Daily Reflections

Green Hill Park

Worcester MA

This picture, though taken a few weeks ago, seems to capture the odd confluence of seasonal attributes that's taken hold here in Worcester. Intermittent heavy rains nourishing lush green fields suggest spring, whereas subdued daylight and temperatures in the 40s and low 50s suggest the coming of autumn more than the intensification of spring.

As the school year winds down, and some more free time starts to emerge, I'm trying to renew my devotion to some habits of spiritual discipline and intellectual leisure. Whether meditating upon my day in the pattern of examination developed by St. Ignatius, or reading through a novel, article, or letter, I'm making an effort to spend some quality time each evening in activities that intrigue the mind and stir the soul, and hoping that some themes will emerge to guide me through the remainder of the month.

Given such reflection, here's a scattering of moments from the day:

• My 7th grade religion class was quite creative in brainstorming various scenarios for the end of the world as we began our final unit for the year: the apocalypse. Many seem to think that a combination of natural disasters will do us in. But several also wondered if we'd have a chance to escape Earth and start over again on another planet.
• I'm covering the final section of a chapter on 19th century westward migration and settlement with my 8th grade social studies class; today I had them work in pairs to compose dialogues about staking a claim in the Oklahoma land rush and farming on the Great Plains. One group went above and beyond: an Asian student and a Hispanic student took the respective parts of a railroad laborer and a cowboy who each left their previous jobs, met in a train station, and decided to share a plot of farmland, overcoming a language barrier in the process– their dialogue started in Vietnamese and Spanish, then transitioned to English.
• There was a vigorous debate at my dinner table tonight about whether or not books will become obsolete as various aspects of the digital age become more entrenched. A former missionary, a philosopher, a retired English professor, and I debated everything from the semantics and concept of the word "book" to the ongoing history of the composition and transmission of the written word.

Not bad for a "standard" Monday at work and at home. I hope to have some more stories, thoughts, or ideas to share in the coming days.