Packing my bags

For two weeks before I left for the US people at home were asking me "have you packed your bags yet?". I resisted packing until the last day because I think the physical actions of packing lead to the emotional pack up as well - checking out and no longer being present where I am.

So for the same reason I have been holding off packing my bags here. I want to stay present and enjoy every last minute of this wonderful adventure. But the time has come.

I've had to work out what to do with some of the things I've bought while here: kettle, coffee mugs, reading lamps; stuff which is too big to fit in my bag, but too good to throw away. Fortunately one of the few locals from Omaha in our classes, Coco, has kindly offered to store a box full of stuff for Kevin and I till next year.

Packing these things has, as I knew it would, brought up the sadness of leaving for me. I have so many people I am looking forward to seeing back home (family, friends, 600 parishioners), but for the past two months this has been my life, quite an intense and focused time, and it is something I am going to miss. I will miss the rhythm of life here, of sharing meals, of going to Mass, of learning and being challenged in class. I will miss all the good people here, especially my roommate Kevin, with whom I've formed a really good friendship by virtue of sharing life together and talking a dozen times a day. He and I were randomly assigned as room mates this year as neither of us knew anybody else,  but we can nominate to share again next year. Kevin will draft the room mate agreement! (Big Bang Theory reference).

I know I will feel a pang of sadness when I get on the plane tomorrow to fly out (the first of three flights in 24 hours), just as I did leaving Chicago 8 years ago. But now, as with then, and as I did on the flight on the way here, I will go to God in prayer and know that it is my relationship with Him which sustains me here, there, or 30,000 feet in the air.

Comments

  1. Dominic5 August 2016 at 13:54

    Jim, it has been a pleasure to read this blog. I look forward to catching up and filling out some of the stories, plus hearing about the ones that didn't make it to print.
    God bless your travel.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Unknown5 August 2016 at 22:45

    Amen Domonic. Safe flight Jim and see you soon. I am still suffering from Jet lag, so if you need someone at 3am .......

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Spiritual Exercises

Image
Any way of prayer or mediation may be considered a spiritual exercise. Just like physical exercise it helps to have a plan, a coach and some discipline. The Spiritual Exercises (notice the capitals) are a series of meditations and contemplations which 16th century St Ignatius of Loyola composed from his own prayer experience, and then taught to his followers, who became the Society of Jesus (The Jesuits). The Exercises are mostly contemplations of scenes in the gospels, where we are to use our imagination to place ourselves within the scene so as to meet Jesus intimately, allowing the gospel account to unfold as we watch, listen, feel and take part. Following the contemplation of the scene is a prayer dialogue with Jesus about whatever we experienced and learned. Woven throughout the program of gospel scenes which Ignatius chose are some specific meditations on sorrow for sin, choosing to follow Jesus, and then giving yourself wholeheartedly to Jesus. The Exercises can be don...
Read more

Doing the Spiritual Exercises

Image
During my time in Omaha I studied the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius . It is one thing to study them, but another to do them.The exercises can be done as a 30 day intensive retreat, or a week by week program. Much as I would love to, there isn't a spare month I could be away from the parish again, so I am doing the 30 week version. I receive spiritual direction via Skype from my director (referred from the Jesuit retreat centre in Pymble ). Each week she sends me a list of scripture passages to meditate on and other prayer exercises, and then in an hour conversation via Skype we talk just about how I have been praying. It has been a very focused experience of prayer thus far. In other experiences of spiritual direction in the past we have talked about a broader range of issues of life, prayer and ministry, but this is just about prayer, nothing else. I am praying with passages of scripture which of course I have known, such as Jesus' declaration of bringing good news t...
Read more

Brian Wilson

Image
Brian Wilson was the brains behind The Beach Boys, who seem to feature in the soundtrack of most people's teenage years. Tonight I went to hear him in concert in Omaha as he played for the 50th anniversary of the Pet Sounds album, a record so groundbreaking that Paul McCartney cites it as inspiration for Sergeant Peppers. I wouldn't have known the concert was on except that The Beach Boys are my room mate Kevin's favourite band. I fell in love with Brian Wilson when I watched the biopic Love and Mercy last year. Wow. What  perfect concert. It was outdoors at sunset, but in a small amphitheater rather than a stadium. As befitting a concert by a 74 year old and attended by hippies of various generations it was over by 9pm so not a long late night (its a school night!) and close enough to walk the couple of miles home. Brian and his 10 piece band played the whole Pet Sounds album including the sublime God Only Knows plus all of the upbeat favourites like Good Vibra...
Read more