January 20 and Who We Are

There's always something special about the ritual of Inauguration Day on January 20 every four years that rises above attendant circumstances, even partisan politics.

That sentiment rang true again this year as I watched the Presidential Inauguration ceremony on January 20, 2021.

It has been widely mentioned that the day's proceedings brought a much-needed healing touch in the wake of recent angst.  

President Biden used words to offer such a touch throughout his inaugural address.  He spoke about the "better angels" of our nature ultimately prevailing, and calling for renewed respect and unity, even speaking to those who didn't support his campaign and election as president.

I saw it as a dignified ceremony that demonstrated once again a special aspect of the American experience, that power transfers smoothly from one leader to the next, even between individuals of different political ideologies.

It was especially momentous to see this transfer of power occur two weeks after a mob stormed the US Capitol building, when it seemed like concerns over election integrity put the strength of the republic to the test.  And that strength was proven through the festivities of the inauguration that unfolded without too much of a hitch.  President Biden captured that sentiment well in his inaugural address when he said the USA had been tested in a crucible, and that democracy is "fragile", is "precious", and "has prevailed".  It embodies a sense of "resilience" so that we look ahead "in our uniquely American way--restless, bold, optimistic".

This day gives us renewed energy for the work ahead, as was spoken of in Amanda Gorman's poem "The Hill We Climb".  The words constantly spoke of striving forward to a better day, which we can attain "if we're brave enough to see it...to be it."  And certainly that speaks to how US history has unfolded, in the spirit of the words "in order to form a more perfect union" in the US Constitution Preamble.

Later in the day, I caught glimpse of the inaugural parade.  It was incredible to see groups from all over the country perform, and how in their introductions, they said how honored they were to be part of this event.  There was an amazing variety of performances, which speaks to the great diversity of this country, in keeping with the history made that day as Kamala Harris became the first vice president who is a woman, and of South Asian and African-American heritage.

I also thought Katy Perry's performance of "Firework" in the evening inaugural event was pretty epic with scenic views of the fireworks over the National Mall.

We've got a lot going for us in the USA, and how wonderful we have the chance to celebrate that on an occasion like Inauguration Day, so that we go forth with the strength we need to continue the democratic process of our republic.

Guardian of Weather

It's times like these that make the weather come into greater focus.

We can be grateful for the important work the National Weather Service does to help us make sense of the weather.

The National Weather Service (NWS) is an agency of the US government in the Department of Commerce, which I find a bit odd, even on the basis of the name, and its parent organization is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  It started 151 years ago this month, as the US Weather Bureau on February 9, 1870.

The Director of the NWS is Dr. Louis Uccellini, who is also NOAA Assistant Administrator for Weather Services.  I've had the opportunity to meet him twice, first at the 2013 AMS Annual Meeting in Austin, when he was AMS President and Director of NCEP.  He then came to the Chicago area to participate in the 2014 Annual WGNTV/Fermilab Severe Weather Seminar, right before he became NWS director.  He is good friends with WGN Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling.

The NWS headquarters are just past the northern boundary of the District of Columbia in Silver Spring, MD.  There are also numerous facilities for other umbrella organizations in the NWS, including the National Center for Environmental Prediction facility in nearby College Park, MD; the National Hurricane Center in Miami, FL; and the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, OK.

And there are nearly 120 local weather forecast offices (WFOs) scattered throughout the country.  Each office oversees a collection of counties, and is responsible for weather information products for that area, including forecasts, and issuing warnings for any severe weather situations.  Each office has administrative staff that oversees certain areas of work and forecasters.

If you go to www.weather.gov and type in a location, you'll get a 7-day forecast.  The page will also display what WFO serves that location.  Scrolling down on the page, you can see a wealth of other weather information resources for that location from that office.

One resource I use constantly is the area forecast discussion (AFD).  A forecaster at the local office offers a scientific explanation for the current weather forecast, based on observations, weather model output, and other resources.  In more active weather situations, the AFD can be lengthy.  In calm weather conditions, it might be just a few short paragraphs.  It's interesting to sometimes see some of the forecaster's personality come through in the writing.  I generally read the AFD for the Chicago area each morning, or for wherever I am when I'm traveling out of the Chicago area.  I also listen to information from the NWS on my special weather radio.  I take a portable radio with me when I travel so I can hear from the NWS about current conditions and the latest forecast.

Notably, the AFD is one of many products that used to be printed in all capital letters.  A few years ago, the NWS made the decision to change the display to the usual form of typed print.  I never thought of the AFD type as "yelling" at me, and the NWS statement on the change acknowledged that it was characteristic of earlier forms of products that were typed out in all caps based on the way the computer handled it.

Technological advances have certainly enhanced the ability of the NWS to disseminate weather information.  There are lots of great graphical displays on the website that allow users to see different aspects of the atmosphere.  Weather modeling has also advanced over the years to give us a better sense of what the weather might be like.  And devices like satellites help give a better picture of current conditions so as to improve forecasts, too.

It's interesting to hop around the country and see what local WFO oversees what locations, and to think of the variations in weather that they typically handle from place to place.  There are also differences in criteria for issuing warnings, like for a winter storm warning.  Indeed, it's all as varied as the United States is as a country.

And everywhere has the guardianship of the NWS to keep an eye on the weather round the clock.  We certainly have plenty of reason to be grateful for their work.

First Impressions of the Grand Canyon State

While February 14 is readily noted as Valentine's Day, it is also Arizona's statehood day.

This year, I think fondly of Arizona as I reminisce about the first visit I made to the Grand Canyon State a few months while traveling to southern California, which all began ar 11:10 PM MDT as I entered Arizona near Lupton.  It was a moment I marked by dashing off a quick e-mail to my aunt who lives in Tucson.

I included a short visit to Arizona on my way to California to get the chance to soak in the state at what is truly a national and natural treasure, the Grand Canyon.  Notably, February 26 is the anniversary of the day the Grand Canyon was established as a national park.

Most of my time traveling onboard the Southwest Chief through Arizona was in nighttime hours.  But I did get glimpses of two different cities, Winslow in the east and Kingman in the west.

The station at Winslow is located in a historic Harvey House Hotel, La Posada Inn, that was refurbished to serve guests.  It's truly an example of Southwest architecture.

The one natural aspect that stands out about Arizona is its dry environment.  For months in the summer and its flanks, that means intense dry heat in the central and southern portions of the state.  The northern parts are cooler because of the higher elevations, including Flagstaff.

Based on the few hours I was out and about in Flagstaff itself, I could see that it is a bustling city and caters to its position as a gateway to the great stretches of nature in northern Arizona, with Coconino National Forest surrounding the city.  Flagstaff has a great variety of wonderful local businesses, and a historic flair, too, in its downtown area by the Amtrak station.  Its main railroad corridor is busy, with lots of freight trains rumbling along constantly.  The railroad tracks parallel Historic US Route 66, which adds another delightful dimension to the city's vibrant sense of culture.

Recognizing the journey is as much a part of the experience as the destination, I enjoyed the ride with my tour group to the Grand Canyon along US Route 180.  Our wonderful guide, Sheldon, had plenty of commentary about the landscape we passed through.  He noted how the vegetation changed with elevation, as we passed through swaths of forest, and then changed elevation and entered treelessness with more shrub-like vegetation.  We stopped at one point to view Humphrey's Peak, the highest point of elevation in Arizona, nestled in the San Francisco Peaks.

All of that scenic landscape got us primed for visiting the Grand Canyon.  My reaction to beholding this vast wonder was truly felt inside of me.  It's so indescribably awesome, it just is.  That's why I feel words can't do it justice in attempting to describe a landscape that has so much in it, with varieties of rock and climate zones.  It's incredible to think of the natural forces that shaped such a place.  It has rightly been a heavily-visited site for years.  But even before that, indigenous peoples called it home, and their presence is marked by a specially created space near the Mather Point Overlook.  

Visiting the Grand Canyon was a chance to see the Colorado River at one of its famed spots, which makes me think back to when I visited it in another national park, Rocky Mountain, near its headwaters, where I had the chance to wade across its width.  And I would see the Colorado River again in the dark of the midnight hour when I crossed in and out of that "golden gate" just south of Needles, CA.

Sheldon really knows the canyon well, and put his knowledge to good use so that we could take in so many different views and appreciate it at an in-depth level, with plenty of commentary as we made our way around.

His commentary even continued on the way back to Flagstaff, heading straight south on Arizona Route 64 to Williams and then east, speaking about the I-40 corridor and Historic US Route 66.

On my way back to Chicgoland days later, the train traveled through Arizona in mostly nighttime hours.  But east of Winslow, I had the opportunity to watch the sunrise over the eastern Arizona desert.  The train even traveled through part of Petrified Forest National Park, with its varied landscape of large rock formations and dry ground filled with scrub-like vegetation.  That landscape kept rolling along as we entered New Mexico just east of Lupton.

The arid environment of Arizona has profound beauty that only a desert landscape can bring forth.  Out in the wide open stretches of desert, there is so much to behold.  I certainly had a lot to appreciate passing through Arizona and during my stay there, and I look forward to visiting more in the future.

10 Years Since a Superlative Snow

Throughout my time studying meteorology at Valparaiso University, I was constantly keeping an eye on the weather.  It was interesting when a major weather event occurred that had a higher than usual effect on common life, and everybody got talking about something in which I was gaining expertise, which gave me an interesting perspective at such time.

This week marks 10 years since a great example of such a weather event, the big Chicagoland snowfall of February 1-2, 2011.

At the end of that week, in my customary weekly e-mail I sent to family and friends back home, I wrote the following reflection, which I include here upon marking the 10th anniversary of that snow event:

So I do declare that we seem to have experienced a bit of history this past week here in Chicagoland.

With these words, I started giving an account of this event from the perspective of a ValpU student: "A saying goes, 'Everyone talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.' That statement took on an especially amplified meaning this week as a massive winter snow system swept across a huge swath of the United States, bringing the Chicagoland area one of its biggest blizzards of all time, with copious amounts of snow, and fearsome wind gusts.  For the Valparaiso University community, the storm brought the delights of a snow day, free of classes on Wednesday."  [Side note on what I wrote here: These words opened an article I wrote in The Torch, the Valparaiso University student newspaper.]

This was a pretty significant event, a time when everybody starts talking about the weather, beyond the people in the field of meteorology--and for us, it provided a great opportunity to observe the excitement of a significant weather system.  (You know, it amazes me how events like these bring attention to the field of meteorology, in which we keep busy observing the weather and talking about it among ourselves.)

Chicago-O'Hare Airport recorded 20.2 inches of snow in the snowstorm event that swept through a large swath of the nation.  That means this storm ranks up there among Chicago's all-time greatest snowfalls ever.  And the storm's gravity can also be measured by the fact that my old high school, OPRF[HS] closed for the first time due to weather in 32 years, and only the fifth weather-related closure in its 130+ year history.

That all is pretty striking.  In fact, taking that in almost caught me off guard--to think that we actually experienced a historic weather event.  I almost felt a little disappointed that I didn't take in the event fully with the realization that it was something historic, only happening once every generation.  (Maybe, though, my disappointment more stemmed out of the fact that I only casually noted the talk in the weather forecasts about a system coming over a week ago.  Or maybe it is also due to my having started to underestimate the storm's gravity when Professor Wolf showed us weather models on Tuesday morning that showed we might only get 5-10 inches, and that heavier snow bands would go northwest--which they did, which furthermore may have made me a tad bit disappointed that I couldn't have been around in Oak Park, closer to Chicago, to see what happened there, where I have the impression that the storm was more fierce.)

I feel there are some profound philosophical implications here.  I remember one particular episode of The Cosby Show, in which Theo is in the process of writing an essay about the March on Washington in 1963.  In the episode, he shares the essay with his relatives, who, in helping him improve his essay, share their experiences of that momentous day.  After hearing personal stories from that day, Theo says, "Wow.  It must have been great for you guys to have actually lived through history."  In response, one of his relatives says, "Theo, we weren't living through history.  We were just living our life at the time." (By the way, the quotations are paraphrases.)

Perhaps that is how we all approach these "historic" events.  We don't see them as "history" while in the midst of them, because we're simply living through the events as part of what just happens as we move along in life.  Only later do we come to realize how important these events are in the impact they had on the course of events in our lives.  

Reflecting back on the tragic events of September 11, 2001, I realize that at the time, I had no sense that what had happened that day would soon be regarded as having the same kind of profound impact upon the course of American history as the Pearl Harbor attack.

It makes me wonder what I'll think about this snowstorm event, or any other event that happens in my life, years after it happens.  How significant will I regard it, and what will I think about the degree to which it impacted the course of events in my life?  And what will the generations to come think of these events?  It's so profound to realize that we are a part of history in the making, and what happens in our lives will be part of what will we soon regard as history.

Being one who appreciates the significance of history, I think that's pretty exciting:  History isn't just something that happened long ago--it's also something that I'm living through now.  I can be part of exciting things, just like people were years back, in the midst of the American Revolution, the launching of the new Constitutional government, the American Civil War, the Roaring 20's, the Great Depression, World War II, and the Cold War.

And it all happens under the auspices of what is so aptly put in the words of Valparaiso University's unofficial school hymn, which I sing in my head every time I take in a great view of the Chapel of the Resurrection as I walk towards it heading toward the next thing in my life on campus: "O God our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, our shelter from the stormy blast, and our Eternal Home."

Thanks be to God!

Now back to my present-day writing:

This event certainly stands out memorably in my mind 10 years later, saying so because it was memorable in a good way.

I know the same can't be said for those who felt more acutely the sense of disruption, like the numerous commuters stranded on Lake Shore Drive who had to be evacuated.  A special news program I watched weeks later featured a woman who commuted regularly from the North Side of Chicago to a job in Oak Lawn, normally a 1-hour commute.  That day, it took her 13 hours to get home.

Among the notable meteorological aspects of this snow event closer to Chicago itself were strong winds clocked at nearly 70 mph and thundersnow, a rather rare phenomenon.  Later on, a conference call among meteorologists in Chicago decided to increase the total snowfall amount of the event to include snow from January 31.

I definitely sensed the storm was more intense by Chicago, and Northwest Indiana didn't get as much of its brunt.  At the time, I did feel a tad bit disappointed.  But I recognize that the event was still memorable even if the specific meteorological aspects weren't as powerful.  I also sense this experience was like when I'm asked to pose for a photo and someone snaps the shutter before I'm ready.  I wasn't in the mental frame of mind to realize how historic this storm would be, and take it in as such, only that it would be big.  As an aside, I recall watching the NBC Nightly News broadcast that day, and the Chicagoland snowfall was one of the major stories, with a reporter standing somewhere along the Magnificant Mile as I remember, along with unrest in Cairo of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution that would lead to the end of Hosni Mubarak's reign as Egyptian president--talk about events of historic magnitude.

At least I got to experience it.  My Dad, on the other hand, got stranded by it, in a sense, in, of all places, Orlando, where he had gone in days prior for a business trip.  My understanding is that he and his coworkers stayed there a little longer because they couldn't get a flight back.  So at least they got to work while many business operations were suspended in Chicagoland.

Another anecdote I remember is about butterfly wind chimes my Mom bought near Niagara Falls over ten years prior were hanging outside on the porch of our home.  So far as I can remember my Mom realized they were still outside as she went to bed, and decided to let them stay, and they were still there in the morning the next day.

It was nice to have the chance for classes to be suspended from that Tuesday afternoon and all day Wednesday, which was an opportunity to take it easy, get some extra rest, and have some fun.  My friends and I were especially glad that our very laborious physics lab class was suspended that Tuesday, which was right around the time the snow was forecast to get intense.

There was much talk about the behemoth nature of this weather system days prior.  Notably, the forecast models were spot on days in advance noting the system as it came onshore in California and predicting it would cross the country and be a major snow producer by the time it reached Chicagoland. A year later, NBC5 meteorologist Brant Miller remarked about how spot on the weather models were.

The snow started falling in the early afternoon on Tuesday, February 1, and got intense by 3-4 PM, with steady snowfall rates and strong winds whipping it around.  It was a scene of excitement in the weather center of Kallay-Christopher Hall as can only happen with a group of meteorology students in a major event like this.  At one point, a group of students launched a weather balloon to collect data on the atmospheric conditions.

While classes and other campus activities were suspended, St. Teresa's threw open its doors to welcome students into its student lounge space, part of the Ministry Life Center that had just been completed earlier that school year.  I went to St. Teresa's and spent time playing games like Scattegories, and enjoying pancakes.  I was there for a while, but was back in my accommodations and asleep by midnight.  As I heard later, the normal closing time for the student center was suspended on account of the snow and students were hanging out there late into the night.  I heard someone say that Father Kevin was delighted this big snow was a great opportunity for the student center to be used just as he envisioned, a place where students from all over campus could hang out and have fun.

The snow lingered into the next morning, and was mostly done by afternoon, as the lake-effect snow never really amounted to much, which was a primary factor in the decision to suspend classes and other campus operations.  I saw some colors in the sky to the west at the time of sunset.  There were piles of snow everywhere.

Since February 2 was Candlemas, and the usual Chapel service was suspended, I went to St. Teresa's for Mass.  A senior citizen couple came, having decided it was okay to venture out.  So it was those two, myself, and Father Kevin at Mass, the smallest crowd I've ever been apart of at Mass in a Church.

Once the snow wound down, I got to work on another report for the Torch.  The snow event had disrupted some intended plans for that week.  I ended up with the assignment to write a story on this snow's impact on campus, which I thoroughly enjoyed writing.  I mentioned how students had gone to St. Teresa's to have fun during that night.

Certainly, a big snow like this event caused some disruption to life as usual, which problematic for some.  Yet these types of events don't pose the same level of disruption as something like a flood or tornado, like the devastating tornadoes that would occur later that year in a southeastern outbreak and then the Joplin tornado in May.  Usually a big snow just means getting a break from work or school as usual, and just staying inside for some fun, and maybe outside to an extent within familiar environs.  That's how I ultimately remember this event a decade later, as a little break from the usual proceedings of my life at college and an opportunity to have some fun and take in the wonder of a big snowstorm.

Name Change, Same Content

It was over seven years ago when I started this blog as a way to mark my graduation from Valparaiso University.  I intended it as a way to share what's going on in my life in my post-college years, especially with those I knew during college, so they could keep up with me.  That motivation is how this blog got its name, The Post-College Paul Rubio.

These posts are in the spirit of weekly e-mails I would send to family and friends back home while I was away at college.  I have also written posts on this blog in which I reflect on what's happening in the world near and far from me, and to reflect on events of the past.

Some people actually follow this blog via e-mail, using the feature I have included in the right-hand sidebar.  It is a feature by which Google automatically sends people a post via e-mail whenever I publish something new.

From what I can tell, the subject line of those e-mails from Google includes the title of this blog.  Sometimes, people mention to me about something they read on my latest post, and refer to my blog by the first term, "Post-College".

While this blog has existed in my post-college life since the commencement of it, I don't necessarily want that term to be the first thing that comes to mind when people think of my blog.  It has become more than just a way for people I knew in college to keep up with my life, especially as it contains my myriad reflections.

Therefore, I am changing the name of this blog to "Paul Ponders".  This title captures how the posts on this blog are a way for me to reflect on life, even current events in my life.  With any experience, whether it be a book I read or a trip I go on thousands of miles away, I strive to perceive the deeper meaning of what I experience.

This title change won't alter what I write about on my blog.  All of you readers will continue to see the same great content about what's happening in my life, reflections on events of the past, and musings about what's in the world around me.  And, in honor of the event that inspired this blog, I intend to continue, on an annual basis, to write my Post-College reflection post, published each year on May 19, pondering what my ValpU graduation means to me on each anniversary.

I also want to note a couple of things:  If you subscribe to this blog via e-mail, I don't personally send my posts to you when I publish them.  Google sends them to you automatically.  In the past, people have replied to the e-mail that Google has sent them with the text of the post to comment.  If you aren't already aware, I want to be sure you know that I don't receive those replies if you send them that way.  If you want to comment on a post, please go to the actual blog on the Internet and post a comment.  You can also send me a comment by contacting me using the contact feature on the blog's sidebar, or through other means, like e-mail, phone, or in-person.

Also, Google doesn't tell me who subscribes to this blog via e-mail.  I can think of a handful of people who do, but I don't know all those who do.  If you subscribe to this blog via e-mail, please feel free to contact me sometime and let me know, as I would enjoy knowing the community of people who are following with this blog.

I thank you for reading and following along with my life and reflections.  I hope you continue to enjoy what I write on this blog.

Gifts 2020/2021: Reflecting in the Spirit of the Magi

This Christmas Season is a great time to celebrate the amazing gift of God's presence given to us in Christ, Who manifests Himself in various ways.

Even the exchanging of gifts at this time of year is a wonderful opportunity for reflecting on how God's presence is shown in them.

And so in accordance with a custom I have taken up on my blog, inspired by Father Larry McNally's custom in his Epiphany Sunday homily, I reflect on the recent exchanging of gifts as I experienced it.

Yet as I reflect on gifts, I realize that there were birthdays I celebrated in proximity to Christmas Day earlier in the month of December.  And those birthdays speak to how relationships are an important part of life, even as Christmas is a celebration of how God desires to be in a relationship with us, taking the initiative to show His love to us.

Gifts I Gave

Gold: I wanted to celebrate my friend Richard on his birthday with something nice, so I got him an e-gift card for Amazon.

Frankincense: I gave my Uncle a 2021 calendar with dog photos.

Myrrh: I got my Dad some pears from Harry and David, a treat that hearkens back to his godfather's custom years ago.

Gifts I Received

Gold: My brother gave me Amtrak gift money.  I am eager to use it for enjoying the journey to somewhere in the USA.

Frankincense: My parents gave me a mouse and keyboard to go with my computer, as I had expressed that I could use those tools to make it easier to type.  It will prove handy, especially as I continue virtual RE classes.

Myrrh: My Abuela gave me clothes of various kinds, though at first, I thought I was getting Swiffer cloths when I saw the box upon unwrapping my gift.

Even though the celebrations of Christmas were adjusted this time around, Christmas Day itself was still special.  When I went to Church for Mass, the Church looked so splendidly decorated for Christmas Season with lights, wreaths, trees, and the creche.

Ultimately, the message of Christmas, God Who entered our world in the Incarnate to redeem our world and its sufferings, shines forth so powerfully even in such abnormal circumstances as these.  And day by day, God continues to demonstrate, through various signs, that He is among us, shining, into our darkness, His great Light.

20 + C + M + B + 21

Grapes of Anticipation 2021

Happy New Year's Greetings 2021!

Here we are, once again at New Year's Day.  The sense of "new" generally gives us a sense of optimism about the possibilities ahead, which surely happened on January 1, 2020, even if this time around is motivated largely by a desire to be past the pandemic and its limitations.

Yet, like I reflected on 2020, I am eager during 2021 to embrace more deeply the most important parts of life.

And so I reflect on what I anticipate about 2021 according to the Spanish custom of consuming 12 grapes upon the changing of the year as a way to address some of the major points of note.

Grape #1- Relevant Radio programming: 2020 brought some great new offerings on air, and I look forward to tuning in for more.

Grape #2- family and friends: I look forward to celebrating more milestone birthdays in my family, for my Grandma Dottie and myself, as well as the 5th wedding anniversary of Eric and Naomi.  I also look forward to some milestone birthdays among my friends, and to continue building all these relationships among family and friends, which add a special touch to life.

Grape #3- municipal elections: There are municipal elections in April in Cook County, and I look forward to participating in the process and seeing what emerges.

Grape #4- the 5th anniversary of my MLIS degree: I am eager to celebrate this occasion and use it as a time to reflect on how my vocational journey in this work is unfolding.

Grape #5- 25th anniversary of starting Kindergarten: In September, I'll have the chance to reflect back on the earliest part of my education.

Grape #6- Amtrak's 50th Anniversary: Riding across the conterminous United States by Amtrak is something so meaningful for me, and so I'm excited to mark Amtrak's milestone on May 1, and to go on an Amtrak trip, too, at some point this year.

Grape #7- Missouri's Bicentennial: I'm eager to mark this milestone occasion for the state next door on August 10, the last in a string of state bicentennials that have happened over the past decade, and to take stock of what Missouri contributes to the USA.

Grape #8- 70th anniversary of I Love Lucy's debut: In a recent conversation with Grandma Dottie, I was reminded that 2021 marks 70 years since the October 15, 1951, debut of I Love Lucy.  I hope to get lots of laughs out of the occasion.

Grape #9- leadership transitions: I shall be watching to see how various leadership transitions unfold.  For example, Jose Padilla will start as Valparaiso University's next president in 2021, and Dominican University's President Donna Carroll is set to retire with a new president on the way.

Grape #10- the Year of St. Joseph: Pope Francis proclaimed the Year of St. Joseph from December 8, 2020, until December 8, 2021. I hope to go deeper in faith as I, through various means, ponder St. Joseph and what his example offers us.

Grape #11- reading: I certainly have an ample number of books I want to read.  I look forward especially to more biographies and memoirs, even as I continue reading Witness to Hope, which is timely as 2021 marks 75 years since the priestly ordination of Pope St. John Paul II.

Grape #12- upcoming Confirmations: I am excited to celebrate this important experience for yet another group of my RE students on February 6, and to be part of all that leads to that day and accompanying them in what emerges from it, even as I reconnect and build up what I experienced in Confirmation.

I now commend this year 2021 to the God Who is Alpha and Omega, holding all time in His hands.  He is the One Who stepped into time in the Incarnation, so we may live with purpose.  I pray He enlightens the way as we start filling up this blank slate of 2021, as we use our days to connect with what's most important in life, and know the blessings of the gifts He has already given us.

We remain ever connected in relationships that are at the heart of life: All my relations.

Glory to God in the Highest, and on Earth, peace and goodwill to all people.