There was an old Heinz Ketchup commercial that offer Carly Simon’s “Anticipation” as a soundtrack to the thick red sauce coming out of the bottle.

We just wrapped up a virtual blogcation and will be returning soon from a real vacation… And I struggled with planning a vacation this time around. Where to go? What to do?  What will be a good, healthy change of pace?

There was a study on vacation and happiness and it showed that our level of happiness during vacation actually has a lot more to do with the planning, preparation and anticipation preceding vacation, more so than the actual vacation.

In youth ministry, do we provide experiences… or do we fully engage others in the sweet anticipation of the planning, producing or performing of experiences?

(h/t ChurchMarketingSucks)

The blogcation began ten days ago- atop of news of the bloggiversary and a promotion.  Certainly, it may have seemed as if an odd time to “walk off stage;” but a scheduled break is good for both reader and blogger.  Thanks for coming back.

I’m in SoCal visiting family and friends, who, as they are all male has justified the branding of this weekend as a mancation. On Friday, my brother and I got in some kayaking and went to a local comedy club and saw Larry Miller who had an entire hour set about that dysfunction in all relations can be tracked back to differing styles of stacking the dishwasher.

Saturday, I went off to watch Mike Carotta offer a presentation in Orange, hung out a bit with diocesan director Armando Cervantes, went off to an afternoon of wine tasting and hanging out with Mike,

fought traffic on the 405 and went off to a party of the brother.  If you know and love me as the introverted soul that I am, you are wondering about so much socializing, but fear not, I’ve been doing a fair amount to reading and writing.

Sunday, brother and I were off with nephew for church and then a chill day- won 2 of 3 games of pool, hung out catching rays at the pool, watched a little golf, and napped off and on. 

Still figuring out what today holds in store UPDATED: (Maybe this No, we to the Santa Monica Pier!) but, on Tuesday, I’m having lunch with LA diocesan director J Michael Norman, will do a little personal pilgrimaging and touring and then red-eye home to a off-site breakfast staff meeting and maybe an afternoon nap to rest after my vacation.

On August 20, 2004, what grew into the Catholic Youth Ministry blog began.

As always, I am ever-thankful for your readership, virtual friendship, comments, and support.

After the industrial sized posting below, we are going to take a full week’s worth of blogcation. A real vacation will start in the middle of that.. and it is so needed!  This past week, there has been some breaking news in the land of ArchBalt.  (and, if you pass on the hyperlink… you will be living our the expression that the lead was buried!)

Come back on August 29th as we virtually begin year seven, take on new real responsibilities,
. . . and attempt to discern if this will truly be the age of reason.

It has been an intriguing  period of my life. Change and loss, hope and disappointment, uncertainty and clarity, desire while “settling” have all bled into one stream.

And, I am but left with such a profound experience of ambivalent restlessness. As if… I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.

The song, I feel, is about experiencing hints of the sacred and the desire for something so very much more.

That’s it. The very much more is what I am looking for.  It is what we all seek – - the promise of abundant life. (John 10:10)

I believe in the kingdom come, then all the colors will bleed into one.

Bleed into one.

But, yea, I’m still running.

Father Austin

IC received it from Mary who got it from Kate who got it from Fr. John Boyle who got it from Karen who got it from Dominic Mary who got it from Mac McLernon’s Mulier Fortis  who started the whole thing July 19th and begat it to all of us.

The rules, as stated by the sources, are: Name your three most favourite prayers, and explain why they’re your favourites. Then tag five bloggers – give them a link, and then go and tell them they have been tagged. Finally, tell the person who tagged you that you’ve completed the meme… The Liturgy and the Sacraments are off limits here. I’m more interested in people’s favourite devotional prayers.

Here we go:

> The Classics:  When leading public prayer, I default to involving others in completing prayer with me by reciting together an Our Father, a Hail Mary, or a Glory Be.  With Catholic identity factors as a consideration, it seems a fitting inclusive way to complete spontaneous prayer.

> The Rosary: In tough patches of life, when negative thoughts can overwhelm my attention, a decade of the Rosary proves to be a good palette cleanser. (Yea, I know that seems like doubling up… but deal with it… different purposes make for different prayer.)

> Prayer before Meals: It is a simple little prayer but when reciting it, a mental connection is made between that salad or steak, or BLT sandwich and the company with which it is shared to the Eucharistic supper… 

And, now, to pass it forward…  Hey, Roy Petitfils, Randy Raus, Bob Rice, Judy McDonald, and John Rinaldo… Tag, you’re it!   YOU ALL ARE IT.  Everyone can play in the comments section-What are your favorite (spelling it the non-British way) prayers???

When I was much younger, I had the gift of an opportunity to offer a eulogy for my uncle.  He was my mother’s brother and I think I freaked her out in my preparation for delivering the message. 

It basically involved trying to spend as much time as possible listening to my aunt and cousins retell stories of my Uncle Dick.  (Occasionally, I would step away and write a note to my self on a scrap of paper.)  Really, having never given a eulogy before, it seemed to me that this is the way eulogizers go about their business.

The morning of the funeral, my mother asked to see my notes.  I had transcribed my scraps into five different lines, each to remind me of a distinct story that had been told in the previous days.  Mom was very concerned if I was truly up to the task.

I started with words that went something like this.  “Richard Clark was an ordinary man. I know that the job of the eulogist is remind you of what an extraordinary guy the deceased was… but that is not the case.  My uncle Dick was ordinary, he loved his wife – ordinary; he loved his kids – ordinary; he was a member of the church – ordinary; he was a professional in his career – ordinary; he contributed to the community – ordinary.  It was all ordinary stuff – - but, please, allow me to repeat a few stories to share you how an ordinary life can be lived so very much extra-ordinarily…”

Each repeated story was introduced and concluded with previous lines from above…    “Uncle Dick was ordinary, he loved his wife – ordinary; but how he loved his wife, well, that’s a story of extraordinary…”

More recently, I had gone off on retreat.  The director had us each write and deliver our own eulogies… which could have been a trivial task but for the intentionality and the integrity of the participants.  If my life is to be a better story, I want to live in such a way not that the eulogy design will be repeated, but that family, friends, and partners in ministry will all be able to equip the poor eulogist with tales of an ordinary life lived in extraordinary ways.

(This is a contest entry in hopes that I might win a pass to Living a Better Story conference. After I read this book and blog a little about it, I’ve been seeking a “wholeness is found in the integrity of living within all the moments.”

Nobody wants to die and earn a eulogy. I want to love the better story for today not tomorrow.  I want to feel alive now.

Don Miller spent some time with screenwriters to better figure out “his story.” I’d love the opportunity to get out to  Portland to get a better handle on my own “history.” Anyway, they promised to vacuum the space around my seats and to make sure you have fresh mints and bottled water (which sounds like a great way to make friends with my conference neighbors.)

I paused to review the past week of postings, kind of fascinated how the posts that I had set up earlier this month were actually speaking to my own life this week as well.

Then, at 5:04am local time, it hit.  It was a very brief rumble, probably not lasting for more than ten seconds.  It was my first experience of an earthquake, but, really, I’ve experience more turbulence on a plane. Nonetheless, the  US Geological Survey reports an epicenter within fifteen miles of my place and that it was at a Richter Scale level of 3.6. UPDATE: which seemingly is the largest quake ever in the DC area.

Two observations:

>> It is always fascinating when real life imitates the life inside one’s head.  There has been much shifting grounds around me, yet I remain standing.

>> Just six months ago, Catholic Relief Services has since distributed food to nearly 900,000 people. They are currently providing food to more than 90,000 students in over 270 schools, and monthly food rations to more than 100 orphanages and child-care centers in Port-au-Prince and Les Cayes, benefiting nearly 10,000 children. CRS has provided emergency shelter materials to more than 114,000 people. Please continue to pray for and support our brothers and sisters in Haiti

Everyone enjoy the break.  Meanwhile, two reminders…

1) Our freedoms, which we celebrate this Sunday always must come at a cost. My US Army son is in Kuwait this weekend awaiting deployment to Iraq.  Please keep him and all those who serve our country in your prayers this weekend.

2) Almost fifteen years ago, when John Paul II visited Baltimore, he taught that Surely it is important for America that the moral truths which make freedom possible should be passed on to each new generation. Every generation of Americans needs to know that freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.

In doing the review of last year’s states postings, I was reminded of today’s anniversary.  I’ve just wrapped up five years of service at the ArchBalt… this time. (Here is the tale of my return.) Along with 6 years at the NFCYM and 4 years of my first stint at the ArchBalt, that’s a total of fifteen years – - quite a resume!

Anyway, prayers are being offered to the Blessed Mother today for her protection… Meanwhile, that’s quite a bit of time for one region…

The oldest daughter promised me a game of pool later in the week, when I have recovered.

The son sent me this Mark Twain quote: “When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years.”

The youngest updated her profile with a picture taken from a recent visit and offered this posting: “Wishing a very happy fathers day to my popsicle D. Scott Miller. He’s the best dad out there.”

Not a bad day after all!