Time For Reflection

  This will be one of those occasional blog entries that gives readers a glimpse into my life.

   Because the ministry I am in is unique I get asked a variety of questions about it.  One is, "Doesn't all the travel tire you out?" The answer to that is, "At times, yes, but I still love the work that I do."  On the other hand when I am at home for a few weeks, as is usually the case in January and May, I am often asked, "What do you do with all that time on your hands?  There are a variety of answers to that one but the short version is, " I take care of body and soul."

   Let's look at the "body" part of it first.  While as a diabetic I make sure that exercise, usually in the form of walking, is part of my routine, when I am home I can walk longer, take bike rides and visit the local YMCA for some more vigorous exercise.  The other dimension of body care deals with the fact that at my age I don't have a doctor, instead I have doctors.  During my down time I need to catch up on checkups, necessary tests, etc, all part of keeping me alive and well.

  The "soul" part of things likewise has several dimensions.  While I certainly keep my prayer life going when I'm on the road, time at home means getting back into the rhythm of community Mass and prayers and having more quality time with the Lord on my own as well.  Without that preaching would get dry and dull rather quickly.  There is likewise the need for spiritual reading and study.  All of that is the fuel that keeps the engine going in my friar life and in my ministry.

   For both body and soul, especially during the spring and summer, I enjoy heading out to one of the gulf beaches in the evening.  I have to be careful of getting too much sun during the day so sitting on the beach, reading and watching for the sunset provides me with several enjoyable evenings.

   The weeks ahead will see my participating in my province's provincial chapter in early June.  This is an important meeting where we elect leadership and decide on key policies for our province.  It is also a great time to connect with friars that I haven's seen for a while.  After that I will again participate on the mission trip to Honduras with Christ the King parish in Little Rock, AR, a wonderful experience with dedicated people that I hope to keep as part of my life for the foreseeable future, in other words until I am too old to do it any more.