Thanksgiving....

Someone just asked me if my time in Leuven went fast - well, I guess it did. It was a great experience, but now that it's past, it does seem short. However, I think there are lots of ways that I'm really a different person for the experience. Just having the opportunity to meet, study and pray with folks from so many different places and so many different experiences has been a real blessing. I think it is hard to measure how that will work into the future for me. Another real blessing is the opportunity to do theology while I was over there. I've been doing theology classes one or two at a time for 30 years. Now that is a good way to do things - you learn a lot, and have an opportunity to integrate with lots of life experience. But this time, I got the opportunity to do some things in a concentrated way, and, as I said, with folks from all over the world.
I've been back about four months, and I've found the transition back to be remarkably easy. Several things working in my favor: I have my thesis as my main task, so I didn't have to face getting back into full time work / finding a job, etc. Also, I was concerned about rebuilding a law practice - well, that has been easier than I expected, various clients around the country are connecting. Also, the apostolic visitation is raising questions for folks, and I'm better equipped to help now. (This one is a mixed blessing for sure.)
This year, for the first time in two years, I'll be celebrating Thanksgiving with family and community. That is a real treat. We'll gather at Mom's and Dad's in New Haven for dinner on Saturday. We celebrate Saturday to accommodate all the in-laws schedules, and make it easier for everyone to gather. I'm planning to stay out in New Haven for the whole weekend - depending on when I can get transport. Then Christmas is just around the corner. Can you believe it?
My thesis is coming well. I have two chapters back from my promoter, and another that is written, Julie is proofing it before I send it over. Then I have a pretty good outline on the final chapter. It will be fun to write, but may be a little challenging. It will be on the theology of transfer - probably the spirituality of transfer. But that requires that I first talk about the notion of vocation, and of religious vocation in particular. These are important topics, but somewhat elusive. People have written about them, but often by talking about the externals, or by saying what it's not. But really, what IS vocation - and what IS religious vocation in particular? So that's what I'll be working on for the next few weeks.
I have some legal work - I'm pretty confident that this will grow in the month ahead. Probably my biggest challenge is to arrange everything that's going on in the first three months of next year: conference in DC, internship in Shreveport, presentation in Milwaukee, thesis defense, workshop and presentation in Leuven. I'm still trying to get all this pinned down so I can make travel arrangements. Then when I get home around March 10, things should settle down a little, and I can turn to getting more organized for law practice. Right now I'm still hobbling along on the organization I set up 5 years ago - it's going well enough - but could use some serious 'tweaking'.
HAPPY Thanksgiving All!!!
Peace,
Amy