A few pictures

You can Google or Bing for pictures of the building, but let me share a couple views with you.

 We have a small flock of wild turkeys in residence.  I saw one roosting in a tree this morning, but did not have a chance to get a picture.

 

The best  I can do with this translation on the outside of the chapel is

"I beseech you, by virtue of whom you were called, to walk worthy of the vocation".

(Latin is NOT required for a priest or seminarian anymore.)

A picture of my room from the doorway.  That's the organ in the far left, reading chair and footrest center, bed far right, desk in the near left and fridge and coffee maker near right.  The door to the "sanitary facilities" is just beyond the fridge.  The sink is not visible, but is between the camera and the fridge on the right.

A picture of my room from the windows towards the door.  The clock was added by me so I can see the time from the organ and reading chair.  You can see my kneeler (folded up) next to my bed.  The bureau and closet are far right.  Again, the sink is not visible, but beyond the fridge  You can see the light and medicine chest above the sink. The door on the left beyond the kneeler and in front of the fridge is to the "sanitary facilities"

A look at the "sanitary facilities" shared with (I kid you not) my "flush mate".  That is the official term.  I'll meet him tomorrow when he arrives with the rest of the upperclassmen.  We each have a door so privacy can easily be maintained.

My first few days

I moved in on Saturday and promptly won the award for "most stuff brought in".  To be fair, the organ probably tipped the scales for that award.  I have located the organ, my chair, and my kneeler in the 8x16 dorm room with a little room to spare.

The orientation has been on-going with a new subject area introduced each day.  Thus far, we have covered Spiritual Direction and Seminary Life.  The next few days will cover Academic Programs, Pastoral Formation and a welcome Mass with Cardinal Sean.

Since it is mostly the new seminarians with a few upperclassmen to help us move in and get acclimated, it is still a small group.  We have 16 in our class if I count correctly.  I was quickly asked to play the organ for morning prayer, Mass and evening prayer.  I've been playing a lot (not that I mind), but that should diminish as the other musicians arrive in a couple of days.

The first day of classes is Friday  Again, if I count correctly, there are 20 books plus the Catechism and the Bible for this semester's classes.  Good thing that I am a voracious reader.

"Move In" day

I don't have a lot to say today.  In a couple of  hours some friends arrive to pack me up, grab some lunch and caravan the 30 minutes to Blessed John.    That packing will empty the house. 

A chapter in my life closes.  A new chapter in my life opens.

Final days in my home

I'll miss my neighbors, I'll miss the good times we had as friends and family in this house.   I still have all the memories, but I won't have the house anymore. Some neighbors and friends are going to form a caravan with me to drive to Blessed John.  More good memories to come.

The movers are coming Thursday and Friday to pack me up and move me out.  A clean out service will get the house broom clean for the final walk through and closing next month.  I move to the seminary with my (not so ) small pile of belongings on Saturday.  I've over packed, I know.  But with the rest of my belongings in storage until the other house closes in September, I've chosen to play it safe, especially with my medications. 

In three short days, a new chapter in my life begins in earnest.  I hope I will have time to blog.  I hope I will have something more interesting to say than, "Had classes this week".

Purging

The time is drawing very near...

Friends and family are removing pieces of furniture and items from my house.  Each removal makes the place a bit lighter and I find a corresponding lightness in me.  "'Tis a gift to be simple, 'tis a gift to be free"  More items are scheduled to be removed over the next 2 days.  Movers are coming on Thursday and Friday.

I have a small pile of belongings to take with me to the seminary, probably too much, but the rest of my belongings are in storage for a while so I am being safe.  I have my keyboard and prie dieu to add to that pile. 

Fr D. at my parish called last night to prepare me for a small ceremony at Mass today.  The parsih has purchased an alb for me.  I'm expected to say a few words.

August 27th is move in date.  It is less than a week now.  
Nervous?  No 
Excited ? Yes 
Blessed? Absolutely

Living Arrangements

I accepted an offer on my house.  I made an offer on a condo in Maine.  It was accepted.  Now for all the dominoes to fall into place, gently, one after another.

First, I've realized that the best thing for me to do is evacuate this house before I enter the seminary.  So I am working very hard to clean and remove everything that is not moving to my new condo or to the seminary.  I will have the movers come to pack up the house and put it into storage just before I leave for the seminary.  My friends and I will take the remaining few items to Blessed John.

My sister and brother-in-law will be handling many of the details in the condo.  It needs new rugs, some paint and a chair lift to make 2nd floor access easier.  That should all take place after we close and before we move in.  With any luck, my Dad, sister and  brother-in-law will be living in the condo by October 1st.  My stuff will be there and I'll unpack as  I can when I am there.

An interesting day

Happy 32nd Anniversary Carmen.  You're not here on this earth to share it with me again this year.  Days like this remind me (a little too well) of the huge place you had in my life.  Dinner with friends tonight should help fill the void I feel today.

For 27 years we made this house a home and it is on the market.  I certainly don't need to maintain a house while I am in the seminary.  I received 2 offers for the house today.  Both were much lower than the asking price (which is already below market value).   I rejected them both.  God will send a buyer with a good offer in His time.  I have patience.

I continue to prepare and organize my things for move-in date on the 27th of this month.  

It's a Wonderful Life

One of the "issues" my spiritual director and I work on frequently is my recognizing the blessings in my life.  Like Jimmy Stewart in the movie It's a Wonderful Life, I tend to miss the blessings I have.  I can also be blind to the impact my life has on others.

Today is my first day as an unemployed bum as I take this month to prepare for entering the Seminary.  Last week was my last week of work at IBM.  On Tuesday, the IBM Toastmasters group had an award and cake to celebrate.  On Wednesday, my old group took me out to lunch.  On Thursday my coffee buddies took me out to lunch, On Friday my current team took me out to lunch. Afterward, a friend gave me an unexpected card and gift that touched me deeply.  (Common theme: food.  Food is good!)

On Saturday, I was invited to a cookout and found many of my friends from my prison retreats work.  They wrote me affirmation letters and had gifts.  It was a wonderful relaxing afternoon.

These all made it into my Book of Blessings.  I am blessed and people are seeing how I live my life and celebrating it.   God is Good, All the Time.