Fr Jim's Blog

After leaving Sydney at midday Monday and arriving in Dallas at midday Monday, I took a connecting flight to Omaha. I had a window seat and gazed out the window as Texas gave way to the plains of Oklahoma which gave way to the wide flat cornfields of Nebraska. I felt a frisson of excitement as I landed in Omaha, with all the good memories of the last two years building an anticipation of an even better season ahead. I walked around the nearly deserted streets of the Old Market quarter at 6am the next day, something I do to jolt my body into wakefulness - this is daylight, time to get up - even though it's 9pm in Sydney and time to start winding down for sleep.  I realised as I pondered the cobblestones of the Old Market that I'm not very adventurous. My excitement about coming back to Omaha this year is not its newness but its familiarity. I don't crave travelling to new places. I know this place. I know the rhythm of life on campus. I know and love these

Leaving early and travelling to the airport by train means I can have this flight status. Enough time to sit at a cafe overlooking the tarmac and the hazy view across to the city and have a cup of tea (which makes things better even if they weren't already good!). Having two large suitcases on the train (thanks Fr Andrew for one of them) gives people permission to ask "Where are you going?" and to start conversations. Met a lady whose son is in fourth year seminary, and a bloke who was very excitedly heading in for his first day of work after being unemployed for three months. As he got off at Green Square I wished him well and said "God bless". So did the seminarian's mum, and two other people! There are nice people everywhere when you look. Maybe mum wasn't right about everything - it is OK to talk to strangers.

With only a few days to go I'm now halfway packed. I'll be taking all my notes from the past two years and many of the books we've read too so that I can write the final paper which integrates all the learnings from the whole course. I'll also be going camping in Yosemite for a few days after term ends. It's going to be a heavy suitcase!

Ten years ago I set up a blog to use while I was in Chicago for a year of study. I used it both for my own reflections, and to keep in touch with family and friends back home. It proved to be such a valuable tool, and better than the short-form of facebook posts. Two years ago I set up another blog to use in a similar way for my time in Omaha. But as it was named "frjimatholycross" and I'm no longer at Holy Cross Parish Kincumber, it seemed time to set up a new blog for a new year. So click here if you  want to read what I was doing last year, or read on for my adventures this year.