That blog post title sounds pretty deep, huh?
It is the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time this weekend. We are in the sunset of summer as the season winds down and I find myself getting ready to back to work, back to school. The image for today's post comes from the first reading for this 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time and you all know I am a sucker for good imagery!
But first, a summer recap :)
My summers are usually full of jet-setting and the international travel that perhaps have become synonymous with my summers. This year, I kept my travel domestic, which maybe seems less glamorous, but I assure you it was still fabulous and time well spent!
I spent June touring art museums (and the whole summer doing so, really) and taking a road trip with two of my best friends. We had planned this road trip in the Spring and we made sure it was packed full of beautiful and weird adventure!
We started in Santa Fe, NM- a place I had always wanted to travel to and was told that I would love. Natural wonders, original Churches, and loads of colorful art? Yes, please!
Above and below: taken at Meow Wolf. Google It. If you are ever in Santa Fe, GO TO IT.
Above: My friends and I stumble upon a late night TV scene in Santa Fe. Also, me in the smallest pew I have ever seen at the Cathedral of Santa Fe. We call this photo: The Patron Saint of Personal Space ;)
After a long weekend of museums and Churches (and even a Spa day at 10,000 Waves...also a thing you must check out in Santa Fe!), we rented a car and made our way across Route 66 through Arizona and ending in San Diego, CA with two weeks worth of stops along the way! Here are some of our highlights:
We stopped at lots of National Parks: 4 to be exact! Above is the Petroglyph Park in Albuquerque, NM
Also stopped at lots of weird Roadside Attractions: Above- Navajo County Courthouse in Holbrook, AZ. Below, Jack Rabbit Trading Post on our way to Flagstaff, AZ
More beautiful natural sites in Arizona: Above- Grand Canyon! Below- Sedona, AZ
We saw lots of weird art in California. Salvation Mountain and the nearby art community of East Jesus were amazing (below)
We also stayed in a hipster trailer park outside of Joshua Tree, CA (below)...
Before finally making it to La Jolla Beach and San Diego, our final destination of the trip. We were still smiling at the end!
And that just takes us to early July! ;) During previous summers since I have been a teacher, I have had a second job. I have been a nanny, worked at a winery, and bartended a grocery store bar. This summer, I had a couple of piano gigs, but really no job to speak of for weeks. This sounds great to almost everyone and no one wants to hear that I get bored sometimes while my friends are working 9-5 (shhhh. I know. No one wants to hear it), but that is my reality. And so, in order to avoid any "woe is me" moments, I stacked my summer with art classes and MORE domestic travel.
Just some of the weird, abstract art I made this summer.
And I got to see friends in Philly, Baltimore, and friends and family in Ohio, too:
Above: College and childhood friend and I in Bromo Seltzer Tower in Baltimore, MD.
Below: Family members and I ready for a day of fun at the Lake Erie Islands.
Above and below: My mom and I at the Infinity Mirror exhibit at The Cleveland Museum of Art
Above and Below: even though I have made the drive through PA to OH many times, I had never stopped at the Frank Lloyd Wright houses- Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob- until this summer!
Phew! In my attempts to keep myself busy, I also was reminded of how incredibly blessed I am. I got to see so many people that I truly love and who I know truly love me. As a single person, it is good to have those reminders that love- true love- comes in a variety of forms. I set out to fill my summer with trips and fun things and it ended up being filled with true love. (oof. If I were speaking romantically right now, that would be enough to make anyone a little nauseous, amirite?)
So all of that happened and brings me to this weekend- the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The Old Testament reading for this Sunday is taken from the book of Proverbs and describes the image used for the title of this blogpost. Essentially, the author of Proverbs (attributed to King Solomon but...eh...maybe?) is telling us that Wisdom has everything all laid out for us. Her (Wisdom's) house is set and ready for visitors. We just need to forsake our foolish ways and have a seat.
These themes of food and foolishness are carried through the letter from St. Paul who also tells us to rid ourselves of foolish ways, to the Gospel where Jesus and the Bread of Life discourse. Jesus tells us that HE is Wisdom. He is the one who can offer us Truth and Life and Nourishment, if we take the steps to Him.
I was struck by these images of table and food used to describe much less tangible concepts like Wisdom and God. But food, of course, is the perfect image because we need it to survive and it is something that we need to seek out or is provided for us. It is the same with God and our faith. He nourishes. We need Him. And sometimes we have to seek Him out, but He always provides. We just need to pull up a seat at the table.
Looking forward to seeing where God leads during this new school year. I know that it includes me taking on some new responsibilities and roles which are a little stressful, but nothing I can't handle with His Grace and help.
Peace,
Julia
It is the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time this weekend. We are in the sunset of summer as the season winds down and I find myself getting ready to back to work, back to school. The image for today's post comes from the first reading for this 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time and you all know I am a sucker for good imagery!
But first, a summer recap :)
My summers are usually full of jet-setting and the international travel that perhaps have become synonymous with my summers. This year, I kept my travel domestic, which maybe seems less glamorous, but I assure you it was still fabulous and time well spent!
I spent June touring art museums (and the whole summer doing so, really) and taking a road trip with two of my best friends. We had planned this road trip in the Spring and we made sure it was packed full of beautiful and weird adventure!
We started in Santa Fe, NM- a place I had always wanted to travel to and was told that I would love. Natural wonders, original Churches, and loads of colorful art? Yes, please!
After a long weekend of museums and Churches (and even a Spa day at 10,000 Waves...also a thing you must check out in Santa Fe!), we rented a car and made our way across Route 66 through Arizona and ending in San Diego, CA with two weeks worth of stops along the way! Here are some of our highlights:
We saw lots of weird art in California. Salvation Mountain and the nearby art community of East Jesus were amazing (below)
And that just takes us to early July! ;) During previous summers since I have been a teacher, I have had a second job. I have been a nanny, worked at a winery, and bartended a grocery store bar. This summer, I had a couple of piano gigs, but really no job to speak of for weeks. This sounds great to almost everyone and no one wants to hear that I get bored sometimes while my friends are working 9-5 (shhhh. I know. No one wants to hear it), but that is my reality. And so, in order to avoid any "woe is me" moments, I stacked my summer with art classes and MORE domestic travel.
Below: Family members and I ready for a day of fun at the Lake Erie Islands.
Phew! In my attempts to keep myself busy, I also was reminded of how incredibly blessed I am. I got to see so many people that I truly love and who I know truly love me. As a single person, it is good to have those reminders that love- true love- comes in a variety of forms. I set out to fill my summer with trips and fun things and it ended up being filled with true love. (oof. If I were speaking romantically right now, that would be enough to make anyone a little nauseous, amirite?)
So all of that happened and brings me to this weekend- the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The Old Testament reading for this Sunday is taken from the book of Proverbs and describes the image used for the title of this blogpost. Essentially, the author of Proverbs (attributed to King Solomon but...eh...maybe?) is telling us that Wisdom has everything all laid out for us. Her (Wisdom's) house is set and ready for visitors. We just need to forsake our foolish ways and have a seat.
These themes of food and foolishness are carried through the letter from St. Paul who also tells us to rid ourselves of foolish ways, to the Gospel where Jesus and the Bread of Life discourse. Jesus tells us that HE is Wisdom. He is the one who can offer us Truth and Life and Nourishment, if we take the steps to Him.
I was struck by these images of table and food used to describe much less tangible concepts like Wisdom and God. But food, of course, is the perfect image because we need it to survive and it is something that we need to seek out or is provided for us. It is the same with God and our faith. He nourishes. We need Him. And sometimes we have to seek Him out, but He always provides. We just need to pull up a seat at the table.
Looking forward to seeing where God leads during this new school year. I know that it includes me taking on some new responsibilities and roles which are a little stressful, but nothing I can't handle with His Grace and help.
Peace,
Julia
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