Photo of the day!

So for a while now at my parents house they have had visitors who really LOVE the bird food. Every animal from the typical birds and squirrels to the occasional bear and now this!!!!

Scenes of my day... Take 2

Each morning I approach this image. . . and with each approach
a different fond memory enters my mind (rarely do they overlap).

Today was a bit on the dreary side and on Tuesdays I spend
a good bit of time underground with my books and my music. . .

Scenes of my day...

So, of late my words have been garbled and my thoughts skewed. This morning while walking to my car I have decided to take a picture or two each day (no matter how good or awful the result is) and post them to show the sights of my life.

View from the rooftop terrace...


Philly's own Pretzel Park

A History of Rap: Jimmy Fallon, Justin Timberlake & The Roots

A brief synopsis of lyrical genius!

A History of Rap: Jimmy Fallon, Justin Timberlake & The Roots

So Long Sweet Summer-Dashboard Confessional

A bittersweet time... The fall is officially here...

So Long Sweet Summer-Dashboard Confessional

Philadelphia: How I love thee...

There has been a recent development in my life. Philadelphia leads to fantastic, monumental events in my life. It seems to be the place where I have revelations, new opportunities, and meet wonderful new people.
It has been a while since my last post so I will summarize what has been going on lately:
1. I have accomplished one life goal by moving to the City of Brotherly Love and I'm not sure that I will ever leave.
2. I have found employment with the Augustinian Defenders of the Rights of the Poor (ADROP), an organization that stands on the same foundation as the Augustinian Volunteers does and I am blessed to be working in a situation that I am calling my AV year extended.
...more to come, stay tuned...

Years Go By...

Years go by and you typically don't even bat an eye at the events that pass. Today that is not the case. This year has been one of trials and tribulations that have transformed me in such a way that I am finding it hard to convey the gravity of it all. As most of you know I have been serving a year as an Augustinian Volunteer in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Going into this year I knew of the area only to the extent that it is an economically challenged city with an extensive cultural history. Now I just know it as home. A place that where a piece of me will remain forever.

I have formed a great number of friendships and alliances with my students and I am blessed to have been able to see them grow and learn each day. Though I have been a teacher to them, the education I have received throughout this year is irreplaceable. I look at these innocent young men and I see that they come to school with an open mind and great love for the lives they have been given. No matter what situations have been placed at their table they embrace it as if there isn't a worry in the world. There are only a few weeks left in the duration of my commitment and though I feel as though I am abandoning them I know that my service will continue in another place with another individual who needs a little guidance.

A year living in community with three other AVs who I am proud to call my family has been an incredibly easy task. Every morning it feels as if I have been here for years. Working, cooking, going on mini vacations, and praying with these great people seems only second nature now. We have had the pleasure of breaking bread with the local Augustinian Friars each week. They have extended such hospitality and included us in their lives so simply it's not a simple task to express my gratitude to each one of them.

Shortly down the road I will be back in my city, living the life I have wanted for so long and not moving on, but implementing all the lessons I have learned this year in whatever calling I find next. Thank you to everyone who has made this year special either by your words, actions, or support.

The Start of A New Year

So I guess it has been a while since my last entry and tonight turned out to be a pretty laid back evening. So, to the advisement of one brilliant individual I've decided to update my blog of the comings and goings of this year so far.

The new year began with a trip to Philadelphia to reconvene with my fellow AVs and embark on our journey to OCNJ for our mid-year retreat. I arrived at the AV office and much to my suprise ran into Charlie, Lauren, Mike, and Erika who I believed were already down the Shore. Once we got all of the cars and vans packed up we began the two hour journey (sing along) to Ocean City.

Lauren, Mike, and I at dinner on the last night of Mid-year

The four day retreat was full of reflection, informative discussion, and great fun with extraordinary friends. This week allowed me a chance to enjoy running on the boardwalk in the winter, which believe it or not I have never spent time at the beach in the winter, and rejuvinate my psyche before beginning the last six months of my time as an Augustinian Volunteer.

Charlie and I had a chance to stop by the Jersey Shore

house on our way back to LaVegas

Once we arrived back on site in Lawrence we got into the swing of things right away. Getting back to work with my students felt refreshing, though I was missing my friends and family, and I was excited to see what they had been up to over their break. All of my community members and I were excited to get back into Boston and enjoy our nights out as usual.

So far in the new year there haven't been too many adventures to report, though I'm certain they are sure to come.

Our hearts are burning for you!

My next entry should be coming VERY soon, due to the exciting weekend quickly approaching!!

The Feast of the Three Kings

At the Blessed Stephen Bellesini Academy the feast of the 3 kings is a HUGE deal. It is the day in which we give thanks for the gifts that were bestowed upon Jesus at the Nativity by the three kings. In turn it is the day that our students receive gifts from an array of donors, churches, charities, etc... I had heard of the event, but couldn't fathom the impact it has on the lives and attitudes of our students.

It all began today at 3:00pm when all of the students were paraded to our all-purpose room in the trailer adjacent to the school. The students came in grade by grade and were completely quiet, which for them is a feat in itself. They sat around the room in giant circle and, when all were settled, a select group of 7th graders read the story of the three kings journey to see the Child Jesus.

Once they had their afternoon prayer, we made rain with the students as many of my readers might have done on retreats at one point of their lives. If not I'll describe how it goes: our principle stood in the center of the circle and picked a student to begin with. She first points to them and starts rubbing her hands together quickly, as this passes around the room it begins to sound like a light summer drizzle. During the next rotation everyone begins to snap their fingers lightly, and with the acoustics of this room it truly sounded like little rain drops on a tin roof. The next task is that one by one, each student claps, followed by the stomping feet of a late summer thunder storm. It was quite a relaxing sound for the brief moments of which it took place.

Once order was restored class by class the teachers and staff began to present each student with the gifts that were purchased for them. I haven't seen so many different reactions in a long time. There was the joy of a basketball, the ecstatic times when a student gets a hat that they will never take off (see above), and the relief of a good winter coat. Each student received items that they will use on a daily basis, and the occasional treat that will make for some fun nights with friends.

The sheer joy on the faces of these young men, who in some instances have already taken on more responsibility than many college grads I know, is enchanting. This has been a day that I will never forget and one I will forever cherish.

O Lord, only you know what I am. Even though Paul said, "No man knows what he is in himself except through his own spirit" (1 Corinthians 2:11), there is much that my spirit does not know about my true "self." Confessions, 10.5.7