Lazy, Hazy, Not Crazy at All

So this is August. Slow and hot as hell.... I'm guessing that, once October rolls around and we have the Synod and a consistory (and yours truly will most likely be posting from Rome), I'll be pining for this kind of respite. But, for now, I greet it with no small amount of frustration.

Fortunately, I'm working on a side project which eases the teeth-grinding slowness a bit. Thanks to it, I was able to spend time yesterday talking with two people in this biz who I've long admired. And the reception they gave me was one of la stessa parrocchia. For some reason, to be greeted by my colleagues with such kindness still mystifies me. More often than not, I still ask myself, "Who am I and how did I get here?"

I'll let you in on one of my dirty little secrets, gentle snowflakes. As you know, I can be very hard on others, but I have always been hardest on myself -- and I've got the scars to prove it. Believe me, I'm more befuddled than anyone else that a shot in the wind which started out with an audience of three has become the buzz of Roman parties and lunches, is read in newsrooms, rectories and universities the world over, and evolved into a destination of choice for a sizable and ever-growing audience. This is all further proof that nothing beats God's sense of humor, and I'll try to keep laughing along as well until things are where they need to be.

On that day, I'll dance a jig.

It's still a difficult journey, and hope is often a tough commodity to come by, but I remain encouraged thanks to the feedback from all of you. I'm not the traditional cult-figure type, but it seems I'll have to learn to adapt.

Pray for me.

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