Back in Chicago and back to work

After about 1400 miles, give or take, Wil and I arrived safely in Chicago the evening of March 26. Somehow my mobile posts from our road trip didn't show up in the blog. Anyone know where in the ether they might be floating? Anyway, we had a nice day Friday sightseeing and shopping on Michigan Ave and State Street, had a good belly-laugh at "Don't Dress for Dinner," a comedy at the Royal George Theater, on Saturday and then put him back on a plane Sunday for Colorado. Monday I met with Rick to iron out a few details and Tuesday, March 31, started my new job with the Chicago Province of the Jesuits.

There are still many details to define with this new gig. We haven't settled on a job-title yet, and the scope of the project will continue to be refined over the coming months. While it is about a month or two sooner than I anticipated, I feel ready and excited to get started. As I described a couple of months ago, this feels like what wants to happen next. In many ways, this new role will be a bit like my days in product development at Procter and Gamble, researching and networking with the many ministries in the Chicago area, Cincinnati and elsewhere, to explore synergies and opportunities for collaboration between organizations. The prospect of new construction in both Chicago and Cincinnati is acting as a catalyst for the project and being a part of the building committees with be one very tangible and practical aspect of the role.

I will also be able to bring and build on my young adult ministry experience. One of the key questions for the Jesuits, and the Church, is how to do spiritual formation in a way that not only enriches the lives of men and women of young adults, helping them become generous individuals, "men and women for others", but doing the formation in a way that keeps them connected to the community of faith, as practicing members of the Catholic Church. Developing options and working with and through the existing ministries, and experimenting with new responses will also be a part of the job.

So while I am home again, I am also beginning another journey. Jodie has graciously extended her hospitality for a couple more months until I will move back into my condo with Cathy staying on as my roommate. This means my commute is 1 city block for the next 8 weeks which cerainlly helps to ease my transitition back to a work routine. I also made it back up to St. Nick's this Sunday for the start of Holy Week and am looking forward to renewing my participation with the community there. I hope to continue to blog, even though I'm feeling miles closer to home.

On the road again

How can it be a month since my last post?  Time does fly!  Grateful to Michelle & Lucy for another couple of weeks in Erie, I headed back to Palisade to celebrate the Ides of March with my Mom and Dad.  The weather during this time has been a wonderful taste of spring, punctuated by the apricots in bloom, with the plums following closely.  We toasted the first day of spring on Friday with Hans and Delia, G&T's and assorted hors d'oeuvres.

Wil is on spring break this week and today we start our road trip back to Chicago.  The kitchen is coming alive with a hearty bacon, eggs and buckwheat pancake breakfast while Wil comes alive in the shower.  The weather seems to be cooperating, for which I am very grateful.  We plan to stop in Hays, KS tonight, Kansas City, MO on Wednesday and then shoot up to Springfield, IL on Thursday for a stop at the Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library before arriving after rush hour in Chicago.  Happy trails!

Passions

It seems that the days preceding and following Valentine's Day all have been pointing me toward passions and passionate people.

A talk by Sr. Laurie Brink, OP, on "Paul and the Politics of Love" started my thoughts rolling. She spoke passionately about Paul's concern for the Corinthians and helped us see the parallel challenges from their times to our own. Paul urges the community to look beyond the divisions and what separates, to see with and through love unity in the Body of Christ.

The backstage tour of the Lyric was sponsored as a fundraiser by the Lyric's Opera Guild Board. These are people passionate about the opera. Volunteers told us about the history of the Lyric, the dedication of the founders. They spoke with great enthusiasm about the props, wigs, wardrobe and armory. A chorister, percussionist and lighting tech shared about make-up, music and effects that come together to create a lavish feast for the senses.

Charis Ministries gatherered a group of people passionate about those in their 20s and 30s from around the country. Everyone had been part of a grant that I had been working on with Fr. Michael prior to leaving Charis. From New York to San Francisco, Boston to Plainfield, Atlanta, Athens, St. Petersburg, Baton Rouge, Cincinnati, Versailles, Detroit, Joliet and Chicago. They represented national ministries, campus ministries, dioceses and parishes. Such great work is going on and such great need (cf. Mike's Googling God comments). This project was part of what was hard for me leaving Charis. I was grateful to participate and to realize that by recruiting other passionate people to take on parts of the project, the grant partners, their ministries and Charis were better served than if had I continued to juggle with other Charis responsibilities.

Charis also invited Mike to speak at their "Living Ignatian" series (see link in the sidebar). During his talk entitled "Finding God in the Crossroads" he shared a little of his journey to turn his passion for retreats into a great career and the Ignatian process of discernment. Where does "your deep gladness meet the worlds deep need?" he asked. And "if responsbilities take care of themselves and the choice was wide open, what would you do tomorrow?" "How to you want to BE, not what do you want to DO?" Timely questions as I continue to listen for my passion and desire to reemerge from hibernation. In the meantime, cooking for family and friends, a little light housekeeping and projects, walking, napping and being attentive to people and the world I encounter, each embodying God's love and grace are enough for me.