"For I know well the plans I have in mind for you,' says the Lord. 'Plans for your welfare, not for woe. Plans to give you a future full of hope." -Jeremiah 29:11-13

What J 29:11-13 means in 2011. I am 29 years old this year. It has been 11 years since I consecrated my life to Our Lady. It has been 13 years since I made my candidate TEC. These events set my life on the course it has taken.

This blog is an attempt to look back at where I've been and reflect on how it has made me who I am. I'm taking all the entries from old emails, letters and my prayer journal. 19 year-old Joel is a very different person in many ways than 29 year-old Joel and sometimes I cringe at my writings from 2001. But I hope that my journey is helpful to you in some way, especially to the people who were there with me through those years. But also I am writing to you, my young friends, those who did not know me then, but are now navigating your own time in college and vocational discernment. Peace be with you. You'll make it.

Friday, December 9, 2011

December 2000-Walking to Oklahoma

Sent to several friends:


Hello and Happy first Sunday of Advent!! I hope all is going well for you! But I write to tell you about a small adventure of mine today. As some of you know, and some of you may not, this summer I made a foolish attempt to walk to Oklahoma from Wichita. Well, it was a very cool journey seeing nature and kindness in action in addition to spending the night in a post office, but I only made it as far as Conway Springs. oh poop.


But today, on Dec. 3 in the Jubilee Year of 2000 (actually I'm not really sure about that, cuz I think the Church's new year starts with Advent, so I'm not sure if this is technically still the "Jubilee year", anyone care to clear this up?) Anyway, today I walked, skipped, danced, sang, and prayed my way to Oklahoma. It was lots of fun, and I'm sure if someone had been secretly videotaping me I could have made clearance into Charter. From Ark City to the border is about 3-5 miles and it took me about an hour and a half.


I saw three, count them-THREE historical markers that celebrated the pioneers stealing the Cherokee Strip from the Native Americans, and I was also stopped by one police man guy. On my way back I'd stopped to sit on a bridge and admire the Arkansas River, and apparently I "scared a woman to death" thinking I was going to commit suicide. Luckily, I contained my laughter until after the cop had left.


I hope you have a super duper day.
inCHRIST,
joel isaac


p.s. Oh yeah, I forgot about one other "stupidity of joel" moment. At the very beginning of my walk, I found an All Sport bottle that still had some stuff in it. NO! I DID NOT DRINK IT!! I know what you're thinking and I'm not that stupid but I did stomp on it, thinking how cool it would be to watch the juice spray out AWAY from me. Well, things don't quite happen that way, liquid always gravitates towards my pants. grrrrr...

What a jackass.
Remember Charter? Remember All Sport?
I hope you have a super duper day.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)