Writer's Block, During This Time in Our History?

My posts have fallen off as of late. I have been puzzling over that fact for the past few days. Are there fewer problems in the world about which to lament? No. Are there no inspirational stories to be found in scripture? Of course not. After the October snowstorm, have we not had the most gorgeous fall weather imaginable? Yes, we have. So, what is going on in this addled brain of mine? Ah, glad you asked. I have been laboring in the field of academia for twenty-five years now, and my moods and energy levels seem to follow the rhythms of the college calendar. We are sloshing through that odd period after midterm and before finals. Thanksgiving is a mere two weeks away, and, after that, there is barely a whisper until the semester will end. Our whole family will be together at Christmas, which is indeed rare. I am in that in-between place, you see, and sometimes the ideas and originality are slow to percolate through the substrata of my inner sanctum. It's difficult, sometimes, to focus on the present when the end is in sight! However, I will offer a commentary on an event here that was not new, but that did serve to renew my flagging spirit. Our Muslim Student Association hosted an Eid - al - Adha this past Sunday evening. They opened with prayers, some corny jokes and a sincere welcome to all. Then we feasted on some of the best Indian food to be enjoyed on this side of the Atlantic. The evening was fun and the place was jam-packed with people. Imagine a large hall, filled with Muslims, Jews, Christians, Hindus and people of no particular faith tradition. And imagine all of those people being very glad that they have come there. Well, that was our event. And it is the norm around here, and also at other campuses where we have hosted interfaith events. Though nothing in my background and formative years would have laid the foundations for an inclination towards interfaith work, it is there that I feel most useful and most fulfilled. I cannot help but feel that God rejoices as much as we do when we gather together. It should be stated clearly that interfaith gathering does not imply that we forget our differences and just celebrate an amorphous amalgamation of watered-down faith traditions so that no one is made to feel that any one tradition is on display. This gathering was for Eid - al - Adha, celebrating Abraham's offering of Ishmael for sacrifice, and God's deliverance of Ishmael before it was too late. What's that, you say, you thought it was Isaac who was offered? Well, it was, as it was Ishmael. You see, the various traditions represented at the gathering are not of one mind regarding the dramatis personae in the story. We do not try to ignore our differences, but affirm them. Truthfully, it is after midterm, and I am tired and we still have several weeks of the semester to go. But even during this strange time, I am keenly aware of how fortunate I am to share in the life of this multi-faith community. My Christian faith would be so impoverished without it. God is never more real and authentic for me than when I am in the midst of a group such as I was Sunday evening. Even in the dips in energy past mid-semester, there are mountaintops that never cease to surprise and energize.