Busy Week, Busy Weekend

A funeral of a parishioner's parent in a neighboring church, three evening meetings plus a dinner gathering, Clericus, Fresh Start an hour north of here, a meeting with another local clergywoman, pastoral visits, redesign of church bulletin, and prep for tomorrow's Vestry Retreat....it has been a busy week. I survived my first Finance Committee meeting - we decided we would not solve all the problems of the world in one meeting.

Tomorrow's meeting is about our vision for the coming year and what we discern is God's call for us in this place at this time. We may even concoct a mission statement. As with the Vestry Retreat I did with my prior parish last January, I will be using the Appreciative Inquiry methodology - I've found it to be very fruitful. Less likely to get lost in the "we don't have the resources to do x..." thing. as well.

I am uncharacteristically waiting to write my sermon until after the retreat, since I hope some of what we do at the retreat can be incorporated into the sermon. We'll see if that works, or if it is a total cluster-fumble. I'm nervous waiting until Saturday night to write a sermon - I normally get them done by Thursday - but this feels like what I'm supposed to be doing.

Today was spent on household and spouse. We slept in, all the way to 7:30 am. I started the process of staining and finishing the footstool for by my bed (it's a high four-poster, and I'm a short person). I also started the master bedroom drapes. The first panel of any project like this is tediously slow. I'm hoping the rest will go a bit quicker. Chocolate damask with seafoam velvet bands around the edge, mitered in the corners (takes a lot more time, but looks so nice). The window where the window seat is will have a Roman shade - oh yes, I need to make a cushion cover for the window seat, but that's down the list a bit - and the other widows will have those drapes, with a tailored valance with an inverted pleat, I think. Dinner at a local BBQ joint after going to see Shrek in 3-D. Wonderful silliness followed by wonderful meat and carbs. Just call me fat 'n' happy!

The coming week is relatively quiet - wedding on Saturday and Baptism the Sunday after, so there will be a rehearsal on Friday evening and such - but during the week I'll spend my evenings quietly sewing. These drapes may even be done a week from now, but if they're not, it won't take too much longer beyond that. Then it will be on to the next things on the list, and the ones beyond that...

For now, it's time to go to sleep, I think.