, because the four of us are still trying to clean up and settle into our new home. There are already many stories to share as well as misconceptions about the Midwest that have recently been silenced. In my attempt to honor the JVC value of simple living, I will have limited email/internet access, but I will do my best to keep the blog updated. I would like to continue to encourage everyone and anyone to write on this blog and share their thoughts whenever they feel inclined to do so. In the meantime, figure out what a buckeye actually is and use an alternative nickname for Cleveland (instead of the traditional "Mistake on the Lake" catch phrase).

the pursuit of beatitude

I just finished watching Will Smith's movie The Pursuit of Happyness for the second time, and my mind is once again filled with an overwhelming number of insights. I think he hits the issue right on the head when he emphasizes the role that pursuit plays in one's journey towards happiness. So often, we get distracted by everything that comes our way and we fail to recognize those opportunities for greatness and joy. I've realized that NOTHING can make me completely or fully satisfied--except for the Lord Himself. I'm certainly far from the beatific vision, but I've already received glimpses of it simply by trying to live a Christocentric lifestyle. It is with great hope and promise that I pray that you will be able to attain this form of enlightenment as well. Peace be your journey.

monday morning quarterback

That Aloe Vera felt real good last night after I achieved significant burns on both my shoulders and neck while riding on the Atlantic Ocean yesterday afternoon. The ironic part is that I applied copious amounts of sunscreen to those specific areas. The problem (that I found out later) was that I went swimming and forgot to reapply! If I had only grabbed the waterproof lotion instead of the brand name glop. It's not easy being Irish.

hot day in the city...

I'm pulling this question of the day out of the hazy air. Does sunscreen actually work or are Coppertone, Banana Boat and co. making a mint off our naivety? The reason I'm asking this question is because I think sunscreen is becoming more and more futile with the incessant depletion of the ozone layer. I hope everyone got a chance to tune into the Live Earth program on NBC last night that was suggesting that our world is in a global ecological crisis. I'm glad some people are finally opening their eyes.

07.07.07

I guess it makes sense for someone who is fascinated by numbers and patterns to write his first blog entry on this date. One of my hopes is that I am not the sole author of "alphabet soup" and that my entries serve as conversation starters. With that hope in mind (and a few others), I welcome and invite you to share a bowl of alphabet soup with me...