Omena.

Longtime readers of this blog may recall that it is common for many Jesuits to vacation together 'at villa' sometime during the summer. Since the early days of the Society, it has been common for Jesuit provinces and communities around the world to maintain villa properties, typically rustic rural retreats situated near bodies of water. Perhaps it is telling that even a quintessentially urban religious order like the Society of Jesus has always recognized that its members would have the need to get away to the country from time to time.

This year, for the first time since August of 2009, I'm joining other young Jesuits from my province at beautiful Villa Marquette on the scenic shores of Grand Traverse Bay in Northern Michigan. This is a time to catch up with people I usually don't get to see too often, and it's also a time to watch movies that I've been meaning to get for a while (like Moonrise Kingdom, which I finally saw last night after a long wait) and read the sort of books that I tend to put off until I'm on vacation (like the latest installment of Robert Caro's epic multivolume biography of Lyndon Baines Johnson, which I'm working on now). After villa, I'll be stopping in Chicago and St. Paul before returning to Philadelphia to continue packing for my imminent move to Toronto.

One of my Jesuit companions here remarked yesterday that this summer seems to have gone by unusually fast; I could say the same, but I would also hasten to add that 2012 has also moved particularly quickly for me. Though I appreciate the opportunity to slow down for a few days at villa, I'm also mindful that my time here is fleeting. Best wishes to all others who are traveling at this time of year. AMDG.