I Sense A Disturbance In the Force

Recently I discovered some people who left religious life shortly after I did. They are all now involved in relationships ... one is actually engaged to be married.

I admit, this perturbs me.

Intellectually, I understand. Most people are called to marriage. It's a fact. But there is a stubborn part me which thinks, no, most people just don't try religious life because they're scared. If they tried it, they'd love it. And I have a hard time understanding how people who have tasted the wonderfulness of religious life could consider giving it up in favour of marriage.

What I can understand, is maybe people discerning that God's will is something different than what they want. And they go with that, even though it means sacrificing something they desire.

Philosophy of Life Strategy

Googl-en-dipity

Warning: a few of the tales of lonesomeness linked here use coarser language

Last week, as I informed you, my rapt audience, I was lonely.

So, of course, I did the natural thing and typed "I am lonely" into the Google query box.

The first link that popped up was this post on MovieCodec.com, a forum devoted to the decoding and resizing of audio and video files. The title of the post read: "I am lonely will anyone speak to me?"

Among the first replies was this: "Dude, i typed in “I am lonely” in Google, and your post was the very first response. Does that make you the most popular loneliest person on the planet?"

Apparently a lot of people continue to do the same. Four years and 36.398 posts later, and the lonely of the world are still meeting up at MovieCodec.com.

The New Yorker even did a piece about the remarkable serendipity.

The whole thing makes me smile. Even being lonely means you're not alone.

News From Nannyland

"God is a He."
~ 5 year old boy

"I love God more than pizza."
~ Same 5 year old boy

Happy Trails To You, Mr. President

Until we meet again ...


Presidential chest thump at the Air Force Academy


An accidentally locked Chinese door thwarts the President's exit

Bush's beans. An affordable, delicious source of protein

Loneliness

People are afraid of being alone.

They are afraid of the dark, but only when they are alone in it.

They are afraid of aging, because that might mean outliving family and friends.

And they are afraid of death because dying must be finished alone; no creature can accompany us at the end of that last journey.

Loneliness is the threat of Hell, and company is the hope of Heaven.

You get the point.

So, anyways, that is what I'm currently experiencing: loneliness. It a return of the same dull, vibrating ache I experienced in pre-convent days. Surrounded by friends, and happy busyness, it is still floating there.

I can hear Lucy telling Charlie Brown: "You need involvement." But even during my service year in Ameri-Corps, it was there. My spiritual life was humming along nicely at that time, too.

Oh well. The best thing to do, I guess, is to be patient, and in the mean time, offer it up to God.

There is also one sure fire temporary cure for loneliness: The Kitten Mosh Pit from Cute Overload

Travel on the Cheap

I recently bought some plane tickets, and I was pleasantly surprised at how inexpensive Southwest is. Of course, before there were discount commercial airliners, cash strapped people had to find other affordable means of getting around.

In the year 1914, May Pierstorff (pictured right) wanted to see her grandparents, and her parents didn't have the money for a train ticket.

So they sent her through the mail instead.

They brought her to the local post office in Grangeville, Idaho. She weighed in just under the 50 pound limit. The postmaster classed "the package" as a baby chick, and attached 53 cents in stamps to her coat. She was delivered to her grandparents in Lewiston, 75 miles away, by the mailman, a Mr. Leonard Mochel.

Now, I wouldn't send a birthday card, let alone a child, through the United States Postal Service. They've lost my things repeatedly. No, better to ship that baby (boy or girl) FedEx.

Hat tip: The Futility Closet

A Long Black Robe and Matching Headgear are In My Immediate Future ...

I'm not talking about a religious habit ... I'm talking about ... commencement dress!

This morning, I mailed my application for re-admission to The George Washington University.

I only have 3 semesters left and then I will be an Official College Graduate and 25,000 previously locked doors will swing wide open. I wonder if some metaphysical change takes place when they hand out diplomas.

I Nearly Killed Someone This Morning

Two someones, in fact. Two pedestrians, enthusiastically devoted to athletic sport, were jogging in the boulevard, in the midst of serious snowfall. I saw them as I drove along, and diligently applied my brakes. Alas, the vehicle spun at a right angle, and I slid helplessly towards my soon-to-be victims. (At this point, they saw me too, and threw up their hands in paralyzed panic.)

Luckily, my car lodged itself into a snow bank on the edge of the road. The runners jogged up to see how I was. "Sorry for almost killing you," I apologized. They were quite gracious, and even offered to help extricate me from the embankment. A heavy shove and a bit of burnt rubber later, I was on my way.

We are all probably equally glad that they escaped with their lives.

Consecration of a Virgin

from Sponsa Christi

Save Our Race: Know the Truth

So goes the slogan of Anti-Dolphin.org. After noting the influence of the dolphin and the suspicious profusion of dolphin-friendly organizations (SeaWorld, The Wild Dolphin Project, The Dolphin Institute, The Blue Dolphin Alliance, Miami Dolphins, etc.,) the purveyors of this website have discerned that the dolphins plan a mass invasion.

Q: Why would the dolphins want to take over the world?

A: Why wouldn't they? They have a bigger brain and already had control of 70% of the earth's surface. The next logical step is to take the other 30% over and enslave/kill humans. Wouldn't you?

~From the Site FAQ

The sole advantage we have over them are our opposable thumbs. There are rumors that some dolphins already walk on dry land.

Your Tragedy Is a Comedy

.. to whomever else is watching.

Divorce, disaster, accidental death, parental alienation, job loss ... this is standard fare for situation comedies. Think about it. Every episode of Gilligan's Island would find the castaway's hopes freshly dashed. Lucille Ball was always having a bad day.

The saying goes that "everyone's a comedian." We would be great comedians if we could watch our own personal tragedies, and laugh.