I left my heart in Hampton

     There are few experiences I cherish in this world as much as my Thanksgiving vacations in VA. (Disclaimer: A statement like that could get me in trouble with others in my family, but they are part of the other couple experiences I cherish that are not the subject of this particular post.)
     On the first day of our vacation, my brother-in-law and sister-in-law open the door to a world in which I can truly escape my daily life. Although not a spiritual retreat, our visit is a retreat in the true sense of the word for me. I am miles from the cares of work and my obligations at home and become part of an entirely different home. Not only do they willingly open the doors of their house, but their hearts, allowing the four of us to come piling in with all our "accoutrements". Some might consider the visit a practical invasion, but in their case, I can only believe it is a welcome one, since they keep feeding and entertaining us. :-)
     The invasion goes beyond the physical space of the home as there are some philosophical differences as well. I enjoy an honest discourse on all the forbidden topics (religion, politics, parenting, Coke vs. Pepsi, video-games). I believe people like me need such conversations, no matter how uncomfortable they may be. I want to be challenged and I like to be challenging. (After all, the goal of my weekend was to beat my 12 year old nephew at Wii boxing.) Thankfully, we all willingly and openly discourse on such matters reasonably and with charity.
     Then there are the other aspects of my personality. My wife is accustomed to most of these, but to subject her sister's family to them intermittently over several years may not be very constructive. Nonetheless, they receive me, my wife, my children and our accompanying quirks with all the dignity due to human persons. They treat many others the same way, which is an important and virtuous practice lost on many these days.
     Despite all the potential for division in one week, we are family, with a bond that such differences ought not sever. I actually believe our open dialog, mutual acceptance, and having some home-spun fun and tradition makes that bond stronger. So, to my dear family in VA, I send all my love. Thanks for helping me experience the true meaning of Thanksgiving every year. May God grant us countless more.

Nueva Entrada

     Well, this is strange. I decided I would take some of my very valuable time tonight to actually post an entry to my blog and I discover everything is in Spanish. For some, this might pose a problem. Thankfully, I know the language and navigate quite easily with it. In any case, this is but a brief intrusion into the blogosphere. Of most worthy note are my studies. I am reading The Tripersonal God by Gerald O'Collins, S.J. Quite informative if you're seeking to understand the limits of what we know from divine revelation and reason about the Godhead, but comprehension of that mystery will always elude us.
     At times, I feel uncomfortable with mystery. I want to know the truth about the object I am studying. I want to know it in its entirety so I can make the best possible judgment I can. Not surprisingly, I cannot do so with God. Though He is simple in regards to His being, He remains beyond the grasp of the greatest human intellect. We can only begin to understand him through analogy, and in that we must be resigned to say that whatever similarities He has to His creation, he is utterly distinct from anything in creation. We also use the way of negation. God is NOT mortal, NOT measurable, NOT visible, NOT limited, NOT finite, NOT made of parts, NOT bound to time, NOT, NOT, NOT. (That should suffice for the point.)
     So, I hope you have enjoyed this short foray into my studies. I would write more, but I have to read the rest of that book for Saturday. On second thought, I would like to correct the language problem with my blog, but nothing seems to be working. All indicators are that this is clearly the work of the Ghost of Cervantes.