finally "home"

... just in time for Easter.

Got in last night after driving most of the day from just outside of Atlanta.

Sorry for anyone who was expecting retreat tour updates here; they're mostly on MI Youth's LiveJournal, complete with links to photos and such.

We *only* did 4 retreats, 5 parish-related evening presentations, and 1 leadership training day in our 6 weeks of retreat ministry, but it sure seemed like a lot more. All that driving took up a lot of time:

• Los Angeles to Seattle - 1136 miles
• Seattle to Corvallis, OR to Chino Hills, CA - 1174 miles
• Chino Hills, CA to Albuquerque, NM - 774 miles
• Albuquerque, NM to Ponchatoula, LA - 1137 miles
• Ponchatoula, LA to Newnan, GA - 449 miles
• Newnan, GA to Chicago, IL - 749 miles

That adds up to 5419 miles, not including mileage accrued at the locations. Pretty close to 900-1000 miles a week. I guess I'm not crazy if I feel tired. No way to put a measure on all the moments of grace, challenge, and poverty that we encountered, though.

But it's great, beyond anything. I'm going to cloister myself until after Easter because I don't feel ready to interface with the world yet. I still feel like a nomad; my room and my house feel strange and unfamiliar.