Blogging. The next
technological leap for me. I remember my
first CD player in 1991 on which I played my first CD, U2’s “The Joshua Tree”…not
need to recognize its brilliance, I am sure you already know. I remember making fun of people with
cellphones in college and at work in the bars for about 10 years before I got
one in 2002, only because my girlfriend at the time made me, of course. I remember getting my first DVD player and
first personal computer…in 2004, yes you read that right. I am some sort of a pseudo-ludite…always a
few years behind apparently. When I got
that first computer in 2004, I took it home to put my old college floppy discs
in it, to see some of my old college papers…old as in 6 years earlier. There was no disc drive. Apparently in 6 years, the world went from
discs to jump drives, who knew? I also used to think blogging was silly as
well. Did I mention I am a huge
bandwagoner!?
SO here I am. I will
just simply say that life is too short not to share thoughts, theories and
insights with others…who knows, one person may find a helpful suggestion, a
common thread of thought, a whisper of God in the universe…who knows…maybe we
will even have a healthy debate. Maybe
you will read one of my poems, and decide you want to publish a book of them…no
seriously, that would be grand of you! Of
course, there is also the cathartic aspect for the writer isn’t there? There seems to be something deep, elusive and
hopeful in putting words into the world…and waiting to see what happens, both
as you type them, and as they are received.
Though generally, my emanations in this blog will and do come from a
bent soul, it is more often than not, a peaceful soul. It rests in God most of the time, and so
finds the overwhelming weight of the world to be yoked to God’s purpose, though
I get my selfish hands on it as well from time to time and mess things up good
and proper. Ah, trial and error,
learning from my mistakes, etc…my wife loves this part the best!
We are a social species, and as an ex-bartender and current
priest…I have been called into the center of some of our societies’ biggest
communal arenas…bars and churches. Maybe
one thing I heard or saw or learned in those buildings may be worth this
blog…maybe my mind will feel at ease putting the poetry of my convictions and
the hope of my bent soul into some semblance of cohesiveness. Maybe not.
At least the picture on the blog page, of the mountain in Switzerland above
the valley near Labri’ where I lived for four months, is wonderful and glorious,
right!? I grew up in the Ohio River
Valley (don’t drink the water!)…and yet I have always felt drawn to the
mountains…Rockies, Smokies, Alps and Himalayas.
And so I still find myself always between the valleys and the mountains…walking,
searching, asking and hoping. And just maybe
that is what this blog will be about…and maybe I will see you along the way,
and we can talk. And maybe, God will
join in.
