A true "defining moment"

Actually, it's a "defining month," but that's just semantics. So here's what's going to happen...each day for the next month (while I'm on Ob-Gyn), I will be chronicling my adventures (and my misadventures) in this space. I will attempt to be as fair and objective as possible, but I will warn you now: I WILL make editorial comments on both the good and the bad. Also, in case you haven't gathered from the title of the blog (and from my bio), I am a practicing Roman Catholic and I have strong objections to abortion, contraception, and sterilization. Part of the objective in my taking time to do this each day is to give a firsthand account of how these issues arise in daily practice at Magee and to what degree a pro-life student will be affected by them.

All I can say now is that I'm terrified. I don't quite know what to expect...I've heard so many different stories from so many different people, and I have no idea what my experience will be like. I guess I'm hoping for the best, expecting the worst, and praying for the strength to stand strong and not falter. Orientation starts at 8 tomorrow...prayers would be tremendously appreciated, both then and throughout the rotation.

One last thing: I've decided I'm going to make a conscious effort to be as positive as I can, so as a theme song of sorts I've decided on one of my favorite hymns (sorry, this was the best version I could find on YouTube). Peace and God bless!



"And whether our tomorrows / Be filled with good or ill, / We'll triumph through our sorrows / And rise to bless Thee still!"

All I can say is "try it."

My original intent was to post something about prayer. I actually got pretty deep into two different versions, both variations considering a line about prayer from C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters. Both were heavily academic, and you'll notice that neither one appears here. Why? Because they just seemed inadequate while I was writing them. Prayer isn't an academic thing, and it's not something that I'm capable of elucidating right now. To understand prayer, you need to...pray. So instead of wasting copious amounts of virtual ink on something I can't yet hope to explain adequately, I'm going to go pray Compline...and then sleep, since 6:30 will get here mighty early tomorrow. Oh well.

God, come to my assistance!
Lord, make haste to help me!

Peace and God bless!

Prayer request and travel plans

This seems to be happening all too often these days, but for anyone who's reading this, I'd really appreciate your prayers for one of my good friends from college and her family. Her mom is really sick, and not for the first time; it gets harder and harder on my friend and her entire family each time her mom ends up back in the hospital. If anyone could use prayers right now, it'd be them.

Second and less importantly, tomorrow morning I'll be off to Phoenix for a little over a week, followed by a week in Providence. I still don't have a camera so I can't promise pictures of the trip, but I'll try. I'll be back in da 'Burgh on August 10, just in time to help out with orientation for the new 1st years. I'm not sure what kind of internet access I'll have in Phoenix, so I may not receive emails till I'm back in Providence.

Anyhow, I'm signing off for now. Gotta eat, finish packing, and then get to bed...early flight tomorrow.

Peace and God bless!