COVID: disruption, absence, quiet

Ah, COVID. September was a busy month for me. This busyness extended through the first weekend in October due to our annual gathering of deacons and wives from throughout our expansive diocese (~85k square miles). It was kind of nice being on the road, driving to Southern Utah and back, then to New Mexico and back, then finally to Provo, where we convened our diaconal gathering. Well, while I was away my wife became ill and ultimately tested positive again for the Sars virus. So, here illness, again, is COVID. All of this despite having had COVID in March 2020 and being vaccinated (Pfizer) in July.

This extended my time away from home. Rather than go home from Provo, I drove up and have been staying with my Mom. An additional benefit of this is that it is only about 7-8 minutes away from my office, as opposed to the 30-minute one-way drive. It's been a practice in minimalism as I only have what I packed in my suitcase and backpack. Hence, I do laundry about every 3 days. I have my Liturgy of the Hours book and my Ordo. Of course, my Rosary. I also brought the current issues of Commonweal and America.

More importantly, I have two books: Monastic Practices, Revised Edition by the late Trappist monk, who most of his monastic life at Our Lady of the Holy Trinity Abbey here in Huntsville, Utah. Since I am participating in Renovaré Book Club. Our first book is Rich Villodas's The Deeply Formed Life: Five Transformative Values to Root Us in the Way of Jesus. These two books are very complementary.

I suppose my time away from home is a little like an extended retreat. As you might imagine, it is quieter. This makes it a good time to engage in some spiritual formation. Perhaps I will share some of what strikes me as I make my way through these books. But that is more work than I want to do today. And I like it. I never realize how busy and even frantic my life is until I slow down. Today is a day of slowing down. In fact, this whole weekend will be slow and quiet. I need to just enter into the silence.

What about our traditio? How about something that is the opposite of quiet, slow, and realizing? Green Day's Billy Joe Armstrong singing "Manic Monday." This song was written pseudonymously by Prince and originally recorded by The Bangles for their 1986 album Different Light. Prince initially intended the song for the group Apollonia 6. Billy Joe is accompanied on lead guitar by none other than Susanna Hoffs.