With bowed head and grateful heart...
It just feels odd.
While there are indeed many, many other words I could use to describe my feelings right now, I'll just stick with odd.
It feels odd that tomorrow will be my first Thanksgiving away from home and that I won't get to see anyone in my family...
It feels odd that I will not be attending a Stoughton/Canton football game...
It feels odd that I won't be chatting on the sidelines with fellow SHS alumni whom I probably haven't seen since the previous Thanksgiving--ONLY to cease our conversations to watch the Black Knight Marching Band and Color Guard half-time show...
It feels odd that I won't be at my TEN YEAR high school reunion on Friday...
It feels odd that I am in a country where tomorrow is just another Thursday on the calendar...
However, we at the North American College will be celebrating Thanksgiving! In fact, the college has many events lined up this weekend in the hopes of getting our minds off of feeling "odd" about not being at home. Since I am Kevin Leaver after all, I can't resist sharing--here's an overview of the next few days:
Tomorrow we are excused from our classes at our universities. At 6am (which BTW is earlier than we're usually in chapel on a Thursday!) is the Turkey Trot: "The only 5K to go around a sovereign nation!"--We will run from our campus down the hill, around the walls of Vatican City and back up the hill. This is followed by the annual hall breakfast (each corridor makes their own breakfast and does fraternity building)--a Mass of Thanksgiving at noontime and then a good ole American Thanksgiving feast (complete with a pasta dish because, hey, this is still Italy!). Then the Student Activities Board hosts a movie night---I forget what it's about but I heard "it's a hoot".
Friday is a normal schedule (aka class day), but the New Men have our class dinner at 7 pm. Back in late August we elected a classmate to prepare the meal for, and find other classmates to volunteer to help him plan and execute this fraternity building dinner for our class.
Saturday evening brings the New Man/Old Man show---student written performances that the 1st year men perform, and then the 2nd-4th year men perform. (I shall be playing Kevin...a seminarian [from Boston] in the New Man show)
And then BAM...Sunday is the start of December and the First Sunday of Advent. It's also the traditional Spaghetti Bowl/Cookout! The New Men play the Old Men in a flag football game. (The New Men haven't won in 20+ years...) In the interest of helping the team out as much as I could, I will be taking the role of spectator/fan!
As you can read, there are plenty of events that will happen in effort to get our minds off of not being home. We'll see how successful it is. I've decided to "unplug" for most of the weekend in an effort to be more present with the community and not as focused on what I'm missing back home. (Because as my wise little sister said "God doesn't have you in Rome just so you're not in Boston") I am going to try to use the activities of this weekend to more fully engage myself into the community here.
Because I am a former foreign language teacher, I can't help but have a mini-langage lesson, even if it's not in the language I taught. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving day in the United States. The feminine Greek noun εὐχαριστία means "thankfulness, gratitude, thanksgiving". It is where Catholics get the word "Eucharist" which, of course, we use to describe the re-presenting of the Last Supper...aka Mass/Holy Communion.
Which brings me back to tomorrow...
I mentioned at the beginning of my post a lot of things that I am finding odd about tomorrow.
Well, I also find it odd that I am in Italy at the North American College. I find it odd that I am surrounded by 250+ men who felt in the depths of their hearts, as I did, the Lord saying to them "I want you to be my priest"...and so they entered seminary in the US, Canada or Australia to discern...and I find it odd that in His Divine Plan, all of us were brought to the Eternal City for formation to said priesthood.
But in having these "odd" feelings---I am also feeling εὐχαριστία. While I am definitely not fully adjusted to life outside of the US---I am SO grateful for all the support I have felt since being here (and since entering seminary in 2011). From email affirmation notes, to texts to cards by snail mail to packages--I am grateful for all the people (many I know, and many I've never even met!) sacrificing for me through their prayers, time and finances.
And while I don't need tomorrow's holiday to remind me to be thankful, I thought I would take it as an opportunity to express my gratitude.
In (an extended) closing, I thought I'd share the Thanksgiving Proclamation given by the first President of the United States of America...
While there are indeed many, many other words I could use to describe my feelings right now, I'll just stick with odd.
It feels odd that tomorrow will be my first Thanksgiving away from home and that I won't get to see anyone in my family...
It feels odd that I will not be attending a Stoughton/Canton football game...
It feels odd that I won't be chatting on the sidelines with fellow SHS alumni whom I probably haven't seen since the previous Thanksgiving--ONLY to cease our conversations to watch the Black Knight Marching Band and Color Guard half-time show...
It feels odd that I won't be at my TEN YEAR high school reunion on Friday...
It feels odd that I am in a country where tomorrow is just another Thursday on the calendar...
However, we at the North American College will be celebrating Thanksgiving! In fact, the college has many events lined up this weekend in the hopes of getting our minds off of feeling "odd" about not being at home. Since I am Kevin Leaver after all, I can't resist sharing--here's an overview of the next few days:
Tomorrow we are excused from our classes at our universities. At 6am (which BTW is earlier than we're usually in chapel on a Thursday!) is the Turkey Trot: "The only 5K to go around a sovereign nation!"--We will run from our campus down the hill, around the walls of Vatican City and back up the hill. This is followed by the annual hall breakfast (each corridor makes their own breakfast and does fraternity building)--a Mass of Thanksgiving at noontime and then a good ole American Thanksgiving feast (complete with a pasta dish because, hey, this is still Italy!). Then the Student Activities Board hosts a movie night---I forget what it's about but I heard "it's a hoot".
Friday is a normal schedule (aka class day), but the New Men have our class dinner at 7 pm. Back in late August we elected a classmate to prepare the meal for, and find other classmates to volunteer to help him plan and execute this fraternity building dinner for our class.
Saturday evening brings the New Man/Old Man show---student written performances that the 1st year men perform, and then the 2nd-4th year men perform. (I shall be playing Kevin...a seminarian [from Boston] in the New Man show)
And then BAM...Sunday is the start of December and the First Sunday of Advent. It's also the traditional Spaghetti Bowl/Cookout! The New Men play the Old Men in a flag football game. (The New Men haven't won in 20+ years...) In the interest of helping the team out as much as I could, I will be taking the role of spectator/fan!
As you can read, there are plenty of events that will happen in effort to get our minds off of not being home. We'll see how successful it is. I've decided to "unplug" for most of the weekend in an effort to be more present with the community and not as focused on what I'm missing back home. (Because as my wise little sister said "God doesn't have you in Rome just so you're not in Boston") I am going to try to use the activities of this weekend to more fully engage myself into the community here.
Because I am a former foreign language teacher, I can't help but have a mini-langage lesson, even if it's not in the language I taught. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving day in the United States. The feminine Greek noun εὐχαριστία means "thankfulness, gratitude, thanksgiving". It is where Catholics get the word "Eucharist" which, of course, we use to describe the re-presenting of the Last Supper...aka Mass/Holy Communion.
I mentioned at the beginning of my post a lot of things that I am finding odd about tomorrow.
Well, I also find it odd that I am in Italy at the North American College. I find it odd that I am surrounded by 250+ men who felt in the depths of their hearts, as I did, the Lord saying to them "I want you to be my priest"...and so they entered seminary in the US, Canada or Australia to discern...and I find it odd that in His Divine Plan, all of us were brought to the Eternal City for formation to said priesthood.
But in having these "odd" feelings---I am also feeling εὐχαριστία. While I am definitely not fully adjusted to life outside of the US---I am SO grateful for all the support I have felt since being here (and since entering seminary in 2011). From email affirmation notes, to texts to cards by snail mail to packages--I am grateful for all the people (many I know, and many I've never even met!) sacrificing for me through their prayers, time and finances.
And while I don't need tomorrow's holiday to remind me to be thankful, I thought I would take it as an opportunity to express my gratitude.
Please know of my prayers and love for all of you back home, and of my utmost thankfulness for your prayers on my behalf.
"Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor-- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.
Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be-- That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks--for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation--for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war--for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed--for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted--for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.
and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions-- to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually--to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed--to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord--To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us--and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.
Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789."
Go: Washington
Wishing you all a safe and blessed Thanksgiving!
Praised be Jesus Christ...
--KPL
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