I’m laying the Nouwen collection aside for awhile. He’s a good writer, but I’m starting to feel like this anthology could be retitled Henri Nouwen and the Nth Voyage of Self-Discovery. Maybe it was too much Nouwen at once. Our pastor made a reference to Pope Benedict’s Jesus of Nazareth during his homily last Sunday, and I happened across it in a used-bookstore the next day. Recognizing Divine Providence in action, I snatched it up for $4. So far so good. I will probably also pick up the two follow-ons, which cover the infancy narratives and the events of Holy Week respectively.
Yesterday was the seventh anniversary of my brother’s death. I think about him often, and he was especially on my mind in the days leading up to yesterday. Lots of things went on yesterday: loved ones struggling with decisions, the daily madness of a family of eleven, really big moments at work. In the midst of it all, the veil between us thinned somewhat. We prayed for him, and trust that he does so for us.