A New Week

“And, oh what a week!”

That was the repetitive phrase Father Joe used during his homily at the communion mass. He was talking about religious events of the ancient nature, of course. But he was also talking to the kids and the families in the church about going from Easter to communion, “And, oh what a week!”
I have to bring it up because I second that, “And, oh what a week!” It’s been a wild ride this May, so far.

We started it (as you know) with communion on the 1st. On the 3rd I ended my semester with a breakfast for my students in the atrium of the library on campus. I collected 41 portfolios of composition work that had to be graded ASAP. On the 4th I packed Andrew off to a sleep-over camp with his 5th grade class. They ventured up to the Lakeshore and spent three days and two nights exploring the sites and hiking. On the 5th I took Adrienne to the public school for a meeting with her new principal then took her back to St. Paul so I could go give a final exam. On the 6th I went to 8 am Mass to see Adrienne in her communion garb one more time. After the May crowning and the student/parent breakfast, I high-tailed it back over to campus to give another final exam. In the afternoon, I picked up Andrew and headed to Indianapolis for a funeral (Eric’s Aunt died after a 15 year battle with Parkinson’s Disease). On the 7th we spent all day mourning the loss and consoling family. On the 8th, I got to celebrate with my mom and family and then drove back to Valparaiso. On the 9th I gave a make-up exam, finished grading my other exams, then posted final grades.

But on the 10th day, the ripples in the pond of my life grew still. And, the weather even took a break from the dreary, opening sunny skies and releasing warm winds. Today, I looked backwards and said to myself, “And, oh what a week.”

Then I looked forward into the blue sky of the first day of my summer vacation.