And the day off cannot come too quickly.

A dear parishioner is passing, and has been for 12 days now. She is finally, blessedly, ensconced in Hospice, which handles the process of dying with much greater grace than the hospital. The hospital is for fixing. Hospice is for accepting.

A reductio ad absurdum to be sure, but that's the heart of it.

So I've spent a lot of time with the dear lady and with her understandably exhausted family. I'm pretty exhausted, too.

Some things that got done this week:

• Finally, some of the bulletin boards are up, and the rest are going to be put up over the next few days. Each will highlight one of our areas of ministry, so newcomers can see what we do and how we do it, and - we hope - be intrigued by that.
• The Interfaith Thanksgiving Service is mostly done, except for the final word from the music people on the music and for my assigning various tasks to the various clergy persons from our neighborhood churches. It will be an interesting evening.
• The prep is done for the baptisms that will occur on Sunday, which is also All Saints Sunday. The sermon awaits...
• PH is going out of town for work for his professional association tomorrow. I'll be missing him - we haven't had enough time together lately - but I may take advantage of his absence to lock myself into the sewing room to finish up the still-not-done valances for the master bedroom, and then do a duvet cover for the down comforter.
• I've laid out the Adult Fora for Advent, and have coordinated with the Worship Committee for the upcoming special stuff for Advent and Christmas, including a "Blue Christmas" service, the Advent Lessons and Carols/Kids' Pageant thing, the Lucernaria and Epiphany service, and the Bishop's visit on Jan 2.
• Still have to schedule the kids' confirmation retreat weekend (before the Bp's visit) and the women's retreat (maybe February).
• Need to light a fire under the team who are exploring setting up a Special Needs Sunday School...and one under the rector who promised to lend me his parish's no-longer-used Godly Play equipment.
  

I've been exercising pretty religiously (5-6 days per week) and am down two pants sizes. Could afford to be at least two more pants sizes smaller, so the work continues. The exercise thing is good - as much a mental health activity as a physical health activity, and I am happy that I'm now able to bound up the stairs without keeling over.

But tonight I am tired. So it's time for some rest, for tonight at least.