May Goodness Endure

Lectio Divina

May his goodness toward us endure in Israel
to deliver us in our days.

Sirach 50: 22-24

Library

Going to dive into Mumford, The City in History. Being Thanksgiving and having neither class nor ministry, only kitchen chores later in the afternoon, it's the perfect day to this.

Log

Grumpy this morning. Stayed up late last night to bake the apple pie. Didn't stop at preparing the crust. Figuring I had already come this far, I peeled and sliced the apples. And figuring I had got that far, and not wanting the freshly sliced apples to turn brown on me, I prepared the filling, rolled out the pie crusts, assembled the pie, and baked it. I'm grumpy because I worry about how the dessert turned out. I rolled the crust thin, too thin, I fear; the top browned too much and burned a little. Having lowered the heat considerably during the baking to prevent further burning, I may have undercooked the inside crust and filling. Sigh ... I ought meditate, to do a crossword, read, and above all, take a nap. If having a pie fail is the biggest of my immediate concerns, I need to find more important things to be upset about.

Good pie or not-so-good pie, it is Thanksgiving, and it is Thanksgiving with the friars at San Lorenzo. This will be the third time I am coming to the feast apart from my family. The previous two times, in 2010 and 2008 (I think), I celebrated with my friends in Boston. On those occasions, I chose to be apart from my family. This time, it is out of my hands. I don't miss New York a lot, but I do want to see the place, and my people. (The storms -- how awful.) Did talk to my parents via video call, and I will call my brother and sister later.

Making an address list, up to sixty names now, for an Advent/Christmas circular letter has reminded me of all the people from whom I am, for a time, separated. Only separated, but not estranged. I love them and miss them. It would do my soul good to see them, and it's okay to long for them, but not so much as to show partiality in favor of them over against the brothers I am living with now. The song is true: "And if you can't be with the one you love ... love the one you're with." Brothers, forgive me if I am a little pre-occupied today with the other good homes I have had. There is goodness in this home we build together and share, too. And the goodness of this home, too, will endure. After all, our house dwells among the dwellings of the house of Israel.

Weather

It's brighter than I know. I ought to turn around and look out the window.