I have been thoroughly enjoying a Facebook group one of my mother’s family members in Spain exposed me to. Descendentes de Marineiros, a group dedicated to Spanish descendants and active individuals who depend upon the sea. Many of the photos have a fascinating epic aura. I learned of the Spanish photographer José Ortiz Echagüe from the group. Echague, in his distinct manner, captured memorable moments from early twentieth century religious life within Spain—a way of life he felt was sadly fading away, along with so many traditional ways of life that gave profound depth to Spain. His portraits of Carthusian monks I find appealing. Here are some images captured through the group. They also recently presented images of paintings by Joaquín Sorolla. The artist who motivated my visit to New York City in order to see his exhibit at The Hispanic Museum and Library.

Simply because the young married couple Isaac and Torey–and the two supporting members–have infected my soul, I am posting another of their videos. The world deserves to know them. They have been married for seven years. Their lyrics are profound, a maturity beyond their years. Contemplate these words deeply: “I have no enemies–to come and take from me–I give it freely into their hands”. Amazing. I relate them to words from the Gospels: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Final stunning lyrics for a young married couple loving and working hard on their relationship: “Let’s leave them open to the breeze so everyone can see the things we’ve overcome”. Then there is the hilarious and joyous: “I’ve been living in the laughter though it’s me the world is after. I’ll keep loving until it all falls in on me”. I am enchanted.

Sandwiched between summer vacations, I have been Slowly trudging through Nietzsche’s ‘Beyond Good and Evil’—an immersion for which I have my reasons. In a strange way, an odd quote Ritchie Robertson refers to several times in his compendium on the Enlightenment comes to mind. I am butchering the quote, yet I feel the idea is there. ‘The gods are allowed to be harsh for they are gods. However, a rationale man must be rationale”. Or as a Trappist monk said to me once: ‘That may be good for the saints. However, for you it is off limits”. I came across a powerful ending to a Nietzsche chapter. The penetrating insight cuts to the bone. It is what mankind, globally and nationally, has become. Luckily, on the local level I think there is hope. Faith, hope, and charity prevails on the individual and small community level. “The UNIVERSAL DEGENERACY OF MANKIND to the level of the “man of the future”—as idealized by the socialistic fools and shallow pates—this degeneracy and dwarfing of man to an absolutely gregarious animal (or as they call it, to a man of “free society”), this brutalizing of man into a pigmy with equal rights and claims, is undoubtedly POSSIBLE! He who has thought out this possibility to its ultimate conclusion knows ANOTHER loathing unknown to the rest of mankind—and perhaps also a new MISSION!” For myself, I would prefer the idea of an old mission—the post-post-post modern that drives us into an ineffectual political obsession and division of pygmies usurped fundamentally by the old, while interspersed and unafraid of that which is good in the new. As Pope Leo XIII advocated. When an organization struggles, it must return to that which gave it birth in order to resuscitate itself.

Exhausting day. Good Morning Bedlam proved to be a charm, a small venue producing an intimate experience–conversation and fellowship throughout. Three hours kayaking on the Au Sable River in the morning–ten and a half miles of river, and now I am spent. I relate the matter to the ending of the Upper Mississippi River adventure. My quest for fulfilling personal time, including all driving time dedicated to ‘The Enlightenment; The Pursuit of Happiness 1680-1790’ by Ritchie Robertson–a challenging engagement I feel driven to conclude–all amounts to depletion. It is time for sleep, hopefully enriching rejuvenation. Tomorrow is a day with an academic advisor–the beginning of my quest to complete my bachelor’s degree in order to retire into teaching high school literature/history, aiming for inner-city schools. I ended the day with a Rosary at the Our Lady of the Woods Shrine. The La Salette statue drew me in for prayer. I find the statue unique, insightful, fitting the moment.