I flew into San Diego tonight to join Candyce at “The Gathering”, a night of singing and prayer in La Jolla, California. It was good to see young Catholics from around San Diego come together for all the right reasons. At the end of the evening, Bob invited me up to say a few words. I figured out what I was going to say in the few steps to the microphone.

I met Bob this past summer at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio. Bob is such cool, laid-back surfer dude. It meant so much to me to meet someone who is older and still cool. As I nudge my way through my twenties, I am deathly afraid of becoming irrelevant. Bob lets me know that it is going to be okay.

It must be difficult to be a youth minister in La Jolla. La Jolla has the most expensive homes in the entire country. It’s absolutely so rich it is out of control. I can’t even imagine having that much money. Most people feel like a god when they are that rich. It makes it difficult to make room for the one true God.

Tonight was splendid because I got to hang out with Candyce. Oh so good. It’s hard for me to walk next to her when all I want to do is scoop her up and take her home. But we are both sick, so I have to not kiss her. So I have to cool off and blow off energy by doing something else, like writing a journal.