The Olympic Ideal

Hello:

The quality of my writing lately (always?) has been a little questionable, however; there are several themes that struck a chord with me during my recent travels. I'll do my best to share those themes in the form that I experienced them, but my writing will at best be an imperfect lense (or perhaps a dark glass). Today, I'd like to talk about the "Olympic Ideal".

Let me start by saying that the Olympics are humbling. VERY, very humbling. To be involved in any way, even as a spectator, is to be some small part of a gestalt of humanity. Part of the official goal of the Olympic movement is "to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practised without discrimination or any kind, in a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play." It may sound overly idealistic, but it works and it is powerful. In these troubled times, the experience restored my hope for world peace.

I've gotten goosebumps a couple of times as I have tried to write this and relived various moments of my trip. I encountered people from around the world and was repeatedly struck by the friendliness, the curiousity and warmth of everyone I met.

I went into the Russian Team Store hoping to buy some Team Russia Olympic pins (pins are a huge phenomenon that I'll explain in more detail later). They didn't have any pins, but were eager to chat with the Americans who had wandered in.

During the Opening Ceremony, they have a parade of atheletes in which the Olympians of each nation are presented along with their flag. The only country I didn't clap for was Iran. Instead of clapping, I sat there pondering world politics and wondering if I was I was being petty. Several days later when I was skiing in Zermatt, I had a great conversation with an older man riding up in a ski lift. It turns out that he was an Iranian national who had been a US citizen for the last 30 years. He felt no more comfortable with Iran's current politics than I did, but it still made me feel very small.

I don't mean to sound sappy - but the world is smaller than we know and we must realize that we are each Brother and Sister to one another. I'll wrap this up by mentioning a couple of Liguori Publications products. Blessed Are the Peacemakers: Ten Steps to Peace by Mary E. Latela is a great book that shows that we can individually contribute to that which is greater than ourselves. The Cross and the Beatitudes: Lessons on Love and Forgiveness by Fulton J. Sheen is a classic that reinforces the themes of love, forgiveness and compassion. Necessary keys to unlock peace.


Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

Shrouded in Mystery

Hello:

An insidious mixture of returning to the real world, jet lag and laziness has prevented me from posting to this BLOG in the past few days. It's even odder than it sounds, since I wrote several posts worth of material while I was on the road. The last post I made before leaving on my trip was Did I Mention my new House had Bird Flu?, in which I implied that there might be some serious partying with Apollo Ohno and Bode Miller at the Olympics. I might have also implied a certain intent to execute a heist of the Shroud of Turin. Well, now that I'm back (and perhaps on the advice of council) I can only say "No comment". I'm not saying that I did party with Bode and Apollo. I'm also not saying that I didn't. Let's just say that it doesn't take a very careful examination of the official record to see that our boys weren't performing at their peak while I was in town. What can I say? Some people (perhaps from St. Louis) can hold their absinthe better than others. When La Fee Verte (the Green Fairy) enters an event, anyone can find themselves sitting on the ice. As to the Shroud? I think it is best if we all just assume that it is still safely in it's vault at the shrine. When they next display it in 2025, I'll be as surprised as anyone if there is a Liguori Publications sweatshirt in it's place. Note to self - write BLOG post about things that seemed like a good idea at the time that might be regretted later...

In all seriousness - I did make it down to the Shrine of the Shroud. Let me be upfront and say that I have no reason to believe that the Shroud is actually the grave linen of Christ. Whether 'only' a focus of faith to millions or 'merely' an incredibly sophisticated photographic ruse constructed from the most primitive of resources or similarly complex method; it has been many things to many people and regardless of what it is, it is still fascinating.


It was interesting how easy it was to see the Shrine of the Shroud. No lines, no security, no admission. Waltz right in, take as many pictures as you like. No flash photography - gratzi. The church is beautiful in a sort of unremarkable way. By which I mean that there is so much fantastic architecture in Torino, that sometimes something less than grand becomes magnificent.

I'm not happy with the way this post has evolved. I've been writing it throughout the course of the day and the tenor of it has changed several times. I suppose that I should just be happy that I'm getting some of this material posted. I have so many stories that I'm dying
to share. So many photos too. I think I am going to have to sign up with FLICKR or some other service. I have too many that I want to share. Time for me to head off to bed, but I'm going to shift to a more serious tone before I go by suggesting Into Your Hands: Meditations and Prayers on the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ Edited by Norman J. Muckerman, C.Ss.R. As we move closer to the Lenten season and with talk about the Shroud, this title practically suggested itsself.





Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

Back from the Olympics

Hello!

WOW! I had the best trip of my life. It was interesting to me though that the only thing I missed about internet access was this BLOG. I was tempted to use a hotel connection or internet cafe' a couple of times just to drop a quick note, but I know myself too well and realized that I would get buried in work email. I'm still getting my legs back under me here at work, so I won't jump into writing about my trip just yet. Let's welcome my newest BLOGExplosion renter and I'll try to write a fuller post tomorrow.

This week 7 people bid to advertise their BLOG on Dark Glass. I love it that that many people are interested. I'm also happy that several of them have rented from me before and so must have found it worth-while. In no particular order, the bidders were:

Haunted House Dressing. This is a pretty immersive experience created by author Jeremy Shipp. The format is a little dense, but well worth exploring. I've been a fan of this site for quite some time. Despite the author being an unrepentant nun-tickler, it is worth a visit. Jeremy has been a previous renter.

...in the outer. Also known as "Not Your Moma's Religion and Spirituality Blog". I like this BLOG a lot and visit regularily. The site is written by 'The Bloke' - who I would describe as a thinking Christian. His BLOG is thought provoking and worth the visit. He is a previous bidder.


Winsome Gunning Art. Interesting, beautiful and thought provoking. This site features original art work as well as poems and more traditional BLOG posts. This is the first time I had seen the site, but it won't be the last.




My Corner of the Web. The up and coming BLOG of a 35 year old Bassoon player named Suzanne. I bet that's tough to get through airport security.





Dorene Lorenz. Dorene's site is another one that's new to me. It was giving me some trouble to view properly in my browser, but the writing seems witty and worthwhile. Dorene serves on the City Council of the city of Seward, Alaska (a beautiful city I was briefly in 6 years ago). I'll make a point to visit her again.


Beautiful Life. Tough to describe really but I like it. Antony Manjooran has struck up an interesting dynamic with a repeat anonymous poster that just sort of draws you in. There's something about the simple design that is also intriguing. I just placed a bid to try and rent his billboard (at 42 credits, it seems a little pricey to me - but I do like the BLOG).


Real Thought. These are the thoughts of Doug, a self described "conservative native Californian". Doug is strongly interested in a variety of topics including politics. He seems firmly committed to his viewpoints, but doesn't try to bash anyone else into acceptance. I found some interesting reading here.


Whew! It takes a while to do that for 7 sites. So who did I pick? What can I say? It's a Beautiful Life. Please do stop by my renter and leave a comment (after you leave one here of course). I had several really great sites to choose from and I hope that they will all try again next week. Tomorrow, I hope to start sharing some pictures from my Olympics trip and talk up some product from Liguori Publications.

Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

Did I Mention my new House had Bird Flu?

Ciao:

I have to be honest that I'm having trouble focusing enough to write a decent post. I'm leaving tomorrow for my trip to the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy and I think it is affecting my concentration (just a little bit). Any day now I'll probably be drinking with Bode Miller and tearing up the town with Apollo Ohno. Partying with those 2 may lead to our purloining the Shroud of Turin (seems like my mental vacation has all ready started). I'm 'mostly' packed but I'm still getting a little anxious.

So what's that got to do with Bird Flu? Nothing. Weren't you paying attention? I'm having trouble focusing. Anyway - I think I may have mentioned that the chimney in my house was blocked. The inspector found crumbling mortar and leaves and wasn't able to open the flu. In a very Cassandra like fashion, he preceeded to predict doom and misery for any who would dare to use the fireplace. In my ADHD manner - I took a break from plaster work and crawled into the fireplace (a perfectly natural thing to do). It turns out that the flu was just jammed in it's rails. When I got it open, a few leaves AND A DEAD BLACKBIRD fell on my face! The firebox of this fireplace is very large - but not large enough to share with a mummified bird. After removing Edgar Allen Poe's little buddy - I was able to see straight up to the sky. This chimney is so large, I could probably climb up it if I were being chased by click crazed paparazzi (or is it poparatzi?). Fortunately, neither is likely to happen.

Well, this has certainly not been my best post. I had wanted to leave off with something really special before I left for my trip - but well, this is what you're getting. Speaking of paparazzi, I'm taking a lot of photographic fire power with me on this trip. Brace yourself for months of vacation photos. I'd love to leave you with a suggestion for a Lenten titlefrom Liguori Publications, but I just can't tie one back to today's post. Instead I'll suggest something from our Travel series. Perhaps I can use Catholic Shrines of Western Europe: A Pilgrim's Travel Guide by Kevin J. Wright to help me plot my Shroud caper?

Arrivederci,

Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

New Tenant

Hello:

The management of this BLOG is starting to get really shoddy! I've had a new tenant since last weekend and I haven't mentioned it. Please welcome (and visit) Annette and her site Blogging Days and Blogging Nights. This is a warm little family centric Christian site, written and maintained by Annette. Happily married for 5 years, 2 daughters and 2 pups - she has a lot of positive energy to share.

Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

An Experience of Spirit - Book Review

Hello:

I really enjoy the many facets of BLOGging. Writing is becoming a habit. People are reading what I write. My company, Liguori Publications, is benefiting from the referring links and reader feedback. It wouldn't take me long to make a list, but I'd prefer to dwell on the many other sites I've been exposed to. I've enjoyed discovering the wealth of opinions, information and experiences that people are willing to share. Whether it is a Muslim site like my current renter, My Quraan, or the writings of an Evangelical Christian, like Another Man's Meat, I've found many thought provoking viewpoints.

Recently, Phil Dillon of Another Man's Meat agreed to review a Liguori title. I've been impressed by Phil's writing style for some time now and was interested to see how he would handle my request. The result is a beautifully engaging review of An Experience of Spirit: Spirituality and Storytelling by John Shea.

What I particularily enjoy about Phil's approach , was that he made the review very personal and reflected deeply about the book's impact. To quote him briefly, "After reading the first two chapters I saw that this was a book that needed a pilgrim, not a critic, to open its riches." Phil did a very nice job in identifying themes within the book that can resonanate within the spiritual life of both the Catholic and Evangelical. To quote him more fully:

One of Shea’s important lessons for Evangelicals like me is that there is a great mystery passed from generation to generation through the practice of rituals like Communion (Eucharist). I’ve felt for some time that one of the things missing in my life was the ability to connect, to have communion with God in the same way my Roman Catholic brethren are through the Eucharist. I’ve believed since my days in seminary that taking the Communion elements is more than just a symbol. There’s something far more powerful to it all. There is, or should be, more than just a symbolic transaction that takes place when a Christian partakes of the communion elements. He or she should connect deeply with the Christ of the elements, feel God’s cleansing power through them, and come from the experience viewing God, themselves, and their fellows in the light of that experience. Then, something wonderful follows. What we’ve been given, we want to communicate to others:

I encourage you to read the full review at Mystic Sweet Communion - A Review of "An Experience of Spirit". I'll wrap up today's post with a big 'THANK YOU' to Phil for this well written review.

Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass