Miscellany: Hail and Farewell

I'm taking a brief break from studying my Hebrew alef-beth to visit with you all. Not necessarily the wisest thing, since we have a quiz tomorrow morning, but my brain is tired.

Our prof for Hebrew is a doctoral candidate at a nearby university, and this is first class at Grand Old Seminary. He hasn't quite gotten the ethos of the place (no, we don't skip class, and yes, the default is pass-fail for Biblical languages) but he seems quite bright, and eventually I hope he'll stop treating us like undergraduates. On the other hand, he seems to have a real passion for the subject, so it may turn out to be a wonderful class. We were all pretty shell-chocked by the time we left class this morning.

Afternoon was consumed by a lecture on worship services in our world, and the philosophy and variety of the services during the week. Interesting stuff, but we were all fading sitting there in a warm chapel after lunch. A bird flew in and perched on the altar crucifix - it added a moment of levity and interest that kept us from falling asleep while the Dean was speaking.

Then I went home to make supper and take StrongOpinions to the airport - she's off to her dad's and thence on to college. Here's what we learned:

• you don't really need to take everything you think you might need when you're flying to college

• geckos are not allowed by Southwest Airlines

• trying to smuggle a gecko onto an airplane is stressful for all

• trying to smuggle a gecko in the pouch of a jockstrap is not a good idea. A looser pouch under a flowing peasant skirt works well.

The jockstrap (actually a soccer jock, which has a pouch in which a male soccer player would insert a plastic protective cup) was PH's idea. At six pm, we were experimenting with every possible thing to take Moses the gecko off to college, including a sock and a pair of PH's BVDs...that was when he suggested the aforementioned jock. 'Twas a sight to behold. If she were flatter on top, I would have suggested one of my super-sized bras, but --alas --she has inherited my significant bosom. All I could think of was if TSA or the airline had patted her down, they would have thought they were having a "TransAmerica" moment. Thre we were, a seminarian, a minister who just celebrated the 20th anniversary of his ordination, and a Buddhist agnostic 18 year old who wants to save the world, all trying to smuggle a gecko onto a plane.

Someday we'll laugh about all this. Right now I just want another piece of chocolate. It wasn't quite the way I pictured sending my baby girl off to college, but it was true to who we all are.

Unhooking

One of the odd aspects of this change of life is unhooking myself from my home parish, St P's (aka Land of Too Many Government Lawyers). The Commission on Ministry was very clear that I belong to the COM now, not St P's.

Thus, today was my last Friday Morning Women's Bible Study.

The group is a diverse bunch of women with a sense of God's grace and a sense of humor - an unbeatable combination.

We had a bit of a breakfast party, with coffee cake, fruit, coffee, juice, and a litany prepared for me to send me off to seminary, plus the gift of a lovely framed calligraphic rendering of quotes from Jeremiah 29 and 30.

I'll miss our conversations, and the freedom to say whatever pops into my mind about the text (you should have heard us about "uncovered feet") and the unconditional love I've felt.

I'm grieving a bit at the loss, but it's part of the process. Interestingly, our study this morning was on Acts 12: 1-11, and we reflected on Peter's unquestioning following of the angel sent by God to rescue him from prison. It was a useful reminder to me about answering the call and trusting in God.

Prayers Please

My friend the stay-at-home dad of three who was diagnosed with inoperable cancer a couple of years ago died last night. He managed to hang in there with good humor and much grace as he fought the disease. It will be a hard road ahead for his wife and three children.

Depart, O Christian soul, out of this world; In the Name of God the Father Almighty who created you; In the Name of Jesus Christ who redeemed you; In the Name of the Holy Spirit who sanctifies you. May your rest be this day in peace, and your dwelling place in the Paradise of God.

I'm a Stranger Here Myself

We are more or less settled in to our new digs. I'm still adjusting to settling in to my new life.

I've found a good local drugstore, an adequate supermarket which will hold me until the new Harris Teeter is completed just down the road, a place to get the car inspected and some good walking routes for my morning walking meditation time. We've met several seminarian families and have almost finished the rehab of the basement. The books are unpacked - a major undertaking - and the cats have come out from behind the furnace. My spices are now on shelves, and enough of my kitchen stuff is unpacked so I can cook a decent meal. The menu tonight was baked bay scallops, fresh corn, and a salad of grape tomatoes, mozzarella and basil with vinaigrette. Some leftover butterscotch brownies to round it all out, and some leftover Pinot Grigio from last night to smooth the rough edges.

I've got a new library card, I've registered to vote, and the DSL line for my work computer is nearly functional. I can mostly work our voice mail and snail mail appears to be getting forwarded properly.

I haven't found an Asian food market, a small mom and pop hardware store for when I don't have the intestinal fortitude to brave Home Depot, or some good ethnic restaurants.

Rationally, I know that I'm settling in remarkably quickly. I just wish I felt less like a stranger and more like I belong here. An odd sensation, feeling like I'm 17 again. I expect that once I start class I will feel a lot better, or at least less alien.

I think it's time for another brownie.

Musical Friday Five

Ah, what a wonderful Friday Five! Thanks, NotShyChiRev, for giving it to us!

1. Describe the last play or musical you saw. (At least provide the what, when, where, and why). What was your opinion of it?
Not a musical, but an opera, "Le Comte Ory" by Rossini, at Wolf Trap Opera a couple of weeks ago. Hysterically funny story of a horny count who's dodged participating in the Crusades and is instead storming the battlements of a castle to win the maidenhood of the princess therein, masquerading as a holy hermit and giving "advice" to all the young women in the castle who are lonely for their Crusader men off to the war. Great young voices, clever direction, a lot of silly physical humor, a great way to spend a warm Sunday afternoon.

2. All time favorite play? Musical?

I'm fond of anything by Sondheim, but "Sweeney Todd" has a special place in my heart.

3. “The Producers,” “The Philadelphia Story,” “Hairspray,” “The Wedding Singer”…all were movies before they were musicals (okay “The Philadelphia Story” was a play and then a movie, and they changed its name when it became a musical, but whatever). What non-musical movie do you think should next get the musical treatment?

I can picture John Adams doing a strange version of "Hotel Rwanda". "Dancing at Lughnasa" (Brian Friel, I think) cries out for musical treatment.


. 4. Favorite song from a musical? Why?

"A Little Priest" from "Sweeney Todd", which I've done myself a couple of times...anything from "South Pacific"..."Summertime" from "Porgy and Bess...."Take Me or Leave Me" from "Rent"...the list goes on and on...

5. The most recent trend in Broadway musical revues is to construct a show around the oeuvre of a particular super-group or composer, where existing songs are woven together with some kind of through story. The most successful of these (“Jersey Boys” (The Four Seasons), “Mamma Mia” (ABBA), “Movin’ Out” (Billy Joel)) have made a mint, but many (“All Shook Up” (Elvis), “Hot Feet” (Earth, Wind and Fire)) have bombed. What great pop/rock singer/composer or super-group should be the next to be featured, and what might the story-line be for such a show?

I'm not terribly fond of that kind of treatment, but I'm a story/music snob, so just ignore me.


Bonus question for singer/actors. Favorite part you’ve ever played/sung.

Mrs. Lovett from "Sweeney Todd". Gotta love a part where you can be a lovable homicidal maniac. Of course, the requisite hairdo - which resembles Princess Leia-style danish pastries over each ear - is a negative, but it's a small price to pay.

Free Agents

We're no longer homeowners. The closing went very smoothly. We're waiting for the check to be deposited. Nice to have a nest egg for the future.

The house is shaping up. Litigator (my 20 y.o. son) will be arriving for a few days' visit tonight. He can opt for the cool but box-filled basement family room, which has the digital cable connection and the lumpy sofabed, or the small but civilized sister's bedroom upstairs with us. A little warmer, but closer to the bathroom. I'll guess he'll go with the basement.

It's been brutally hot here, and the A/C and the ceiling fans have not kept the bedrooms very cool, but they say the weather will break in a few days. I can hope. I go out for my early morning walks at 6:30 since I'm not supposed to be out in the heat. I wear a cap with cooling gel crystals in the hatband and a neck wrap that also has the cooling gel inside. I keep them in the frig overnight - rather odd, but they help keep my body temp down.

Time to unpack more boxes!

Home Again

...into our new place, that is. We moved yesterday (one of the hottest days of the year). Thank goodness we used movers rather than trying to do the UHaul thing. As it was, I thought a couple of the moving guys would pass out any moment with heatstroke. It took from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., which isn't all that bad considering they had to retrieve most of our worldy possessions from the storage place. We cleaned ourselves up, made the bed, and went out to dinner.

The cats are moved in and are adjusting to their new home, we went back and cleaned the old place to ready it for the walk-through, and the stereo and computer are up and the kitchen is almost functional. Only a couple of nonessential small things got broken. We're fortunate.

We've unpacked about 40 boxes thus far, with most of the important ones unpacked. I'll slowly wend my way through some more, and then I'll stop, and the remianing stuff will probably stay in boxes for the next three years, and I won't really care.

Tomorrow is settlement day for the old place. I pray it all goes smoothly. I'll be glad to get this part of it done.

Signing Off Until Next Week

The movers are coming on Saturday morning, but some things (like the computer) will go to the new place in the car, so I'll be packing up the 'puter today to go to its new home. If all goes well and our Internet service works as planned, I'll check back in on Sunday or Monday...

Say a paryer , please, that all goes well.

Checklist

Sheetrocking - done
1st coat of joint compound - done
Lining the cabinets with plastic sheeting - done
Hanging the towel rack - done
Putting the water filter on the faucet - done
Closets emptied - done

Most important:

Moving Moses the gecko to his new home - DONE!

He is riding over there now with PH in StrongOpinions' Saabie. The cats will go after the movers are done on Saturday.

Today will be sanding the joint compound, putting on another coat of it, and painting the other walls of the basement. Plus carting a ton o' stuff over in the car (fax machine, office stuff, more fragile things, etc.) I'll make one stop in PetSmart for crickets for Moses and one stop at Goodwill to drop off assorted cast-offs.

After we got back home last night, PH got up on the tall ladder to put a skim coat of spackle on the bad spot in the hallway ceiling. Tonight he'll sand that and we'll paint it (hopefully it will be the final time). Meanwhile the pest control and repair folks are fixing the one part that they needed to do after the termite inspection.


The repair men showed up at 7:45 this morning, two short, dark Central American guys, very friendly and polite, who set to work right away and should be done soon. Most of the workmen who have helped us get the house ready for sale are like these two - from Central America, hardworking, sweet-natured. They do good work and they're clearly glad to have a job. It got me to thinking about this whole immigration debate, and wondering what it would be like around here if these folks weren't part of the workforce. It would certainly mean it would take longer to get things done. I know the issue is more complicated than justthis small slice of it, but I would hate to see guys like this (I don't know if they're legal or not) get shipped off just for someone's political posturing.

Off to pack some more stuff-

The First Load

We're getting the keys to our new place tomorrow morning. In anticipation, I've packed my car with the following:

• Garbage Can
• Coffee pot
• Garbage Bags
• Assorted cleaning stuff
• Towels and shower basics
• Ice Cube Tray
• Frying Pan and 1 pot
• Two boxes of StrongOpinions' fragile stuff
• One workshop shelf unit for PH's tools and stuff
• Toilet Paper and Paper Towels
• A small portable radio
• First Aid Kit
• A five foot long needlepoint my SIL made for PH on the occasion of his ordination. It is a vine with all different symbols from the Bible, from grapes and olives to cranes and bees. It's gift of love that will eventually be hung near our front door, to remind us what we are about. I want to prop it up in the living room while we do this work, to make us smile.

The other thing, of course, will be our wallets....moving is an expensive proposition! We'll spend the weekend getting supplies, removing the cheesy faux-paneling in the basement. and starting the work of sheetrocking the basement. We'll have friends from church (a couple of whom were part of our Pascagoula mission trip in February, and are now experts at this sort of stuff) helping out, plus PH's retired cousin (HeWhoOwnsAPickupTruck), clearly one of the most important helpers because of our need to get sheetrock, ceiling tiles, and other large things from HomeDepot.

Somehow, I think I'll be making lots or trips back and forth between the places, moving the little odds and ends that aren't suited to the movers' truck.

All will be well, all will be well.

Fifth Anniversary RevGal Friday Five

1) What is your first memory of the RevGalBlogPals?

I found members of group in its early stages circuitously from Real Live Preacher. Can't remember exactly how I got to Songbird and St Casserole and ReverendMother, but they were the first Gals I met, and I was encouraged to blog myself. A pretty radical step for a 50-plus woman going through the discernment process.

2) Have you met any of the other ring members in real life?

Reverendmother and I have gotten together on a couple of occasions. I had hoped to meet St Casserole when I was down rebuilding in the Gulf after Katrina, but we weren't able to make it happen. One of these days, we'll manage it.

3) Of those you haven't met, name a few you would love to know in person.

The list is endless. Kathryn, Songbird, St Casserole, Emily, Sophia,Lorna, ChiRev, Cheesehead...I hate not to include anyone since I love you all! I should find a way to get together with JLEdmiston since we're in the same neck of the woods.

4) What has Ring Membership added to your life?

Affirmation, laughter, tears, courage, new ways of thinking about things, a theological education, a greater understanding of the polity and theology of other denominations, and ever fresh views of Christ in my brothers and sisters of the ring. Plus the opportunity to stretch my writing wings in a new way in our devotional books. You've been with me through my discernment process, through myacceptance as a postulant and to seminary, through illnesses, through various and sundry joys and travails...what a great group of friends!

5) Describe a hope for the future of the WebRing.

A continually growing, supportive community that has more intentionality in getting together. Maybe mini-regional-meet-ups.

Aaarrrggghhh

Just when I thought I was in the home stretch on selling the house, several things rear their ugly heads. We had a termite inspection; they found evidence of termites, and we paid to have the house treated, not with the cheaper alternative, but with the Cadillac of termite systems. There was some damage to a 2x4 in the basement, but the inspector said it wasn't a structural problem and didn't need to be repaired. The settlement company is now insisting on a structural engineer to come evaluate it and repair it. I need a receipt from one of the workmen on some other work we needed to get done - I haven't even paid him yet - and I haven't been able to get a hold of him. The hallway ceiling is looking (once again) like there is some water damage, after PH did such a wonderful job fixing it a couple months ago. Of course, the 300-year rain we had over the past couple of weeks might have something to do with it. Lastly, I'm in a plateau in my weight loss. Twelve more pounds to lose and I haven't lost an ounce in three weeks.

This sucks. Praying for calm.

New Toys

I'm typing this on my sexy new laptop. What's more, I'm now able to WiFi...we have a wireless router on the home computer.

The laptop was an investment for seminary, but I'm loving being able to work in the living room while PH is in the den. No more competition for the 'puter! Yay!

Twas good to have a dear friend who's a geek, who came over and set all this up with us last night. Hopefully, it will survive the move in good order.

Off to pack stuff...

Who Needs MasterCard?

Seeing Princess granddaughter looking lovely and perky...wonderful.
Seeing Cowboy grandson being his usual wild and crazy self...exhilarating.
Seeing Buddha-Baby grandson as serene and mellow as ever...heart-warming.

Seeing Stepson #2 looking as sleep-deprived and exhausted as I was for much of his growing up years...


....PRICELESS!

Peevish Friday Five

1. Grammatical pet peeve

Use of four-letter words indiscriminately. Yes, I use them myself. Not infrequently. But I'd like to believe I use them meaningfully, rather than as a modifier to EVERY noun in a sentence.

2. Household pet peeve

Leaving empty cartons or containers that previously held food in the frig or pantry. How am I to know if we need more unless I see the milk jug's gone, or there are no more cereal boxes in the cabinet?

3. Arts & Entertainment pet peeve (movie theaters, restaurants, concerts)

Operagoers who shout "bravo" before the aria is completed. Especially aggravating when the performance wasn't worthy of a "bravo" in the first place. People who unwrap their coughdrops (crinkle crinkle crinkle) during the quiet passages. Yes, I'm glad you're trying to combat that nasty cough. Couldn't you have unwrapped it when the music was loud? I know. I'll stop being such a prissy nudge now.

4. Liturgical pet peeve

"We just really thank you, God." It has become a catch phrase that equals "Jesus Christ, personal Savior" as code and as posturing. Sorry if I offend anyone, but I'm unhappy with recipe book Christianity that requires certain key phrases as an indicator of being "the right kind" of Christian. I'll go put away my quotation marks now.

5. Wild card--pet peeve that doesn't fit any of the above categories

Assumptions that all Republicans are greedy troglodytes and all Democrats are idiotic bleeding heart spendthrifts. Politics is slightly more nuanced than that. I give you John Danforth and Joe Lieberman.

Bonus: Because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God: What do YOU do that others might consider a pet peeve?

a) I allow StrongOpinions to interrupt my conversations with PH, which rightly peeves him.
b)I use ellipses (...) excessively....

Home Again

I'm back from retreat. It was lovely, a time of reflection and conversation with the other postulants from our diocese. Our retreat leader found out she has been nominated to be Bishop in another diocese - very exciting news, since she's a marvelous priest and solid as they come.

I was pretty frazzled when I got there Friday evening. what is normally an hour and 45 minute drive turned into a four hour endurance test. Fortunately, the return trip Sunday afternoon was more like the usual time.

Back to the real world today: the termite inspection guy is walking through the house poking walls and such with a stick. He just told me he saw some evidence of termite activity downstairs. Sigh. And the handyman is preparing to install a french drain on the side of the house where we may have some water seepage. Another sigh. And I need to call the post office because they started forwarding our mail to the new address already, when I told them to start July 28th.

I think I'll go back down to the retreat center....

UPDATE:

The termite system will cost $1500 and instead of a French drain, we're having that side of the house waterproofed. another grand. Good thing we're making some money on this house. The mighty wind you're hearing is money pouring out of our checkbook.

RevGal Friday Five: Short Stuff

On all things short:

1. Here in the USA, at 5'2", I'm considered short. In Japan, I'm considered average height for a woman, I think. In certain parts of Africa, I'm tall.

I'd like to think that I'm not short, simply energy-efficient.

2. Real strawberry shortcakes, with biscuit-type shortcakes that absorb the strawberry juices so wonderfully, are culinary nirvana. Eating strawberry shortcakes any time but in June when the local strawberries are at their sweetest is a crime against nature.

3. It's just a short time before I start seminary. I'm as excited as I used to get in the days before elementary school started, and I got my new pencil case and black marble-covered notebooks. The only difference now is that I got a new laptop computer instead of notebooks.

4. Short-tempered people abound in the heat of a Washington summer. I find I'm saying to myself "Remember, this is a child of God" more often now than in wintertime.

5. Short skirts: I know I've become an official middle-aged old poop when I see my daughter and some of her friends wearing thigh-high short skirts and I think to myself "Those skirts are wayyyyy too short!" Then again, those skirts really ARE wayyy too short. Then again, 30+ years ago, I wore skirts not much longer than that.

I get short-tempered when I'm hoist upon my own petard...

A range of Emotions

Remembering the wonderful mezzo Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, whose interpretations of Bach cantatas move me beyond words. She died of cancer this past Monday. I'm grateful for her artistry, but am so sad I'll never hear her live again. For more, here's NPR's article on her:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5536175

We spent the past several days up in Michigan, west of Detroit and north of Ann Arbor, at a state park. We were sixteen family members ranging in age from 2 to 70+. Some wonderful moments:

• sand hill cranes and deer in the road in the early morning, plus a family of raccoons who shamelessly walked around our cabins looking for food
• a July Fourth small-town parade in a nearby town, complete with five candidates each for Probate Judge and District Court Judge, a jump-rope drill team, and firemen playing soccer with a bowling ball, propelling it with hoses spurting water
• my brother-in-law gracefully explaining the possible reasons why we have so many flood stories, like ours of Noah and the Ark, in so many different ancient traditions, to my scary-bright 13 year old nephew
• my almost-three year old nephew saying "Please" and "Thank you"...most of the time
• s'mores made with Reese's peanut butter cups
• driving through Ann Arbor and hearing my MIL and FIL tell stories of their days there as students (she in nursing, he in med school)
• the cries of loons and geese and cranes at 6 in the morning
• bratwursts on the grill.

Of course, bringing the bocce ball set turned out to be a mistake, since the little one decided he should drop them on his dad's foot and throw one at his mom's arm. Ouch.
Now, 16 people in two large family cabins means the likelihood that someone, or two, or three, will snore is pretty high. Thus, I was grateful for the earplugs and melatonin that I brought with me.

As wonderful as it was, I was glad to be home again in my quiet little house, with a real toilet and a shower I didn't have to drive to. And I need to detox from all the coffee we drank (they are Swedish, after all).

Tomorrow will begin the postulants' retreat for new postulants in our diocese. I'll meet eight other folks at our diocesan conference center 100 miles from here. I'm excited and little scared.

Last but not least, I'm bummed. My lovely 2000 Saab needs a brain transplant, it appears. The mechanics will call me tomorrow to see if the transplant successfully fixed its problem. Would that it were as easy for me and my quirky brain!

Life is full, indeed.

You Deserve a Break Today...

No, not at McDonald's.

PH and I deserve a break, so we're driving up to Michigan for a PH-family clan camp-out. There will be walks, bike rides, cooking on the grill, dipping toes in the lake, many intense games of Scrabble, Sunday morning prayer service, and fun conversation. I will be bringing my Hebrew alef-bet to continue memorizing it, several books I'm supposed to read for seminary, a little trashy reading, my Branching Out scarf to knit (it will be a green stole for L, who is starting her new job as rector of a church in PA next month), and a whole bunch of baked goodies. I made Triple Chocolate Espresso brownies, a Sacher torte, a cherry pie, and spiced nuts for snacks. Hopefully they'll survive the trip and be edible when we get there.

StrongOpinions is working her next-to-last day as a waitress, and then will be going to WI to spend some time with Semi-Useless Boyfriend, then going up to the lake for some time with her childhood best friend, before coming home for a week and leaving for college in CO. Hard to believe!

Meanwhile, the local conservative newspaper reported that one of our conservative Episcopal priests was named a Bishop in the Diocese of Nigeria, and that his church (one of the largest in the diocese) and another conservative church (also one of the largest in the diocese) were affiliating with Nigeria and leaving our diocese. We got a letter from our Bishop saying he had spoken to them both and they say it is not so. Whether someone can be a bishop in another diocese, indeed another primacy, is another question: it seems pretty unlikely to me, but we'll see what the Archbishop of Canterbury has to say about all this.

I'm ready for a wee break.

Then I get to come home and go to the Postulants' retreat. We'll have a lot to talk about, I'll wager.

Have a good Fourth and stay safe if you're on the roads.

Sending Out the Dove In Hopes of an Olive Branch

It hasn't been quite 40 days of rain here in Your Nation's Capital, but it feels darned close. Many areas nearby have had over 7 inches of rain in 24 hours. Roads have been closed, cars have been swept from one parking area to another, people have had to climb out of their cars while stranded in standing water, hardware stores have been stripped of sump pumps and the like. The IRS's main building and the National Archives are closed due to flooding. I was to go for a business lunch today to one of my favorite seafood restaurants downtown; my lunch partner just cancelled - too many of his folks are unable to get into the office because of road closures, so he has to stay in the office to man the fort. Ah, well, another time.

It's been four days of rain so far, with four more (at least) ahead of us. My windows are steamy with moisture that just can't evaporate.

Yesterday, I went over to the new place we're moving to next month and found out that most of the units suffered basement flooding - the downside of living in a place abutting a lovely stream (see said stream pictured above). I don't know yet if mine is one of the ones that flooded. If it is, I'll definitely make sure our renters' insurance will cover damage from basement flooding in case it ever happens again.

To add to the effects of the rain, one of the items that our house buyer had asked us to repair after the home inspection is a problem with a basement bathroom wall. There had been water damage in there that we were pretty sure was a result of the steamy conditions in the room when one showered; we'd since put in a vent fan, and had seen no fourther deterioration, and the plumber said there wasn't a leak in the wall. So Felipe the Bolivian handyman came and repaired and painted the wall (a beautiful job). Then the rains came. Now there is a little bit of bubbling of the paint down low on the wall. Is it the result of not letting the repair cement dry completely? Is it a result of the rain? Do we need to dig out the exterior wall outside and see if it needs a french drain or a coat of waterproofing? We'll wait until the rains cease, say a prayer, and figure it out from there. At least the bubbling doesn't appear to be getting any worse.

On a less soggy note, I have adjusted to my daily shot of Copaxone quite well, and the neurologist says I don't need to see him for another three months. All will be well. The dove will, at some point, return with an olive leaf in her beak, and we'll know the water is starting to subside.

Just in from Africa:

CAPA - An Open Letter to the Episcopal Church USA

We, the Primates of the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA),meeting in Kampala on 21st - 22nd June, have followed with great interest your meeting of the General Convention of the Episcopal ChurchUSA in Columbus. We have been especially concerned by the development of your response to The Windsor Report, which has been reported to us quite extensively. This is something for which we have earnestly prayed. We are, however, saddened that the reports to date of your elections and actions suggest that you are unable to embrace the essential recommendations of the Windsor Report and the 2005 Primates Communiqué necessary for the healing of our divisions.

At the same time, we welcome the various expressions of affection for the life and work of the Anglican Communion. We have been moved by your generosity as you have rededicated yourselves to meet the needs of the poor throughout the world, especially through your commitment to the Millennium Development Goals.We have observed the commitment shown by your church to the full participation of people in same gender sexual relationships in civic life, church life and leadership. We have noted the many affirmations of this throughout the Convention. As you know, our Churches cannotreconcile this with the teaching on marriage set out in the HolyScriptures and repeatedly affirmed throughout the Anglican Communion.All four Instruments of Unity in the Anglican Communion advised you against taking and continuing these commitments and actions prior toyour General Convention in 2003.

At our meeting in Kampala we have committed ourselves to study very carefully all of your various actions and statements. When we meet with other Primates from the Global South in September, we shall present ourconcerted pastoral and structural response.

We assure all those Scripturally faithful dioceses and congregations alienated and marginalised within your Provincial structure that we have heard their cries.

In Christ,
The Most Rev. Peter Akinola,
on behalf of CAPAChairman,
CAPA

If the Primates of the Global South were as concerned with issues of AIDS, violence towards women, inter-tribal violence, child rape, and other troubles in their world, I could take their statements herein a bit more seriously. It seems they are determined to use our actions as a reason to rend the Anglican Communion asunder. The last paragraph really makes me grind my teeth. I wonder about all the dioceses and congregations and faithful folk in their provinces who feel marginalized and alienated.

I'm trying to respond to this in a Christian way, but it hits all my buttons about Christ calling us to care for those who are marginalized, including the gays and lesbians. I guess Bishop Akinola would have us pick and choose which of God's children we serve.

Friday Five: Ice Cream!

1. Ice cream: warm weather only or a year-round food?

Definitely a year-round food. In the winter, French vanilla over a molten chocolate cake is heaven on earth.

2. Favorite flavor(s)

All.

Okay, I'm not crazy about B-R bubblegum flavor, but if I were desperate...

I'm particularly fond of things like Jamoca almond Fudge, Caramel Praline, and unusual flavors like ginger and green tea. And italian gelato (the rum raisin at Bar Nico on the Fondamenta Nuova in Venice, for example) is sublime.

3. Cake cone, sugar cone, waffle cone, cup?

Cup. I like my ice cream experience undistracted by other stuff.

4. Childhood ice-cream memory

Butterscotch ice cream sundaes at the fountain on Central Avenue. It was by the wallpaper store where my mother would go and spend HOURS poring through the pattern books deciding what to get for her next decorating frenzy. The sundae was my reward for playing quietly and not making a mess. I was so easily bought.

5. Banana splits: discuss.

Never really my thing, although other sundae variations (brownies with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge, for example) were pleasurable. Still, my preference remains for the pure ice cream experience (see #3).

The non-ice cream ice cream that I'd also recommend is coffee granita (strong, sugared espresso, frozen, then scraped into a large-crystal kind of ice), served with some whipped cream and a brioche. I understand that it's served for breakfast in the summertime in Sicily. Guess I'd better go check it out!

I am such a dessert slut...

Prayers, please (2nd edition)

So now StrongOpinions' mother asks for prayers for herself. You may recall I mentioned recently I had to go for my semiannual MRI, a result of the bout of optic neuritis I had a little over a year ago. I lay down in the tube and listened to the squeaks and claps and bonks, while they pumped gadolinium in my veins and looked at my brain. Unfortunately, they found some changes in this brain.

Yes, I know, I'm going to seminary so OF COURSe my brain has changed!

But this was a small change of a kind they don't like, so they're going to start me on drugs for Multiple Sclerosis.

Normally, MS is diagnosed by two neurological "events" separated in time and separated in the parts of the body they affect. I've had one (the optic neuritis) only, but given the change in the MRI, they're pretty sure it's MS, mostly because they've ruled out anything else it might be. So I will begin injecting myself every morning with Copaxone, the purpose of which is to keep relapses at bay, and possibility to limit any disability to something easy, like lumps in the injection sites.

This is not all bad news: the fact that I've been diagnosed this late in my life (!) and I'm a woman and the optic neuritis responded so well to treatment all bodes well for the eventual progress of the disease.

Still, it is a pain, both literally and figuratively. The uncertainty of the progression of the disease is hard to take. I'm praying for another 15 years of disability-free service to the church (that would take me to mandatory retirement age). At some point soon, I'll have to tell my Bishop. I think he will be supportive, and won't say "No seminary for you, missy!" But there's still a small part of me that's scared.

I'm looking for the pony in the room full of manure...

Holy Moley!

We've got a woman presiding bishop! See here: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_76174_ENG_HTM.htm

I'm ecstatic - she's a fascinating, brilliant person, a second-career priest (like I will be), and her views are progressive but conciliatory, which resonates with me. I'm also worried - there are some parts of the Anglican Communion who haven't even signed on to ordination of women, much less women bishops, much less a woman primate. This is going to be interesting and maybe a little scary, but I think she's the right choice for ECUSA.

I was also rejoicing yesterday, reading this homily delivered by Maori Anglican theologian Dr. Jenny Plane Te Paa, the "ahorangi" or dean of Te Rau Kahikatea (College of St. John the Evangelist) in Auckland, New Zealand, which is one of the most powerful I've read in some time, and makes me proud to be a woman, to be a Christian, to be part of the Anglican communion:

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/75383_76154_ENG_HTM.htm

Some days I think it's the work of women that will save the church.

RevGal Friday Five: Zzzzzzzzz

My favorite subject: sleep!

1. In what kind of environment do you sleep best?
Cool but not cold room, my down comforter in winter, my memory foam pillow, the cats and PH.

2. How much sleep do you need to feel consistently well-rested?
Seven to eight hours. I can get by with less, but only for a day or two.

3. Night owl or morning person?
Definitely a morning person. Up at dawn. It's when I get my best reading and thinking done.

4. Favorite cure for insomnia.
Reading in bed. It's a bad habit, I know, but it does work. when I get really desperate, I'll take half a Tylenol PM or some melatonin.

5. To snooze or not to snooze? Why or why not?
Naps are a gift from a benevolent and loving God. Couldn't function without a few minuts of snooze time in the afternoon!

Prayers, please-

for StrongOpinions, who is having a surgical procedure done today. It is outpatient surgery, so she should be home later this afternoon, but it is the very first time she's ever had anesthesia, so I'm a bit nervous.

Icon: John Baptizing Jesus

I finally got around to taking a close-up picture of this one. The Saint Peter I'm doing now is a lot easier, since it's just one figure, not six.

Grandchildren

Is there anything quite as wonderful as the gift of grandchildren? Herein are Princess Granddaughter, her cousin Cowboy Grandson, and Cowboy's new little brother Mr. Mellow. Their GrandMary counts herself very lucky indeed.

Sold!

We signed a contract for the sale of our house this afternoon. The offer was slightly less than the asking price, but not bad, so in the interest of our sanity in an increasingly dicey market, we accepted it. The buyer is prequalified for the mortgage and doesn't have another house to sell, so barring any problems on the home inspection, we should be done.

The best news is that this means we don't have to have another Open House tomorrow. The cats can stay at home, I can stay at home, the gecko is now back up from the basement in his girl's room, and the cats' scratching post is back in the living room where it belongs.

Life is good! Bye, bye, little house!

Counting the days...

...until the family camp-out in Michigan here:
http://www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/ParksandTrailsInfo.aspx?id=438

getting away from the house and work and moving and all that to a place where it doesn't matter how I look and I can loll (don't you love that word?) and wander...bliss.

RevGal Friday Five: Rain

1. Favorite way to spend a rainy day
On the sofa with a good book and a pot of tea, with a fire in the fireplace if it's chilly, and my feet in PH's lap.

2. Favorite song about rain
There's great old song by the Temptations (R&B group from the 60's and early 70's) "Wish it Would Rain."

Day in day out, my tear stained face, pressed against the window pane.
My eyes search the skies, desperately for rain...
'cause raindrops will hide my teardrops,and no one would ever know...
that I'm cryin', cryin' when I go outside.
To the world outside my tears, I refuse to explain
Lord I wish it would raaaaiiiiin...

3. Favorite movie featuring rain

"The Umbrellas of Cherboug." Catherine Deneuve in a musical. A marriage of French drama and hollywood musical. Strange but beautiful. Very Sixties romantic French music by Michel Legrand. 'Nuff said.

4. Favorite piece of raingear, past or present

My rubber boots, which propelled me through the acqua alta (high water) in the Piazza San Marco in Venice. Venezia in the autumn, the time of the high tides that waterlog the street drains, is beutiful beyond words.

5.. Favorite word for rain

Drizzle. It feels the way it sounds.

Assorted Stuff: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly (not necessarily in that order)

No, the house hasn't sold yet. Why is it that I have to comfort my realtor, who is freaking out that the market has softened in our area? I told her that I won't be stressed about it until the house is unsold for 45 days. Remind me of that when I start to fidget.

I get to go with L(my buddy and assistant rector) to a lecture by Barbara Brown Taylor, the wonderful homilist and writer, at the Big Gothic Cathedral in Town tonight. She's flogging her new book, but any time I get to hear her, it's a joy, so I'll buy the book and be happy. L is just back in town after going on a trip to Africa, so I'll get to hear the latest on that...all in all, a good evening ahead.

PH got our home computer functional again. We were without it yesterday, and it shocked me how antsy I was without high-speed internet access. He and neighbor Dave diagnosed and solved the problem by midnight last night. Yay! They even did it without beer.

The cats (particularly Mia) have not yet forgiven me for my application of their topical flea medication yesterday. We survived the application with no gouges or scratches, so we count it as a victory.

The insurance coordinator from StrongOpinions' doctor called and said we may or may not have the insurance company's approval for her surgery next week. The difference between approval and nonapproval is over $2K, so I'm hoping she wins the battle over approval. The kid needs the surgery, so it will get done regardless, but I hate to spend the extra dollars when I pay gosh-awful premiums to these folks every month.

Time to go make some pestering phone calls (work-related) before taking a break for Greek...

RevGal Friday Five goes to the Movies

1. If you were a mutant, what ability would you like to have? (think superpower)

Sounds like X-men to me; I think I'd like to be able to look back on the past an see what REALLY happened. Much more interesting than the future.

2. Tell us about a memorable road trip you've experienced.

Thelma & Louise, Rainman, the Crosby/Hope/Lamour Road movies...several movies come to mind. My favorite trip of my own is probably driving cross-country with PH to a family wedding in Minnesota. We meandered through West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, and Wisconsin into MN. Stops at all sorts of funky little places along the way, with no major superhighways. It was cool. The strangest was traveling with my mother the summer I turned eighteen through Europe. I got to see a side of her I'd never known: the Great Fearless Adventurer. We stayed in funky little places and ate interesting food. It was as much about discovering/rediscovering ourselves as it was about anything else. She swapped cigarettes with US Airmen in Copenhagen, she fended off a Spanish businessman who was trying to pick my up (I was thirty years his junior at least) in Paris, she dragged me into every blessed church and museum in our path...

3. Do you enjoy solving riddles and working on puzzles? If so, what kinds?

I'm thinking a variety of movies, from Proof to a bunch of mysteries to Clue to whatever. I like Scrabble and crossword puzzles, and I like doing jigsaw puzzles, though they're addictive for me.

4. Take two of your phobias and combine them to make a campy horror/disaster flick. What would it be called?

Falling Down the Mountain and Landing in a Mess Of Snakes. Sounds somewhat like the upcoming Snakes on a Plane, doesn't it?

5. Just how batsh*t crazy is Tom Cruise, anyway?

All the way to the bank. He's definitely an effective self-promoter despite being a mediocre actor. The real question is whether or not the new baby was conceived the old-fashioned way, or via a Michael Jackson turkey-baster method. Snarky on Fridays, aren't I?

Thank God for PH

He knows how I like an attractive abode, and how much I swallowed hard at the seminary townhouse we'll be moving to.

Last night he said, "Do you think we could sheetrock that basement?" Gotta love a man who's willing to do that kind of work to make our seminary home basement livable! Don't know if I'm going to take him up on it, but the thought is very appealing.

And did I mention that next week we'll celebrate the 20th anniversary of HIS ordination (and still he's willing to go through all this with me at this advanced stage of our lives)? What a prince!

MRI Boogie

Since my scary bout of optic neuritis last year, often a sign that one has multiple sclerosis, I go for an MRI of my brain every six months. Thus far, there haven't been any changes to indicate the MS diagnosis, thank God, but I still have to go to double-check (neurologists hate idiopathic conditions). It's rather an interesting experience, although a noisy one. I'm not sure how the technology works, but there's lots of clanking and buzzing and clicking and such. Marlon, the technician, is my buddy - he's especially appreciated because when he injects the contrast dye into my veins, he does it almost painlessly. Something about lots of practice, I guess.

I was lying in the tube at 9 this morning, with my head wedged into submission with some pillows, my eyes closed, and the noises bouncing around me this morning, and I tried something different to keep me calm and non-claustrophobic. Usually, I alternate between reciting the Jesus Prayer, the Our Father, and singing the gospel hymn "Be Still and Know that I'm God." This time I tried to parse the different sounds to see what they reminded me of.

The clanking sounds like someone hitting a hammer on the outside hull of a submarine. Particularly apt, since the tube has the feel of a one-person submarine. Occasionally, there's a sound like the "Dive!Dive!" klaxon in a sub as well.

Then there are the sounds of a callused hand on bongo drums, with varying rhythms that are reminiscent of jazz performers of the bebop period. The beat is slow, then gets faster, than becomes totally arhythmic, then...silence.

There are intense buzzing noises that feel like an alien is drilling into my spine. Not painful, just intensely vibratory. I can feel my whole body zinging with it, even with the earplugs.

Such strange technology; such a coarse way to look at our innards. Remarkable that God does it without a tube and without us feeling a thing.

New House

We went to visit the townhouse we'll be living in for the next three years yesterday. StrongOpinions, who is in a mighty funk with all this change, went with us.

The townhouse is pretty small, although it's advertised as a three bedroom with a finished basement. The sweetheart of a seminarian who has just graduated and is vacating it showed us around.

Here are the facts:

• a tiny three bedroom townhouse occupied by a family of five is, by necessity, going to appear stuffed to the gills with stuff and thus somewhat messy (get over it, Mibi)
• a third bedroom that is going to be the back-from-college room of StrongOpinions is going to seem much smaller than humanly possible by said 18-year-old (get over it, StrongOpinions)
• the buckling faux-paneling in the so-called finished basement doesn't indicate that the front door still leaks, making the wall unsuitable for bookshelves
• the exceedingly lively party at the next-door home of the African-American family looks promising, except when I think how much I've got to read and study
• the vast quantity of small kid detritus in the courtyard and in the back yards means I may get asked to babysit (I have mixed feelings about that)
• the number of seminarians living on this one courtyard guarantees community of one sort or another (I have mixed feelings about that, too, being a private person)

The jury is out on what will actually fit in this place. I think I need to draw some diagrams or something...

We got home, StrongOpinions went out with her friend, I crashed. She came home about midnight and thumped around making herself a snack. I woke up, came downstairs to read on the sofa, and she decided to join me for a long conversation about fears, sadness, etc. etc. Conversation lasted two hours. She will be OK, I think. She's also facing some minor female surgery in a couple of weeks, and I know that's weighing on her mind. All I know is that I need more sleep.

Please, somebody, buy this house?

From Jackson Hole, WY

I'm back from several days junket at Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in the Grand Teton National Park. C'est moi in the first picture, in front of the iconic Tetons. Mt. Moran on the right, reflected in a little offshoot of the Snake River.

This is cowboy country, where everyone wears cowboy hats and boots and no one looks dorky in them. This was an "attagirl trip" sponsored by my employer, as a thank you for the best performers of the past year. We stayed at the Four Seasons Resort, ate like well-fed cattle, were massaged and facialed, and took tour of the park. PH rode a bike with another colleague and had a fine time. I hiked up the mountain behind the resort, upto the snowline, and tried to imagine skiing there in winter. Yes, there is still snow atop the mountains there. 80 deg F during the day, 29 deg F at night. A nice little vacation before we enter our vow of poverty and seminary...

Who Am I?

No, not Marcia Brady, despite the little test mentioned below.

According to one person in our church, I'm a liar who seeks to exclude her from a clique of church women. She did not get communication of an event that we had, and says I told her we weren't meeting (which I can't recall). She's going through a bad patch in her life, and we have all tried to be supportive of her, but she is suspicious and decided my giving her what turned out to be incorrect information was deliberate. She complained to the Rector, who tried to mollify her without success.

Of course it wasn't deliberate, and the whole sequence of events that led to her missing the event had little to do with me, but I'm a safe target for now. I had a long phone conversation with her, apologized if I had dropped the ball, tried to convince her that neither I nor any of the others in the group were trying to exclude her...I don't know if she is convinced, but I did what I could, and that's all I can do. I'm just sad that she sees the world as so much against her personally that she reads everything that happens as a personal attack, and feels compelled to attack in return. It was difficult, given that I view my word as my bond, to hear someone call me a liar, but I was trying to step back from defensiveness into compassion. I think I'd grade myself a C by that measure.

In contrast, I went over to the hospital for lunch with the chaplain and my friend who is a chaplain intern. I'm doing some volunteering leading Sunday prayer services there, and we wanted to talk about logistics, and what the proper referral methodolgy is in this time of HIPAA. To facilitate my work there, I got my very own nifty ID badge, with my picture on it. The chaplain put down my title as "Rev. Seminarian." I'm not quite sure how he arrived at that phrase, but I think it does the job, even though I won't be a seminarian for a couple more months.

So who am I? A liar and a snob? A reverend seminarian? I know I don't like the first definition, and truly think I am not. I don't know that I'm worthy of the second one yet - it's a little scary to be re-identified that way.

I'm hoping I'm a child of God striving to do the work as well as I can.

Somedays, I do better than others.

Blessing of the Icon

This will do until I get a close-up picture downloaded...

Somehow I Doubt It...

You Are Marcia Brady

Confident yet kind. Popular yet down to earth. You're a total dream girl. You've got the total package - no wonder everyone's a little jealous of you.

What Brady Are You?

Maybe

We all survived the Open House today. PH and the cats went to a friend's house, where they all camped out in the computer room. I went to the hospital, where I celebrated an Evening Prayer Service with a couple of attendees in the chapel, televised on the hospital's closed-circuit television system. The realtor thinks we've got at least one very serious prospect, and since we're going out of town on Wednesday, she suggested that they get an offer in before then. I hope, I hope, I hope they will. A family with a young son. They'd fit in wonderfully in this neighborhood, and they seemed to appreciate the charm of the place. Please say a prayer.

There was at least one other fairly serious prospect, and it would be lovely to get multiple offers, but I'll be grateful for one.

Of course, doing the chapel service at the hospital snapped me back into perspective on what's really important and what's not. So many hurting people face challenges much more daunting than mine. I was grateful for the opportunity to serve.

And on an even lovelier note, I did get my icon back, and it was blessed at our 11am service this morning. I'll try to post a picture of it in the next day or so.

Welcome to Whine & Cheese: We No Longer Own Our Home or Our Time...

...the realtors do.

PH went bike riding at 8 am, knowing that we have a prospective buyer coming in at 11. Now another is coming at noon. Hopefully, PH will be able to squeeze in a shower between 11:30 and 12...otherwise, he'll be sitting at Starbucks drinking coffee in his smelly biking clothes for an extra hour. Pray we get an offer this weekend.

I have swept the walk and the patio of leaves and pollen and such, vacuumed the house, cleaned the cat box, washed up the kitchen, stowed yesterday's laundry in the washer, put away the placemats. In other words, my house shows no signs of life whatsoever.

And (boo-hiss) icon writing was concelled for today. I was supposed to pick up my varnished John the Baptist, and gild the background of St. Peter. Ah, well...

And the only word I can think of for the Friday Five was "execrable", which is the way this process of house selling feels right now.

Okay, I'll stop whining now.

The Cats Know

...that something is going on. No familiar dustbunnies are under the beds. The scratching post is in the back of the furnace room. The slipcovers on the living room wing chairs are clean (in other words, not covered with kitty hair). The number of objects kitties can hide behind is greatly reduced.

And the evil cat carrier things are on the sunporch.

At least the litter box hasn't been moved.

Yet.

Must be Brokers' Open House Day or something.

Mother's Day High Points/ Real Estate Challenges

Yesterday was a full day, what with church (two services plus a meeting to plan our concert series for next year), working on the house in preparation for the brokers' open house tomorrow, and dinner with StrongOpinions as a combo Mother's Day/her birthday celebration.

PH had tackled what we thought was just a small paint chip problem in our high ceiling hallway - turned out to require a major plaster repair. So there was not only a major ladder in the stairwell, there was also plaster dust everywhere after he sanded. Spooky the black cat decided she needed to do her snow angels imitation by rolling in the plaster dust, and then she decided to share the joy by tracking it around the house. Ah, well... fortunately, the project got done (PH finished sanding and painting it at 7 a.m. this morning). I spent my mother's day evening taking apart the kitchen faucet, replacing the imbedded water filter, and repairing the spring mechanism that controls the spray. That, and folding laundry. And doing more cleaning.

I did get to talk with the Princess Granddaughter, who is Grandmary's favorite granddaughter (also the only, but that's the way these things go), and her dad, Stepson#1, who has grown into such a wonderful man, husband and father. Good phone calls with Litigator and StoneMason, and telephone tag with Stepson#2, father of grandsons Cowboy and StrongLungs.

The high point of the evening was when I went to bed, though.

No, not what you think, those of you with dirty minds.

A letter, which StrongOpinions had tucked under my pillow, and which I didn't find until 11:30 p.m.

I'll share some of it with you, because it was such a wonderful gift, I couldn't be happier:

Happy Mother's Day!

You have always given me everything I have ever wanted. I remember when we still lived up north and it was Christmas Time. You bought my cousin a porcelain tea set, and I begged you to give it to me, and you did! One of the countless examples of how you never let me down (--materially -- we'll get to the other stuff later)! For my whole life, whether I showed it or not, I have had issues with feeling guilty for owning all the possessions I do [ her mother inserts here that we were generous but not extravagant with her], getting all I want, etc. This, I now realize, was not because I didn't feel I deserved them or I felt you couldn't afford it; it was because I have never felt like I will ever be able to make it up to you. You have done more in your lifetime to make me happy than anything else. Someday, I hope to be able to return the favor (I guess materially)...hot tub sound good? But for now I hope you can accept this...you are the smartest, most independent, and admirable woman I know. You will always be my hero and the best mother in the universe (or whatever is beyond our knowledge of space). As I go off to school, I cannot even begin to imagine my life without you right next door to me. Expect many phone calls of ranting about my frustrations of that day, and boycotts of the month, and radical left-wing nonsense of that sort. Any time I get the chance I'll be home. The day that I save the world, you'll be the one I thank. You've been there all along, and you'll be there forever. I love you so much, and I'm sorry I have to work today! Happy Mother's Day (I know it's a Hallmark holiday and technically I should boycott it, but I do think you deserve an entire day if not more dedicated to just you).

I love you.

StrongOpinions

xoxoxo

Worth the challenging times with her, eh? And for what it's worth, she's the strongest, most independent, admirable 18 year old I know. And I'm the luckiest mom.

A Day Late But Not A Dollar Short: the RevGal Festive Friday Five on Saturday

1. Describe a memorable conference, retreat, workshop or convention you've attended.
Our annual parish women's retreat is always so wonderful; it's led by a lay woman who has has extensive training in facilitating contemplative prayer, and she does a great job of taking us to deep sometimes painful places. It's also in a very quiet place with a serene view of the river. We tend to get slightly rowdy by Saturday night when we have our social time (after our evening session). Morning Prayer on Sunday morning outside in the very cold morning under the statue of Christ overlooking the river is special indeed.

2. Tell us about a memorable speaker or preacher you've heard.

A few weeks ago, PH and I went to hear a panel at National Cathedral honoring Frederick Buechner on the occasion of his 80th birthday and his latest book, "Secrets in the Dark: A Life in Sermons." To hear Buechner, Tom Long, Barbara Bradford Taylor, and Gene Sutton all speak...priceless. To chat with them afterwards...humbling and joyful.

3. Do you attend all of the scheduled events, or play hooky? If the latter, what do you do with your free time?

At the women's retreat, it's a small group, so it's hard to play hooky. Nor do I want to. At the parish retreat at Shrinemont, I've been known to take a break to read a book or take a nap. At bankers' conferences, I often play hooky to sit by the pool, or have a conversation with a friend, or read. Guess that shows where my priorities are, and I'm good with that!

4. Do you like having a roommate or would you rather have a room to yourself?

Generally, I prefer my own space, unless I'm going to the conference with Ph or an old friend with whom I know I'm compatible (read: someone who can put up with me getting up VERY early to read or pray.)

5. What's the most exotic location you've conferenced or retreated?

I guess Savannah, GA. Most of the conferences or retreats I've gone to have been in major metro areas in the US. Nothing anywhere near as exotic as places I've visited for family or fun. I'm hoping to do a retreat at Mepkin Abbey one of these days. Christ in the Desert in New Mexico is also supposed to be amazing. We'll see what we can manage.

Selling my House Bites

...as StrongOpinions would say.

The basement is a toxic zone from the smell of the newly installed carpets. That, of course, is where my at-home office is, so I can't use it unless I want to fall over unconscious. Of course, somehow the carpet guys managed to mess up my phone line down there, so I can't use the computer down there anyway.

I brought another carload of assorted household detritus to the storage space this morning. I have probably one or two more loads to go. There are a couple more little things I need to do to make the house ready for the Broker's Open House on Tuesday, and PH has a number of things he should do that are beyond my ken. I will put my hip boots on and go into StrongOpinions' room in a few minutes, to make it showable.

I know I'm in the home stretch on the prep work, and the realtor thinks it will sell in one weekend, and PH and I are having a cool mini-vacation - a reward from my employer for outstanding work last year - in Wyoming right before Memorial Day, and we're in good shape financially. Why, then, do I feel so discombobulated? Just pre-move, pre-seminary panic attack?

In the past three weeks I've packed over 150 boxes, painted the garage and shed and back doors, painted the back wall of the house, reorganized and weeded out the closets, dealt with various and sundry tradesmen including piano movers, regular movers, carpeters and window washers, baked for the Rector's anniversary celebration, baked for the Women's Bible Study breakfast, made birthday strawberry shortcake for StrongOpinions, finished my John the Baptist icon, organized our camping stuff for the family campout over July 4th in Michigan, met with my Bishop and got approved for postulancy, coordinated plans for StrongOpinions' college experience with my ex, cleaned out two refrigerators, moved stuff for the church yard sale to a friend's garage. I've also attended a conference in Florida and done my regular work, although I'm on a light schedule this week because of sporadic jury duty. I've also taken StrongOpinions shopping, which was actually fun, and taken her for her tattoo, which was less fun, but not as bad as I thought.

Sorry I'm whining.

Remind me I asked for this.

I'm feeling like all my protective old layers of my life have been peeled away, and the newly exposed skin is very tender indeed.

Sapere Aude

Yesterday was StrongOpinions' 18th birthday. We celebrated it by going for a tattoo (her, not me, since wrinkles and tattos don't look so good together). At 18, she could have gone without me, since in this state that is the age where parental permission isn't required. She had told us - note the told, not asked - that she was going to get a small tattoo when she turned 18, and she was true to her word. Curiosity and soldarity made me go, too.

She and I and her friend BettyBoop went to Rick's Tattoo Parlor, where everyone has vast quantities of ink inscribed into their skin. Some of their tattoos are describable in this space (hearts, flowers, Celtic armbands) and some are not. SO had decided on what she wanted a year ago: "Sapere aude" in script, on her forearm.

The Latin phrase is variously translated as "Dare to learn" or "Dare to be wise" or "Dare to know." The translation she likes best, however, is "Dare to seek the truth." She wanted it there so she could see it regularly and it would remind her of what is important.

It's from Immanuel Kant's essay "What is Enlightenment?"

So how did I end up with an 18 y.o. daughter who gets a tattoo of a phrase from Immanuel Kant on her arm?

PH suggested one for the other arm, which seems an appropriate counterbalance: "Mundus vult decipit." Translation: The world wants to be deceived.

She's thinking about it, but wants the pain of the first one to fade from her mind first. "Sapere aude" is only two words. PH's suggestion is a lot more tattooing. Ouch.

After the tattooing, I came home to finish some work around the house before going to St P's for the celebration of the Rector's 25th anniversary of ordination. The parish's gift to him after the celebration of the Eucharist was a set of books from the Hakluyt Society, scholarly tomes on maritime history, nautical travels, discovery etc. The only more perfect gift for him might have been some first editions of mid-19th century philosophers or theologians.

The homilist, an old friend of the Rector's, mentioned his scholarly bent at length, talking about his dissertation title, which was itself complicated, never mind the content of the thing. We tease him a bit about his ability to go off on scholarly tangents even in the most mundane conversations. Nevertheless, we respect his brilliant mind and his breadth and depth of knowledge.

When he was SO's age, it would have never occurred to him to get a tattoo saying "Sapere aude." Yet he has lived his life daring to seek truth, daring to know, daring to learn.


There's a lesson there for me, who tries so hard - sometimes too hard - to get the acclaim of those above me by being the best. It's about the learning and the daring, not about the grade.

Happy Birthday, StrongOpinions. Happy Anniversary, Rector. Thank you both for being my teachers in both conventional and unconventional ways. Remind me when I need it that it's the learning that's the thing, not the applause.

Empty Nest

The movers have come and gone, taking 150 boxes and assorted furniture with them. The house looks strange and empty. The three guys were very efficient and shockingly strong, just as the piano movers yesterday were able to take my piano out to go to the church in what seemed like five minutes (the prior movers who brought it into the house seven years ago took about 40 minutes, but that's another story). These guys emptied out three-quarters of my household in 2.5 hours, and are off to load it into a storage place.

It was embarrassing, the colonies of dust bunnies that lurked behind the bookshelves and under the trundle bed. I followed the movers around with the broom and dustpan and the feather duster. So much for my skills in the domestic arts! I tend to clean that which I can see, and the result was evident this morning.

Midway through the move, I got the bare fringes of a panicky feeling: "What are we doing? This is a mistake! I'm scared!" I talked myself down from the bad feeling, reminding myself that this was what I wanted and longed for, that transitions are always traumatic and this wasn't anywhere near as bad as others I'd been through, and it would all be good.

My remaining furnishings are down to the most basic. A couple of beds, a couple of dressers, a sofa and two chairs and a side table, a desk and chair, the dining room table with four chairs. It does feel bare, almost monastic with most of our artwork packed away. The house doesn't feel warm and fuzzy any more, but it does look more spacious, which was the whole point of the exercise.

I told PH to remind me over the next three years that I don't need to buy pantihose. I don't know how I accumulated so many pairs, but I went through the hose drawer last night, sorting out the winter heavy opaque stuff from the summer sheers, since the drawer was full to overflowing. Remarkably, after I removed the winter stuff, the drawer was still pretty full. I think every time I went into Marshall's I bought a couple of pairs. Everyone has their little oddities, and I suspect excess pantihose is one of mine.

StrongOpinions is a little disconcerted by this moving stuff, particularly since she'll be moving away to school in a few months and two moves in short order is a lot for anyone to take. I've tried to tell her that home is where your family is, and a house is just a place. I need to remind myself of the same thing today.

Friday Five With a Bonus: Ten Simple Pleasures

Birthday Fiday Five: as seen at Songbird, RGBP:
1. Favorite birthday cake/ice cream/dessert I love all desserts. A favorite birthday cake is chocolate truffle torte, but since I'm the only one in my family who makes it, it appears only at other peoples' birthday parties. I'm also very fond of creme brulee, and things with almond flavors.
2. Surprise Parties -- have you ever given or received one? I've given a couple, but I'm not really a surprise party kind of gal. Too much of a control freak, I guess.
3. Favorite birthday present. My best presents weren't ones that came at "special" times, like birthdays, but the ones that utterly surprised me, like StrongOpinions being born a girl, after a family of four boys.
4. What do you think of those candles that won't blow out? Sadistic. Also rather hard on the cake.
5. Best. birthday. ever. Every one except my 40th, when my ex (who was otherwise involved at the time) was just miserable to me. Other than that, they're all good.

Ten Simple Pleasures (per Cheesehead)

1. PH making me omelettes on Sunday after church.
2. Going makeup shopping at Sephora with StrongOpinions.
3. Used books on Amazon.com.
4. Being able to reserve books online from my local library.
5. The smell of beeswax candles.
6. Granja San Francisco honey, which comes in the very best drip-proof dispensers and is at my local supermarket.
7. Steamed shrimp with Old Bay Seasoning.
8. Daffodils and grape hyacinths and Virginia bluebells in the springtime.
9. The National Botanic Garden right by the Capitol.
10. The love and support of family, near and far.

Bonus item: dark chocolate.

I'm a Postulant!

Officially, that is. I met with the Bishop at the seminary yesterday and had a delightful conversation with him. "First off," he said,"I want to tell you this isn't another hurdle that you have to leap - you're accepted as a postulant." then he proceeded to talk about what our relationship would be while I was going through seminary and after, and what he suggested I focus on in seminary. (Core courses in Biblical studies and church history, if you're interested.) It was a very relaxed, pleasant, and broad-ranging conversation, and he was more friendly and less formal than I have ever seen him. All in all, a delight.

Thanks, Lord, for getting me this far!

Packing Wars

I'm up to almost 120 boxes. PH is out of town at a conference, so I'm packing alone. (boohoo)

I'm leaving town for a conference tomorrow night, so he gets to do some by himself while I'm gone. Not 120 boxes, though. The good news is that so much stuff will be out of the house for the showing that when we are ready to move, the second round of packing will take no time.

Last night I had a movie fest - went to Blockbuster and got three movies. Watched two last night and one early this morning. One of last night's was "Ushpizin", about a childless poor Chasid couple in Jerusalem during Succoth. Wonderful, wonderful movie, though not for kids under 13 because of some violent behavior. The second movie was "Proof," about a brilliant but insane mathematician and his equally brilliant daughter, who may also be falling victim to the same mental illness. Troubling, interesting, not your usual Hollywood fare, and it got me over my belief that Gwyneth Paltrow can't act. This morning I watched "Rent" and sang along loudly (I've already got the soundtrack on DC and love some of the music) while I changed the sheets on the bed and cleaned the bathroom.

Saturday is icon-writing day. I'm in the home stretch on my "John the Baptist Baptizes Jesus in the Jordan." One or two more sessions and it should be done. Since there are so many figures (John, Jesus, four angels) plus two mountains, the river, fishes and sea snakes, much of it is painted with size 0, 00, and 000 brushes. I was doing details of the hair today and thought my eyes would just give up entirely. I think the next one will be a simple (?) head and shoulders portrait of St. Peter. Doing something large-format like that without all the detail will be a relief.

I'm going to a friend's for dinner. I'm looking forward to having someone else cook dinner, particularly since she's a great cook!

While I'm Posting Pictures

...here are three of StrongOpinions at the snowboarding nationals last month. Yes, she is wearing angel wings. Yes, she is a tad scraped up. It goes with the territory, along with her mother's rapidly graying hair.

Shrinemont III: Pedaler Pictures

For some reason, the pictures are in reverse sequence, so you get to see everybody looking whupped, then getting progressively fresher. Would that it were so in real life.

End of the ride - PH and me. A tad wet. The team on the porch of Virginia House - end of the ride.

Ice Cream Break. When you expend that many calories, you can have Rocky Road.



Breakfast

The overlook at Bears Den Lodge

Blessing of the bikes (L)

PH early on the first day's ride (R)

From this morning's "The Writer's Almanac"

Poem: "Prayer Chain" by Tim Nolan. Reprinted at "The Writer's Almanac" with permission by the author.

Prayer Chain

My mother called to tell me
about an old classmate of mine who

was dying on the parish prayer chain—
or was very sick—or destitute-

or it had not worked out—the marriage—
or the kids were all on drugs—and

all the old mothers were praying intensely
for all the pain of their children

and for life—they were praying for life—
in their quiet rooms—sipping decaf coffee—

I bet they've been praying for me at times—
so I'll find my way—so I won't rob a bank—

I'll take them—the mystical prayers of old mothers—
it matters—all this patient and purposeful love.



Oh, yes.

So I'm Slow. Want To Make Something Of It?

And here's my very belated A to Z meme:

Accent: east coast neutral (although I can revert to my NYC one when getting in a cab in midtown Manhattan)
Booze: Wine, Vodka Gimlet, Gin & Tonic, Margarita
Chore I Hate: swapping winter and summer clothing from storage
Dog or Cat: two cats, a gecko, assorted fish in the pond outside
Essential Electronics: computer, car radio, DVD player, digital camera
Favorite Cologne(s): Origins Ginger, Clarins Elysium, Caron Bellodgia, Givenchy Amarige, Joy de Patou
Gold or Silver: BOTH
Hometown: Jersey City, NJ
Insomnia: when my brain won't quiet down
Job Title: Lobbyist, Postulant
Kids: Three of my own plus two grown steps whom I raised, and three grandkids from the stepsons
Living arrangements: spouse, pets, daughter on the way to college, dust bunnies, massive quantities of books
Most admirable trait: listening
Number of sexual partners: In the distant past, a couple. In the present, my one and only.
Overnight hospital stays: tonsillectomy, three childbirths, two stays for blood disorder.
Phobias: Heights
Quote: Mine is "My goodness!" Quotes from others are too numerous to mention.
Religion: Episcopalian. Progressive variety.
Siblings: I'm an only child.
Time I wake up: Between 5:30 and 6 a.m.
Unusual talent or skill:I write icons.
Vegetable I refuse to eat: lima beans
Worst habit: clutter
X-rays: Teeth, hip, shoulder, knee, wrist, brain (yes, I do have one), colonoscopy (a real thrill), mammosquishes,upper and lower GI series, ...gee, I've had a lot of pictures taken.
Yummy foods I make: anything Italian, anything pastry, bunches of other stuff. Cooking is my mental health activity
Zodiac sign: I'm a lioness.

Welcome, Baby Blake!

Grandbaby #3, Blake, younger brother of Cowboy and cousin of Princess Katie, was born today a little after noontime. He weighed in at eight pounds six ounces and arrived via C-section, not a surprise since his mom is a tiny gal.

There is no bliss like a grandbaby. His GrandMary is dancing the happy dance.

Shrinemont II

We all made it to Shrinemont in one piece, had a great if damp time (yes, it rained on the mountain, as usual) and got home yesterday afternoon in time to do more packing of stuff, three loads of laundry, and arrange with the mover to take three-quarters of our stuff to storage while the house is being shown, plus take the stored stuff and the rest of the stuff to the new place in July sometime. Then we took StrongOpinions out to supper and crashed.

The ride out to Shrinemont was wonderful. The redbuds are all in bloom, with sprays of lavender flowers everywhere. Spring bulbs are two weeks behind us on the mountain, so we were treated to daffodils and tulips in bloom once again this spring. BearsDen Lodge, where the pedalers and I spent Thursday night, is right at the crest of the Blue Ridge, with an overlook that gives you a great view of the whole valley. The Appalachian Trail abuts the lodge. I brought massive quantities of food (beef stew with noodles, pasta al forno for vegetarians, salad, bread, killer brownies, and Russian tea cake cookies) for dinner. I drove up with one of the pedalers who was only riding the second day. It was an odd feeling to be the only woman in a bunch of men (the only woman rider didn't get to the lodge until 11 pm). Our group consisted of 3 men who cycled 60 miles out to the lodge the first day, a woman and four men who drove out to join us for the second day's cycling of 80 miles, plus me as sag wagon driver, chief cook and water girl. Breakfast the next morning was pancakes, bacon, sausage, and fresh fruit. Our doughty pedalers ranged in age from 26 to 56. We were blessed. No one needed to ride in the sag wagon with me, despite some monster hill climbs. No major mechanical failures, no injuries, no harsh words spoken. And only a little rain on the trail the first few miles of the second day, and the last mile push into Shrinemont. A cheering group awaited with the "finish line" tape as the cyclists rode into ShrineMont in their matching polkadot "King of the Mountain" St. P's cycling jerseys.

The retreat was wonderful, with a guest speaker who gave us a workshop on life's transitions, as illustrated by key passages from scripture. We had the usual wide range of other activities, like soccer and softball, a fishing derby for the kids, the talent show, late-night socializing around the fire in many of the cabins, and a wonderful if wet Eucharist service Sunday morning at the outdoor shrine. Poor Father Samuel got halfway through his sermon with the rain began again. We stayed put while he wrapped up the sermon, then we decamped to the tiny screen-enclosed chapel behind the shrine to complete the service. 250 people in a space designed for a mere 150. damp clothing, antsy kids, no sound system. and yet, utterly wonderful.

Wonderful moments:
- no cellphone or BlackBerry service, although they had WiFi at the main hotel building for the few crazed people who brought laptops
- getting to meet some new members of our parish, who were with us at ShrineMont for the first time
- meeting the elderly parents of a few of our parishioners, who came along for the adventure
- seeing one father, who is in the last stages of cancer, spend a happy weekend with his family away from hospital or hospice or everyday cares
- seeing one of our toddlers, a beautiful little girl of three who was adopted from China, herself adopt a new "grandma", Ba, whose son died suddenly and tragically last year
- having incredible country-style cooking with no regard for the calories and carbs
- early morning walks with geese flying in pairs overhead and a skunk passing in front of me on the road and (blessedly) ignoring me
- talking about my call to ministry with friends who were genuinely interested and supportive.

All in all, a good weekend. Pictures will follow.

Shrinemont

Most dioceses have a great big cathedral as their Bishop's seat ("cathedra"= bishop's chair). Ours has an outdoor chapel built in the last century by hand, at the heart of a retreat center on the far side of the Blue Ridge, almost into West Virginia. It's about two and a half hours away from home (assuming the traffic on Rte 66 isn't too awful) and it's pure bliss. Old-fashioned food, lots of lovely old cabins that have been renovated so there are private baths, beautiful mountain surroundings. Our church, like many parishes in the diocese, has an annual retreat weekend there. Our church, being very over-the-top Type A, makes this into a jam packed extravaganza of stuff to do (or not do, if you so choose), including the famous No-Talent Show, where parents embarrass their kids and kids show they truly are better at playing the saxophone, or the piano, or telling bad jokes, than their parents.

Also in the Type A tradition, the St. P's Pedalers (of which PH is a founding member) will once again be bicycling to Shrinemont - some 140 miles over 2 days - to raise money. They've raised money for a South African AIDS mission and orphanage, for St P's endowment fund, and this year their raising money to refurbish the church's organ, which is sounding rather strange at times these days. Parishioners have pledged from $5 to $500, either for individual riders or the whole team. Nine riders will cycle into Shrinemont tomorrow, probably at about 5:30 pm, just in time for a glass of wine or a beer and dinner.

So this morning PH and a couple of the guys who are riding both days will meet at church, get themselves and the bicycles blessed, and head west. This evening, I will drive out with another one of the guys to meet them at the BearsDen Lodge (usually used by Appalachian Trail hikers), bringing dinner and breakfast supplies, so they can eat tonight and tomorrow and so I can follow them as support vehicle for the rest of the ride tomorrow (the proverbial "sag wagon").

It's a fun event - except for the riders who haven't trained enough - that's a wonderful start to a great weekend. I'll check back in on Sunday night or Monday, hopefully with pictures of the riders et al.

For more on Shrinemont:
http://shrinemont.com/default.htm

For more on Bears' Den:
http://www.bearsdencenter.org/lodge.html

Realtor Stress

Well, we met with the realtor today. There are a bunch of things I like about her:

- she's genuinely enthusiastic about our lovely but quirky house
- she named a selling price we think is right
- she knows the neighborhood and has been successfully selling in it for years
- she's got a reputation as an honest person
- she thinks she can sell it within 2 weeks of the first open house (I think that's optimistic, but I hope I'm wrong).

The downside, and it isn't something that's unique to her, is that she wants to virtually empty out the house except for our beds, a couple of dressers, a sofa and side table, and a couple of lamps. No bookshelves, very few books on the built-in bookshelves in PH's office. Most of my cooking stuff will go into storage, as well as the stereo and CDs.

We had to fight for a desk for PH, whose desk here IS his work office (he sees clients at a church) and a desk for me, who works from home. I'm still negotiating a TV set so I can watch the evening news and a few guilty pleasure TV shows.

StrongOpinions is highly resistant to changes to her room, so I'm going to do a major de-clutter and only do the last couple of things right when they're about to do the open house. Plus they want to move Moses the gecko to the basement.

The realtor wants us to take down our curtains in the bedrooms, for heavens' sake! I said I wasn't about to let the neighbors see me change into my jammies. So we're allowed to keep up the curtains, at least until the open house.

Change is hard. I know that. But emptying my house of all my stuff and still living in it (or trying to live in it) for 90 days seems a bit much.

Grrr.

The good news is that I'm "editing" our book collection, and the regional church Book Sale will benefit from it.

Please remind me again that this is a good thing.

Easter Moments

The sunrise at our 6 a.m. service, and singing "How Great Thou Art" unaccompanied, plus a wonderful solo anthem "That Easter Morn" in our outdoor chapel, with masses of spring flowers around the stone altar. The cross behind the altar, made of driftwood, and about 6 feet high, is suspended by wires from the trees. The sun rises behind it.

Choir Easter breakfast between the 9 am and 11 am services - gotta keep our strength up!

Getting to sing "I Know That My Redeemer Liveth" at the big 11 a.m. Our church has the best acoustics for musicians south of Carnegie Hall.

Father Samuel from Kenya leading us in the Nicene Creed in his deep, rich, rolling basso voice.

Easter Dinner at K & P's house, with our dear friends L & N. N is well on the way to recovery from the crippling depression that I have written about before. Sometimes our personal resurrections are almost as dramatic as the Big One.

Packing away winter clothes in the basement, knowing the next time they're unpacked, we'll be in a new home and I'll be in seminary.

Phone conversation with stepson#2, father of the birthday boy, Cowboy, with news that the revised due date for Cowboy's impending baby brother Blake is Tuesday, April 25th.

Phone conversations with StoneMason and Litigator, who are happy, well-adjusted, working, and loving life (a contrast from some times in their past).

Tulips and daffodils on the dining room table.

Hugs from StrongOpinions, who seems to be weathering the departure of Semi-Useless Boyfriend pretty well.

Dinnertime

Last night, StrongOpinions' boyfriend, Semi-Useless Boyfriend (we have revised our opinion of him a bit and upgraded him from Useless to Semi-Useless) and his friend R joined us for dinner. SUL has been a bit intimidated by us (US????) and hasn't visited over here much since they started dating. He used to be a buddy of son#2, StoneMason, and I knew him then. StrongOpinions called me from work yesterday morning to let me know what I should cook. Pasta Al Forno for SUL, potatoes with some sort of cheese for R, and some sort of chicken, and something with green olives for SUL.

So I cooked massive quantities of carbohydrate-laden foods, the chicken with green olive topping from Epicurious, made a loaf of bread, and a big salad.

Dinner went fine. The guys were funny, StrongOpinions wasn't too freaked out by having us actually talking to her boyfriend, and we enjoyed the conversation tremendously. Watching SO and SUL interact was fascinating. She's a girl who plays her cards pretty close to her chest around us, and to see her giggling and clearly bonkers over him was cute. Scary but cute.

There was some pasta and bread and potatoes left. I packed it up into GladWare for the guys. I understand that it is already completely gone. I had forgotten how boys that age eat. I shouldn't since my own empty the refreigerator whenever they're home, but it was funny anyway.

So SUL and R will be returning to Cheesehead country tomorrow morning. The rest of the world will be celebrating Christ's Resurrection, but I think poor StrongOpinions will be pretty blue, workign the Sunday brunch shift at the restaurant where she waits tables. Say a prayer for her - she takes it pretty hard whenever the boyfriend and she part ways for awhile.

Tomorrow is grandson Cowboy's 3rd birthday. I wish we lived closer than 450 miles away. Sigh.

Good Friday

Since I knew I'd be downtown for a meeting at mid-day and couldn't get to our church's Good Friday noontime service, I went to Slightly Higher Church in the neighborhood at 6:30 am for the Mass of the PreSanctified.

It's always an interesting experience to go to a church other than one's home parish. Things are the same, but maybe a little bit...different. Familiar, but not quite. Very much the experience of Good Friday, when Christ's human frailty is in the forefront rather than His Godhood. We know that both natures are in Him, but when the human so outweighs the Godly, it disconcerts us.

It was a beautiful Eucharist, though, and their chapel is quite lovely. The chapel is also the columbarium, so one feels one is communing with the saints who have gone before us.

After that, I drove over to my church for our wonderful women's bible study group. We are deep into the Apocrypha, and wrapped up Greek Esther (regular Esther plus a bunch of stuff about God). Much discussion amongst us Christians about Purim and Hamantaschen (which made me hungry for one), and the intent of King Artaxerxes' letter (is it the giving of sovereignty to the nation of Israel for one day? is it anarchy for a day?). Somehow, a plastic surgery discussion happened, but I can't remember how we got there, maybe via Esther's beauty. It's a very stream-of-consciousness group. On to the Wisdom of Solomon next week, but I'll be gone for the day.

I had a long discussion with my boss about my doing work for the bank next year on a part-time basis while I'm in seminary. They will pay me half-time (that shocked me - I was thinking more like 1/4 or 1/3) for a year to help them transition. Blessings abound.

We chose a realtor, let the other candidates know we had decided in favor of someone else, and scheduled time for a series of things that have to be done to the house - carpeting the basement bedrooms, washing the windows, removing some furniture to make it look more spacious for potential buyers. I'm only slightly freaked out by it all. I'm just grateful that things are falling into place.

May we all have time to think and to pray today, and to thank God for the gift of His Son, and His Son's sacrifice for us.

A Letter

...came today from my Bishop. He is inviting me to meet with him to discuss postulancy. He enclosed a copy of my COM evaluation, which was wonderful - "we enthusiastically recommend her for postulancy". I think all will be well when I meet with him on May 4th. Ahhhhh.

Thank you, Jesus. I am blessed.

Anticipatory Joy

Just wondering today if this bliss I feel as the path to seminary slowly unwinds is inappropriate during Holy Week...or if it simply mirrors the anticipation of the Resurrection. I am feeling way happy today - no particular reason except sunshine and a moderately clean house and something of a plan to get the house ready for sale.

Thank you, Jesus.

BTW, if you want to read a book that will make you smile (and will resonate in some ways about journeys of faith), read Elizabeth Gilbert's "Eat, Pray, Love" about her healing journey to Italy, India, and Indonesia. A little bit of joy, and a fast read.