Sing Alleluia - and keep walking!

At precisely 10:42 AM, my final paper was stamped and sent off from the Chatham P.O. to the home of my advisor, who should get it well before the deadline of the 25th of January - even with the Monday holiday.

I am beside myself with relief and joy.

Ms. Conroy and I then boarded the 12:06 train from Chatham into NYC with our granddaughter, MacKenna, for the long promised and deeply anticipated Christmas trip to the American Girl Doll Store.

More on all of that tomorrow evening. Our kids and grandkids are coming for celebration of "Little Christmas" (we're just a tad tardy because of illnesses this year). In a few moments, Mackie and I are going to pound the chicken for the picatta which will be tomorrow's lunch. Then, it's into the tub and out of the tub and into bed and the reading of stories and giggling under the sheets and saying prayers and off to sleep, perchance to dream.

I think this will be the first night in months that I've been able to sleep through the night without awaking to think, "O God, did I footnote that correctly?" Or, "Should I put that in the Appendix?" Or, "Did I get the page sequence correct?"

Writing in this way has been akin to being tied in a straight jacket and being asked to dance the ballet.

And, it's done. Finished. Kaput. Tout Finis. The End.

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Which reminds me. This is how I ended the paper:

“Sing alleluia,” wrote St. Augustine of Hippo in his Sermon 256, “and keep walking." This text is read in the Roman Breviary Office of Readings for the Saturday before Advent Sunday. I have this text in mind as I consider the greatest lesson which I learned from people with AIDS, which I hope is the greatest impact of this project on the congregation. 

The concluding paragraph of Augustine's sermon is this:

“So, brethren, let us sing Alleluia,
not in the enjoyment of 

heavenly rest, but to sweeten our toil.

Sing as travelers sing along the road: but keep walking.

Solace your toil by singing– do not yield to idleness.
Sing but keep on walking. 

What do I mean by ‘walking’?
I mean, press on from good to better. 

The apostle says that there are some who go from bad to worse. 

But if you press on, you keep on walking. 

Go forward then in virtue, in true faith and right conduct. 

Sing up – and keep walking.”