Thursday (Jackson Kemper)

I'm always grateful when a complicated day of travel goes smoothly. My ride to Asheville airport from Lake Logan was at 6am, which got me there in more than plenty of time for my 8:30 departure. The layover was 45 minutes, which, when you're talking about Atlanta, is short; my connecting flight was boarding as soon as I got to the gate. We landed in Milwaukee at 11:30, and by 1:15, I was at Nashotah House in a rental car. Had a meeting with a priest interested in coming into the Diocese of Springfield, and moved around the post-graduation festivities saying hello to an array of people. The trustees met in a committee-of-the-whole from 2:30 until 3:30, then broke out into the actual committees (I'm on External Affairs) for about another hour. The time between adjournment and 5:30 Evensong allowed me to stroll prayerfully through the quiet of the cemetery, taking sober note of the graves of many of the bright lights of Nashotah's history, both ancient and modern, some from before my time, and some whom I have known. Hospitality hour and dinner were in the refectory, after which I had another exploratory chat with someone interested in coming into the diocese, this time a bishop-less seminarian. Now ensconsed in an Oconomowoc hotel, ready for a good night's sleep.

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