Part of the Thankful Thursday Series
Fresh out of college in the summer of ’87, I lived in community in Richmond, Virginia and served as a full-time volunteer at a house of hospitality for homeless people. Our board chair was a sharp young civil rights attorney who was also a cantor in our parish. I trusted Tim’s wisdom at board meetings and loved his voice singing “Taste and See” at Mass. A few years later, he ran for Richmond City Council. I was glad to be home in Philadelphia by then, but sorry not to be able to vote for him.
Tim continued to run for things and win elections: Mayor; Lieutenant Governor; Governor; Senator. After following his career from another commonwealth for almost thirty years, I finally got to pull a lever with his name on it in 2016: Senator Tim Kaine for Vice President of the United States. Of course, we all know how that went. But for a few shining months, I got to dream of a world in which this Jesuit-educated champion of racial justice and housing equality could be a heartbeat away from the presidency.
After the election, Tim went right back to work. But he also decided to do something to re-ground himself (no pun intended). Over three summers, just after his 60th birthday, he hiked the Virginia portion of the Appalachian Trail, cycled through the Blue Ridge Mountains, and canoed the length of the James River: a quest totaling 1,228 miles. You can read his account of those journeys and the reflections they inspired in his new book, Walk, Ride, Paddle: A Life Outside. (Or better yet, get the audiobook and hear it in his own voice.)
An insight from early in the book has stayed with me. After losing the election for national office, Tim realized that his political aspirations “didn’t need to go higher; they needed to go deeper.” Following his call, he realized, is not about climbing the next rung of an already tall ladder; it’s about making the most meaningful impact he can in however many years of public service he has left. In a culture that always encourages us to pursue the next big thing, “higher vs. deeper” is a choice worth pondering. What will be—in the words of St. Ignatius— “conducive to the greater service of God and the universal good”? Hint: It might not come with a shiny new title.
In a culture that always encourages us to pursue the next big thing, “higher vs. deeper” is a choice worth pondering.
Still wondering if you want to read Tim’s book? Check out his interview with the National Catholic Reporter’s EARTHBEAT blog: “Sen. Tim Kaine on the Spirituality of Walking, Cycling, Paddling.”
On a series of plane trips this spring, Tim read the manuscript of Finding God Along the Way and shared these kind words: “As one so influenced throughout my life by Jesuit teachers and missionaries, I relished Christine’s account of her walk in the footsteps of Ignatius. A long hike provides space for meditation and epiphanies, and this book provides them on every page, together with the everyday challenges of blisters, variable weather and quirky but delightful international companions. Christine’s observations will illuminate your own walk—whether halfway around the world or in your own backyard.”
For Tim Kaine’s generosity in word and deed, I am truly thankful!
Christine Marie Eberle 