Four months in Rome are coming to an end. I arrived on 25 September last, and am scheduled to depart on a United Airlines flight from Rome to Los Angeles tomorrow morning. I should be packing, but I'm also working on backing up the computer files that I have worked on while here, so this gives me a motive to stay at the computer.
Every time I come to Rome, and every time I go to Berkeley (or anywhere else, for that matter), I have all kinds of plans of what I can get done during that period. Of course, I never finish those many projects. My imagination has always been bigger than the time allotted. This used to disturb me. I felt that I was not using my time properly. Now I realize that I use my time very well… but that I've got more ideas than I can fit into a day, a week, a month or a semester.
So I'm smiling as I think about these last four months. I have enjoyed teaching the courses assigned to me. I found the students of the course on Youth Spirituality eager to learn. They brought to the experience very interesting, challenging sometimes, stimulating always. They opened many doors for me and for themselves, and for one another. I left each of the sessions smiling. That's right - it was a lot of fun (imagine, teaching has become fun!).
The students of the course on Don Bosco's socio-political-religious environment (a cultural history of 19th Century Italy) we a bit more sedate at the start of the semester, but they became just as animated and interested as the weeks progressed. I found myself wanting to prepare more and more for this course week by week as well.
In addition, I was able to do some other things in the way of research, reflection and presentations on the life and teachings of St Francis de Sales. The response was always better than I ever anticipated after each of these interventions, and this has given me courage to complete the manuscript "Francis de Sales: Life and Spirit". I need another month and that should be complete.
It is time to get back to packing, but I do so knowing that these four months in Rome have been good ones for me. Well, no surprise. Time spent here has always been that way.
San Salvatore in Lauro
So I'm smiling as I think about these last four months. I have enjoyed teaching the courses assigned to me. I found the students of the course on Youth Spirituality eager to learn. They brought to the experience very interesting, challenging sometimes, stimulating always. They opened many doors for me and for themselves, and for one another. I left each of the sessions smiling. That's right - it was a lot of fun (imagine, teaching has become fun!).
Youth Spirituality Class - Listening to Student Presentations
Torino Crocetta
Saint Francis de Sales
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