My Neighborhood

This is me and Abraham Lincoln's house. I live four blocks from here and on any night, like last night, I can walk by and say hello to (the home of) our 16th president. It's a relatively historic area of Springfield that also includes the current state capitol, the old state capitol, the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, the Dana Thomas House and many others - including this place:

I guess everybody's trying to hop on the bandwagon somehow or other.

Finding My Inner Monk

A view of the Abbey of Gethsemani from the top of the hill where the monastery was originally founded in 1848.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I spend a lot of time moving around. Until recently I was driving 720 miles per week for my various jobs and I've moved no fewer than three times in the past year and a half. I just went on vacation and drove over a thousand miles (for fun!) and I will be spending the entire summer on tour with KIDS from Wisconsin. Needless to say, motion is part of my life. I'm a mover.

All of the motion of my life came to a standstill this past weekend when I went to a "come and see" retreat at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky. There, I spent the entire time in silence and contemplation with a community of 45 brothers. They are part of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (which is commonly called "Trappists" - think beer) and Gethsemani was the first monastery of its order in the United States. Since its establishment in 1848 more communities have been founded - including five daughter houses directly formed from this Abbey. The number of Trappist communities in the US now stands at 17, including two in my relative geographic region - Gethsemani in Kentucky and New Melleray in Iowa.

Being a big fan of Thomas Merton, I decided to make a retreat to Gethsemani during Advent last winter for a week and was genuinely moved by the place, the brothers, and the prayerful atmosphere of the monastery. This time I actually got to sit in choir with the monks, chant the divine office with them, tour the monastery grounds, and talk to some of the brothers. It is a very beautiful life and a great antidote to the noise and harried pace of the modern world.

I'm still trying to figure out how to articulate the imprint this experience has made on me, but I definitely feel a bond with the community and the life of the monks that I've carried with me into the world outside of the cloister. In the coming days I hope I can share some of this experience in my blog. For now, I'm readjusting to talking, the constant noise of the world, and not waking up for the office of Vigils at 3:00 AM!