So there are a couple of newer...

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 ...developments around these Southwestern parts.  They involve people.

Many of you would likely suspect that being a person that values relationships, being down here in San Diego is a bit daunting.  Getting to know the students is pretty cool and I have a great professor.  However, I had not found anyone to share even a regular meal with and I've tried.  I've been to bars for some of the football games.  Even at church, there had not been anyone who seemed to be interested in even getting to know someone new.  That being said, Within just days of each other, I have two contacts.  The first is someone I saw at church a couple of weeks ago, but before I could say anything to him, he left.  This past Saturday, I met him.  The gentleman is someone who used to be a religious brother from the same order that ran the undergraduate college I attended.  We didn't know each other, but I found out that he was a teacher in years past at a (now closed) high school near my current parish.  He knew many of the men that taught me back in college.  That is a very small world, and although he left the order, I still find it unbelievable to find a "connection" to home.

The second man is a priest who is staying at the retreat center where I am now for a few days.  We spoke last night.  He is from the Archdiocese of Seattle, on the cusp of retirement.  The fact of Seattle is significant because there are several men I was in seminary with who are serving there, but also a college classmate of ours and long time friend who got ordained a few years after me.  He didn't attend the seminary I had been, but just running into this other priest here and now blows me away.  I don't know how much time he and I will see each other while he is on his retreat, but I hope to see him more often in the next few days.

I know these are not likely going to be friendships that last a lifetime, but it'll helpful while I am away to have possibilities.  I don't really mind eating alone, but I have found that I spend too much time online while I am eating alone.  It could also help me accomplish another goal of mine while on sabbatical -- to seek the perspectives of other people on death and dying, especially of people passing through the center.

I really want to get a more rounded view of hope in what lies ahead for us all.  I believe everyone needs to think about what their "afterlife" looks like.

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