THOUGHTS ALONG THE JOURNEY

Gosh! Where does one begin a public journal? More to the point - how do I begin? Questions and answers give the easiest entry. <<>> What journey? A 12 month period of service in Israel. Do I regret coming to the Holy Land? No, not at all. Has it been easy and smooth sailing? No, not at all. Will I pretty up this site with plenty of pictures? I’ll try but no promises, I am more a ‘word’ kind of guy. Do I plan to see out the six months? Certainly do. (Sorry Steve, no extra workers yet) Have I answered burning questions about Jew / Muslim / Christian ? No, just more questions have surfaced. Will I use spell check in this blog? No, I can”t fynde itt? Why is AbounaOFM your nickname? Abouna means ‘father’ in Arabic (which I am trying hard to learn thanks to Sr Mona) and the OFM stands for ‘Order Of Friars Minor’ of which I am a member. Am I happy? Hmmm, yes I am. I also feel sad at times but the overwhelming feeling is one of joy for the ‘gift’ of this year. Do I miss family and friends? Sure do. (Catholic guilt dictates that now that you have read this you will feel a deep need to return and check out my wandering thoughts) If I fynde where the spell check is located will I use it? Probably not. <<>> Finally, am I ‘holier’ after six months on the job walking on the soil on which Christ trod? —— only till kick off Round One of the NRL Footy Season! Go the Dogs. <<>> For the benefit of those who have stumbled onto this site and are wondering …… yes, I am Franciscan Friar and an ordained Catholic priest.