Wrapping up 2026 - Crossing the Threshold

 

As we reach the middle of November, I have decided it is time once again to wrap up the blog a little earlier for the year so I can turn my attention to holiday preparations and my annual December updates on the unabridged life story project. Every year at this time, I step back to look at the road traveled over the past twelve months, and if I had to sum up 2026 in a single phrase, it would be crossing a threshold.

When I opened the year back in January, I talked a lot about standing at the edge of an "unknown frontier" and sitting at what felt like an endless red light on Harford Road, waiting for things to move. Looking back from the vantage point of mid-November, that light did eventually change, even if the road ahead still has plenty of curves we have yet to navigate.

Professionally, June marked the end of a very intense two-year season teaching theology in inner-city Baltimore. Leaving that post was a mutual decision, and in all honesty, it lifted a tremendous weight off my shoulders. While I will always appreciate the teaching experience I gained and the handful of genuinely bright students and loyal colleagues who made the daily grind bearable, stepping away from a chaotic environment and an unresponsive administration gave me room to breathe again. Of course, they gave me some challenges with my unemployment benefits, as they essentially said I "voluntarily quit" despite the fact the decision had already been made in their meetings and they just wanted to make sure I was "on board" with it. I saw that as an act of providence, and agreed that I would not receive a contract renewal. However, after running low in savings and then having to resort to credit accounts to meet my monthly bills, it caused some serious financial challenges for me and even as I write this (mid-November) I am still awaiting an appeal hearing. Since then, the job search—with all its modern frustrations of AI resume gatekeepers and silence—has been a test of patience, reminding me of Jacob wrestling through the night and refusing to let go until the blessing comes. It came to a head yesterday when it seemed like the entire world was caving in on me, but thankfully the prayers of others and a reassurance that everything would work out shocked me back into focus. With the sting of my 2024 transition still fresh - I am still recovering from some aspects of that - it naturally led to a little stress and fear on my part. I trust however that by the time the next year dawns, I may have a nice retrospective to open 2027 with. 

Spiritually, 2026 was a year of profound discernment and realignment. Watching the ongoing inconsistencies and departures from historic Magisterial teaching in the Western hierarchy made it clear that being "Catholic" in the true Vincentian sense—holding to what has been believed everywhere, always, and by all—transcends Vatican bureaucracy. Visiting St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church in Washington, D.C., at the end of August was a turning point. Hearing the ancient Komitas Badarak chanted and feeling that immediate, cell-deep sense of coming home confirmed what has been in my bloodline and my spirit for nearly forty years. Pursuing reception into the Armenian Church and starting Armenian language studies has felt less like a departure and more like a long-overdue homecoming. Despite the fact I am still patiently waiting for the priest to get back to me to discuss the formal process, I am pretty much resolved that this is the best course of action for me spiritually.  Finding out I had Armenian royal heritage back 9 years ago was a revolutionary thing, and as I explored it more, I also discovered ties to Georgia and to the Assyrians as well - that was the proverbial cherry on top of an already amazing legacy I have in my DNA. As I am of the belief that a family tree is never complete, I am anticipating more interesting surprises as I dig more into my deep roots.  In the interim, I have decided for now that attending the local Ukrainian/Byzantine Catholic parish in Baltimore - St. Michael the Archangel - is my best recourse until I get some fruit produced with my inquiries with the Armenians. My very wonderful and wise confessor, Fr. Timothy Grassi, encouraged this as well, noting that the Christian East has a fairly stable liturgical tradition that contains great spiritual riches (he is right, but I did already know that). So, the journey continues for now, as life is indeed a pilgrimage, and the work of sacramental grace will not be done until we graduate one day to our eternal reward. 

If there is one area where 2026 exceeded every expectation, it was on the creative and publishing front. After years of carrying around unfinished manuscripts and "bucket list" ideas, I finally put my nose to the grindstone and brought six books to print this year—bringing my total authored output to eleven volumes. From the 38-lesson Genesis study, the sermon archive, and my cookbook, to completing my apocalyptic novel Appointed for Consecration and writing private, semi-fictional love stories for my fiancée Azenith, this year proved that adversity can indeed fertilize creativity. Even experimenting with AI to bring my old architectural sketches from the 1990s to life and drafting the blueprint for the St. Isaac of Nineveh Academy reminded me that the old dreams from my twenties are still very much alive. This makes me think that there is probably some fruit to be harvested from my own labors, and I already have plans for two books in the works for next year. The first will be a sort of eschatological text which will provide the other theological bookend to my Genesis study, and it will be something which will be a little different. The second book I am planning is my own perspectives on the Convergence Movement, including a detailed history and how it ties into other renewal movements over the centuries. The eschatological text will also provide some theological background for my fictional novel, as it will be a more formal study of the very things that volume fictionalized. The biggest transition in publishing this year from my previous work is that I went with KDP, whereas in the past I have always used Lulu.  However, Lulu has instituted some rather ridiculous new formatting that I cannot figure out, including how to get a title on the cover - its system now is a bit asinine, so I am glad KDP helps simplify that. As I like the quality of my cover art better - I design the covers myself with my own imagery and fonts - I probably will stick with KDP for the long haul. I don't just print books for marketing purposes though, as my college and graduate school papers, my blogs, and other special things I use for personal record-keeping are bound and printed as well. Sitting behind my chair on my bookshelf is now a whole section of just my own work. And, that will probably continue to grow in the final three years of blogging I have ahead as well as at least four more possible books.

On the personal side, life remains a blend of gratitude and anticipation. I am deeply thankful for Barbara's continued friendship and sisterhood as we have weathered health scares, hospital visits, and the daily realities of sharing a roof in this temporary Baltimore rowhouse.  It is unreal at how symbiotic our relationship really is, as we rely on each other a lot still. But, even long before we were married, we were best friends, and that will not change anytime soon. At the same time, my heart is fixed on the future with Azi and her daughter Amirah in the Philippines. Going public this year about our engagement and the new family legacy we are building together was liberating, and I continue to pray for the day when the distance between Baltimore and Luzon (or Palawan, as that will be basically our honeymoon spot - beautiful island!) is closed for good. If all works out, I want to plan my visit over there at some point during the late spring or early summer, and it is a day we both are dreaming of.  If you have ever weathered the challenges of a long-distance relationship, you know what I am talking about - thanks be to God we at least live in a digital age, as Facebook Messenger and video chats are our lifeline together right now. Please keep us in your prayers, as this is a difficult thing for us, but I know that once we are finally together, it will be all worth it as Azi is a precious gift to me, and our love and commitment has grown more despite a half-world distance.

Now in my 57th year, I am keenly aware that time moves faster with every passing season. With just three years remaining until I retire this blog at age 60, my focus is shifting toward preservation, consolidation, and making sure the lessons learned over half a century are properly recorded for posterity. You will see a number of in-depth insights I want to share this coming year, and I have a plan worked out to do so now.  I will give more detail in January when the new year starts as to what those will be.

To those of you who have followed along, read these ramblings, and kept me in your prayers throughout a complex and demanding year—thank you. May you and yours have a blessed and peaceful Christmas season, and may 2027 bring clarity, open doors, and God's abundant provision to us all. I will see you in the new year back here on the "virtual front porch."