‘C’est parti’ is a good way for me to open this blog. It’s French for something like, “We’re off!” or “Let’s begin!” It fits with the emotional experience of opening a blog for public view akin to that of Julie Powell in the film “Julie & Julia.” She shakes up her post-9/11 life by deciding to prepare all 524 recipes in Julia Child’s (et al) classic cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961). With resolve, she launches her blog by saying to herself something like ‘C’est parti.’
The name of my blog is, perhaps, too personal to be appreciated by a large group. I have just retired from active parish ministry as a Catholic priest and find myself in Panama City, Panama. Grand Forks, North Dakota is the place where my parents happened to be when I was born. All I know of Grand Forks is what one can read on google. I was born there, but moved too early in my life to get to know the place and to have any memories of it.
Moving from Grand Forks in something like 1957 and being now in Panama in 2021 leaves for many years of being in different places, all of which will be revealed in this blog. All these places are part and parcel of my human experience, somehow shaping me to who I am today, for better or for worse. All these places are not regrets in my life because in all of them I met many wonderful people.
On a daily basis (I hope!) I want to register some thoughts largely for family and friends who have shared these places with me. I will try not to be too philosophical or theological in my musings, but I admit that these perspectives are natural to me. Please bear with me. Like Julie Powell, I just want to shake up my life a little and add some motivation and discipline. C’est parti!
Musing Through Life's Days and Places 