I decided on a train for this trip. It's cheaper than flying, and less hassle than driving, and the vistas are much better. They say you see more walking than you do in a car, and you see more in a train than you do in a plane. It's getting me ready for Maine, whose motto is "Life in the slow lane."
So the train is snaking along the coast of Connecticut right now, and I'm seeing some beautiful scenes along the way. What a treasure the sea is. Just the sight of water tranquilizes! Even the little Pakistani brothers who've been squealing and fighting since Philadelphia are wrapped in stillness right now, gazing at the big pool of silvery light outside our windows. And the college kid beside me, reading a textbook and plugged into his iPhone keeps looking up and out at the sea.
It's been an intense week at Malvern, watching the Passion of the Christ film with my boys (5 viewings for me, all day, all week, with all of my classes!). Whew.... Spiritually and emotionally exhausting. St. Alphonsus Liguori said the best practice towards becoming a saint is to meditate on the Lord's Passion every day. Hmmm... Maybe I took it a little too far? (I'll be blogging about the Passion film next week. I've seen it 20 times and I really believe it's a work of genius).
So I'm ready for some wilderness; some walks in the woods on Dad's property, and Sean's too. He's got a stream of silver that slides through a grove of old growth pine and oak. Lucky! And I know we'll go down to the sea on Sunday after Mass. To the Rockland Jetty after breakfast. Smell the salt sea, watch the gulls swing and wheel through that cold northern air.
Ah Maine! "The way life should be."
1 comment:
During Stations of the Cross last night I found myself daydreaming (I know, shame on me for getting distracted) about Good Friday. I just can't wait to partake of my yearly ritual: watching The Passion of the Christ. So beautiful, so powerful, so challenging, so enriching. I look forward to reading your reflection on it, Bill.
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