Hi. Are you still on fire? Are you still floating?
I remember the day after our walk, I was both. On fire for Christ and ABSOLUTELY floating through my day. I restricted myself to only speaking to people from the walk so I wouldn't 'frighten' any normal people. I don't feel like that today. I still love my Lord. I am just more at equilibrium.
On our little walk in Bucktown, (for those of you that recall your high-school chemistry, an analogy) this little electron jumped three orbitals and couldn't have cared less about the Pauli Exclusion Principle.
If you didn't take chemistry or can't recall, "in atomic physics and quantum chemistry, electron configuration is the arrangement of electrons in an atom, molecule, or other physical structure. Formally, the quantum state of a particular electron is defined by its wave function, a complex-valued function of space and time.
Electrons are able to move from one energy level to another by emission or absorption of a quantum of energy, in the form of a photon. Because of the Pauli exclusion principle, no more than two electrons may exist in a given atomic orbital; therefore an electron may only leap to another orbital if there is a vacancy there." (plagiarized from wikipedia, therefore in the public domain, therefore the plagiarism didn't happen).
I just had to go look up if my analogy was correct, after I made it, so while I was at wiki, I did the cut and paste thing. Sorry.
Anyhow - to take an analogy that is a stretch and somewhat inscrutable at best a little further - I have now return to ground state but with a new magnetic quantum number. The magnetic quantum number, denoted m, with an allowable value of of an integer, -l to +l, including zero, determines energy shift of an atomic orbital due to external magnetic field. It indicates spatial orientation.
It indicates spatial orientation. I take up a new place in this world.
(you all thought there was no way I could bring this home....)
I now occupy the same home I did before. I fit into most of the same clothes (after finally recovering from a lot of caloric-expressed love in Buckyberg). I have the same job and the same wonderful family. But my orientation is changed. I look to the Lord.
I would like, I think, to stay permanently excited. To occupy that energy level from Sunday afternoon on our walk all the time. But I don't think anyone can. For one thing, I would be annoying to the power of a gazillion to those around me. But it wouldn't be special if it wasn't a higher state. It would be a plateau. Maybe that is what my heaven will be like.
I don't know. But I do know that I miss you all.
Please post.
Please pray for our brother Ken's wife Terri and for my father in law; who are both undergoing chemo right now.
Please pray for the upcoming fall walks. Think about your journey and about who should be on their own. Soon.
and finally - because it has been a while -
BARNEY!!
yes - good old ROY G. BIV, another chemistry reference, for those of you that've read this far....
Nice post, brother. Hope your dad is doing well.
ReplyDeleteTerri and I are on our way for her 3d round of chemo this morning. She has sailed through the first two (thanks to your prayers), with less than 1% hair loss and NO other side effects.
She has started posting on her cancer blog again. It's called The Bazooka Page, and you can find it at http://web.mac.com/drkenfp (click on the link "Bazooka Page", and you can find out why it's called that).
We also need to pray for our brother Mike Tuinier. He has been struggling with unemployment since the walk, and it's been dragging him down - but he had an excellent interview yesterday, and I pray that God will lift him up with this job.
--Ken
The only way to keep that fire burning is to continue to serve. Unfortunately we must leave that beautiful week end with Christ and go back to the real world. It is here that we begin to blend in with those same people we left behind. You did mention something very interesting though is that you restricted yourself to only speaking to people from the walk so I wouldn't 'frighten' any normal people. That's the one problem we all suffer from, then become normal ourselves. Why restrict yourself. Do not be afraid to let them see the new you. When they see the fire you have inside, they wonder what does he have, or what's different about that group. We immediately organized a parish picnic, just because. We rented a bounce house, brought some tents, tables and chairs, and just got together with the children, and families of the parish. After Mass people would come out and were invited to food, and fun. They all wondered what, and why. And we just said because. We went out after a hurricane here in Florida and cut down trees in our parish school, that quickly spread to other neighbors and such. People would say why, or could they pay. We politely declined and continued. St. Francis of Assisi says:
ReplyDeletePreach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.
I pray that you continue to seek him. If not, he is a good Shepard. He will find a way to find you and bring you back. Stay in group, and serve, serve, serve. "Jesus Christ is Risen"
YBIC Beto Mejia