10.28.08
October 08
Dear Friends,
It’s been a crazy busy fall semester so far and is likely to get worse before it gets better. I am taking two courses and working as the TA for a third, which is great fun but definitely eats up a portion of my available time to study. Plus, Eowyn and I have been visiting colleges from Maine to North Carolina. Those road trips have obviously taken up some time, but they’ve been fun. On the most recent one we got to see my mother and one of my sisters.
Last weekend was a special one, not only because I handed in a big paper and the Phillies nearly won the World Series, but also because Lauren’s parents were in town and Alasdair preached on Sunday. Our church is doing a series on the book of Judges, and Alasdair’s passage covered the stories of Othniel and Ehud. It was such a blessing to hear him take Al’s material on Judges and make it his own, moving ahead into practical applications of the text. I think the sermon is now available on our church’s website: www.newlifeglenside.com if you want to listen to it.
One other thing. Sometime during the summer of 2007 I mentioned that a friend of Al’s had contacted me about a way he wanted to honor Al, and I think I said at the time that I would say more about it later when it came to pass. Now is the time. Dennis Billy, a friend of Al’s from the cross country team at Dartmouth, became a priest in the Redemptorist Order and taught at the Pontifical Institute in Rome for twenty-odd years. In 06 he was back in the States and came to visit Al twice, and he visited us once in 07. Just this summer he moved back to the US and is now stationed (that might not be the right word) at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary here in Philadelphia.
He has written a number of books, including a series of commentaries on works by medieval writers. The most recent one, which just came out, is called “Spiritual Friendship” by Aelred of Riveaulx (12th century). Because of what Al’s friendship meant to Dennis, he dedicated the book to Al and included a brief biographical sketch of Al in the back. Al would be incredibly honored and so touched by this! It would “bless his socks off,” as they say. On Wednesday, Nov 12, 7-8 pm, Dennis is presenting the book at St. Charles. If anyone in the area is interested in going, the public is invited, and details (directions, etc.) are on the St. Charles website: www.scs.edu .
Nothing much more to report, so I’m going back to bury my head in the books. If I can just survive the next 4-6 weeks, it’ll be great…
Libbie