Wednesday, February 29, 2012

How to know I have slept in too many different places recently

I awoke suddenly last night around 2 am with the nagging sense that I needed to use the toilet but I couldn't identify where I was.

I got up and headed towards a door I thought would lead me out of the room and hopefully down a hall to find a toilet.

Off I went, through the door, but instead of a hall, it was a small room. Very confused I found a light switch, turned it on, and it took me a moment to realize I was standing in my washroom.

Nice.
Too many toilets in too many days.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

How far does love stretch?

I think I am in deep trouble here as Lauralea and I make plans to leave Wisconsin and our year old granddaughter tomorrow morning.

The smell of her skin after her bath.
Her giggle when you touch the small of her ticklish back.
The way she lifts her arms for me to pick her up even though I know her plan is to reach the pen in my pocket and put it in my mouth.
The way she forces a hard laugh when she's excited.
How she reaches up to her toy shelf and chooses a book over her toys and plops herself down to page through it.
The way she loves to be chased up the stairs, giggling as she keeps just ahead of you.
Her love of frozen peas.
How her eyes light up when she sees you across the room.

Yeah, I think I'm I deep trouble here.

Will the love stretch 2000 kms to The Field?
I don't know.
I'll try my best with it. But it will be hard.

Tomorrow we'll start to see just how far it can be stretched.
And add another new experience to life.



Sunday, February 19, 2012

Tonight I am in Winnipeg

I've been here for the weekend working with a bunch of twenty something's as they explore what it means to be intentional about their faith. It's been a very satisfying time sharing life with these kids and being trusted with their stories and struggles.

Saturday I worked at Spiritual Direction with, I believe it was ten of them. Then in the evening I led them in a Celtic version of communion.

Today I preached in their morning service and we shared a meal together. Then this afternoon we went out to connect with friends we know who are in their young thirties, and consider themselves to be an older couple in this church. It's quite a gathering of young people.

Yeah, it was a great weekend.
As I wrote a while ago, working with younger people is a challenging, and deeply fulfilling work.
The downside is that when you are around them a lot, you get the feeling that you are old. Very old.


Goodnight, from Winnipeg.





Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Happy St. Valentines Day... it was a massacre right?

Well, there have been better Valentines days, that I know.

In grade three after a month of having that large envelope taped to the side of my desk for people to put their Valentines Day cards in, and I had faithfully filled out Charlie Brown Be My Valentine cards and inserted them in every other child's desk envelope. Then on Valentines Day at Mrs. Folkfords instruction, tearing the envelope open to see all the love in reds and pinks and such. A good day for love in a grade three class. Better, simpler days.

My valentine is at her mothers this week, so my company for an intimate supper for two was Micah who brought home after school a large extra cheese and ham and pineapple pizza with pop that we mowed through and just before we opened up his spicy muffins he made in cooking class for dessert, I headed out for a meeting. At least I've got them to look forward to.

Been trying to get work done around here because I'm doing pastoral care/Spiritual direction this weekend in the/A big city, so I need to do the extras so that things will manage around here just fine.

My asthma is acting up today and I'm short of breath and wheezing around the place like, like, oh I dunno, just wheezing a lot. I still need to learn how to care for it I guess. Miscommunication with the Doctors has left me a bit in the dark with it all.


Feels like things are stirring out here in the field these days. We had a good Annual Meeting/ Telling the stories of the past year, meeting on Saturday. Reaching limits with our physical space and looking for new staff has me asking God, "Now what?"

Indeed, now what.

Well for now I'm heading home and those muffins Micah made. And sleep. I'm kinda tired out too.

So Happy Valentines Day out there*



*massacre not implied.



Friday, February 10, 2012

It's gonna be alright

Friday afternoon eh?
Friday afternoon after an amazing week.
Amazing more in how I desperately needed God to show up, and he has.
Again and again at the end, offering up my tiredness, my inability to get done all the things...
All the things.
And there at the end of myself, I find strength.
External force, outside grace.
There at the end of myself, the mood in the room changes.
And there is enough. More than enough.
And on this Friday afternoon, on the edge of a long, work filled weekend,
I pause to look back and see
How He has given
actual life to me.
And I feel pretty good about things.
It's gonna be alright.