SURVIVED VBS #1!

Yup, survived the week of VBS and the trio of 6th grade boys!
Friday evening was the program with the kids singing and thank you's. The trio even sang their song and did well!!! Great kids!
I am glad it's over. 1 week of really long days, rushing to get home in order to change. 1 week of not cooking and eating lighter. 1 week of feeding the Boys early. 1 week of the Boys being alone after dinner. (Jett destroyed LH's musical wood frog on the shelf by the front door, which he's never touched before. That happened on night three. Guess Jett was just angry that we were gone every single night!)
Friday was warm and humid so I decided to wear my linen dress and not the VBS T-shirt I wore every night for a week. I had these new Docker's chocolate mules that fit ok in the store and which I wore for a bit at home. They matched the dress wonderfully. I wore them for 1 1/2 hours. My bunion still hurts today. I could hardly sleep that night and had to hang my foot out of the bed so as not to put any pressure on it at all. I have lived with this bunion pain for three days and it hurts. I don't want to wear orthopedic shoes. I want to wear cute shoes. My feet are the curse of my grandma who had horrible feet - wide, bunioned, bent toes. I remember her shoes. I don't want to have wear such things. Why couldn't I have been given her beautiful legs and not her feet? (Sigh) Of all things to pass on to your granddaughter - troubled feet!
But, I do have shoes and some sandals for my feet that do fit and feel ok. I am thankful for those and that I have feet to carry me about my day and upon which I can walk. I pray that God would make my feet beautiful as I announce bring the good news of Jesus Christ, announce the peace which goes beyond all comprehension which he gives, and who offers salvation to all the world. Perhaps, as my feet continue in my ministry they will become beautiful for God.

VBS - DAY FOUR
temps 80 something, humid, post-rain fall

Had a few missing this evening in all age groups.
Got caught in a backup on the Interstate at 4:10 pm due to an
accident. Fortunately, (our God is a providential God!)I was very near an
exit in the town where LH serves. I knew the road so, a gracious semi-truck
driver allowed me to merge from the far left lane to the center land and then
over to the right lane and onto the exit. In the pouring rain I drove past
LH's church and home in time to change, feed the Boys dinner and drive the
same way back to LH's church. One member and child were stuck in the parking
lot of the interstate for 1 1/2 hours. Some truck hit the overpass going
westbound. Then there was an accident on the eastbound lanes because of
rubbernecking gawkers!
Dinner was meatball subs (tasty) with green beans and cold, limp french fries.
Dessert was vanilla ice cream with fudge sauce! Yummm.
The 5th/6th grade does not disappoint. This time it was just the 3 guys. They
had quite a time with their lesson (paralyzed man lowered thru roof by friends
to Jesus). The lesson room was a backyard campout with a "campfire" (fake logs
with glowing light) stars and moon and just 3 lamps on instead of the flourescent
lights, a pup tent and three sleeping bags. The guys crawled into the bags as
if to hear a bed time story!! After the story and discussion, they created a
mad lib of the story with people going to see Jesus with sore "earlobes", sick
"corneas" and broken "eusophaguses"!!! The paralyzed man was lying in
the "highway" and his friends had to carry him to the "bathroom"!!! It was
downhill from there and a whole lot of fun. The house where Jesus was
a "googleplex" of a crowd had gathered and it was as big as a "blue
whale"...etc. There's no bible story like a jr. hi's version of the story!!!!!!!!
The rain held off and everyone had rec outside! It was rubber chicken football!
The singing went a bit better. However, now the main theme song is just lurking
in my head!!!!
I am glad that tonight will be the last night! It's been great and the children
wonderful with no real problems. Friday night will be their singing program.
I am tired, although the exercise of going up and down stairs has been good.

O OPERATOR - INFORMATION PLEASE!

It was a quiet morning except for the 2nd call in two days from some mega pages phone listing company. I told them I didn't appreciated being called every day.
The next call was from some woman who wanted to reach Renown Local Door Company. She had to call the church? Was the Library not open? Graciously, I looked up the phone number and gave her the number.
The things we preachers get asked!!! I'm so glad I went to Seminary, received an MDiv and was ordained so that I can look up phone numbers for folks!!! At least, I was useful to someone today, even in the very ordinary and mundane task of looking up a phone number.
How did God use you today?

VBS UPDATE:

temps 80, sunny
Great night for VBS!!!
The kids actually got to have rec outside!!! The little ones decorated the
parking lot with chalk, the older kids played games!
Dinner - small sub sandwiches, celery with dip, a couple potato chips and
watermelon - hmmm...the watermelon tasted really good
One of the 5th/6th graders invited a friend so there were 5!!
Craft was decorating a small white plastic frisbee.
The service project was decorating cookies for a hospice as the volunteer
spoke about all the different volunteering she's done. And the kids didn't
get to eat any of the cookies ~ and they weren't all that disappointed.
It is a good experience to do something for someone else without expecting
something in return. That we help and do things for others out of love
for God, for them, just because without seeking a reward, although we do
get rewarded by feeling good for what we have done. So, I thought it was
a very good lesson.
The singing still leaves alot to be desired. I keep praying they will know the
songs and actually sing on Fri, evening for the program!!!
So, there will be another fun-filled night tonight.

CALVIN BOBBLEHEADS

GA is holding out on the rest of the church, namely those of us who are home and unable to attend GA. We want our Calvin bobbleheads too!!!
Perhaps, we can all flood GA with requests for Calvin bobbleheads (willing to pay for them of course!)!!!!!
So, here's our challenge, PUCB - Presbyterians United for Calvin Bobbleheads -
let's make the powers-that-be in our denomination know, that these Calvin Bobbleheads should be made available to all Presbyterians!!! (Later we can advocate for Zwingli, and Knox and have a complete set!! - Oh, Luther has been available for a few years from OldLutheran.com.)
So, let's go, PUCB & Presby bloggers - let's free up Calvin Bobbleheads for the masses!

VBS CONTINUES...
temps upper 60's, again rainy

Day 2 of VBS - more kids tonight, woohoo!!
5th/6th grade class finally has a 5th grader!And another 6th grader.
1st/2nd graders are the largest class typically and this one is no
exception.
Dinner - sloppy joes, baked beans, carrots and dip (I had carrots for lunch!
by now I shouldn't need my glasses anymore!!!) and pineapple chunks.
Games were indoor again and used the beach balls they colored in crafts. Also,
the 5th/6th graders tried The Knot - and both times had a triad that just
couldn't unknot! Sometimes, you just when you think you have it, you don't.
Cooperation was key - to work together to solve freeing everyone, to give, to
bend, to step over carefully/gently.
Music - still was a bit weak and disorganized
Superhero - was a volunteer from a ecumenical community service center: food
pantry, legal services, clinic, etc. Since we collected cans of
food and the focus of VBS is service, 4 5th/6th graders carried the
bags of canned goods out to the car for the volunteer. Nothing like
living out what one is learning!!
The kids are super and having fun. This is a blessing!

Let VBS Begin...
temps upper 60's, humid, raining/drizzling
VBS at LH's church began yesterday evening, after an afternoon of light storms and rain.
Good things: Great helpers, super kids, easy craft,
I escort the 5th/6th graders - three 6th grade boys last night
not one fifth grader. The standing joke for the evening was at
every station, the guys said "Don't start 'til the 5th graders
get here!" (Ha Ha) Had to explain that the 5th graders were phantom!

Wish they were better things: the music leader (who probably being nervous)seemed
unprepared, dinner (turkey/cheese sandwich - actually
it was ok, it's just that that's what I had for
lunch!), indoor games.

Tonight: the forecast is for rain early evening, looks like indoor games again.
Wonder if dinner will be better tonight? Hope I can keep up with the
6th grade trio!!!
It really is all about the kids, that they have some fun, and know they are held in a love deeper, greater, wider, higher than other they can ever fully know. Seems like we, adults, need to know that and be reminded of that too!

VBS ANYONE?

So, like a couple weeks ago, LH comes to me and says would I like to help with his VBS since they are short-handed this summer. One couple moved to another state and one couple will have a new born baby. What can I say?
Since my VBS is not 'til the last week in July and isn't running concurrently with his, I will be the dutiful pastor's wife and help for the week escorting youngsters from activity to activity. We won't get home til 8:30 -9 pm and that makes for 12 hour days for me. Lucky me! I get 2 weeks of VBS this year! Yehaw! Maybe I should ask LH if there's a pedicure with my name it after his VBS?!!!?
I have a t-shirt transfer that I have to iron on my shirt before Sunday. So far, that will make 4 VBS t-shirts with one more to make for my VBS, for a total of 5 VBS t-shirts in the closet adn two new t-shirts I had to buy this year. I should make a quilt with all the VBS t-shirts by the time I'm retired!!! In the meantime, they do make good gardening t-shirts!!!!!!
I pray it won't be another 90 degree week since LH's church doesn't have air conditioning.
VBS? Bring it on !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WEEKEND REFLECTION:

Friday evening we went to a piano recital at the "Presbyterian Harvard of the Midwest" or so several sem profs called it. One of my parishioners, a HS teen, is a musically gifted and talented young man. The program was varied from Bach to Chopin to Bartok to Debussy and MacDowell. The Chopin pieces were flawless, including the encore piece. Each piece unique and different in style. He was quite poised and wore a tux with tails and his fingers danced on the concert grand Steinway. It was a most enjoyable recital and an evening well spent and to support this young man.
I told him that playing the hymns for Sunday must seem so prosaic!!!! However, playing for congregational singing and accompanying a choir is much different than performance playing. He is versatile enough to handle them all. What a blessing this teen is to his parents, to our church, to the world.
It made me wonder what LH's and my children would have been like. We are both musical, although not of the caliber of the aforementioned teen. Would our child have had some musical talent, done well on the SAT and ACT, been an avid reader, or surprised us by being good sports? There are times, that I wonder about the children we could never have and the chasm opens inside with an unfilled longing that is almost unbearable. I will leave this world, this life, never knowing who our children would've been. I would like to have known them. I'll just bet I would've liked them in addition to loving them as a parent. But I will never, ever know.

BEACH TRIP RGBP'S FRIDAY FIVE:

1. Ocean rocks, lake limps? Vice Versa? Or it's all beautiful in its own way?
Both rock! Each has it's own unique beauty and I find water healing for my
soul.

2. Year around beach living: Heaven or the Other Place?
I could live at a beach year round. Although, probably more at a lake than
on the ocean with N'oreaters and hurricanes.

3. Any beach plans for the summer?
Yup, good ole Cedar Beach, WI right on Lake Michigan. Hmmm...wish I was there
right now! Well, and Cape Breton, NS where there must be some rocky, craigy
beaches - we'll find out!!!!!!

4. Best beach memory ever?
Port Renfrew, Vancouver Island, early morning, very foggy and quiet. I am
taking a stroll on the beach in the fog in the company of a grey whale
mother and calf. It was as though she followed me in the water along the
beach. I couldn't see them with all the fog, but I heard them snorting through
their blowholes. It was a beautiful morning with the grey whales.

5. Fantasy beach trip?
Secluded beach on a private island for a couple days of doing absolutely
nothing, but going into the water, strolling the beach and lounging with a
cool drink in hand and no one to gasp at the whale in swimsuit!!!!

BONUS: Share a piece of music/poetry/film/book that expresses something about what
the beach means to you.

TIRED TODAY...

Feeling tired today and it's a long one, 12 hours!
I have a visit with a terminally ill parishoner and then another visit with a parishoner of neighboring church (whose pastor is on vacation and who I wasn't covering for until next week) who lost her daughter unexpectedly. I also just finished my article for the July/August newsletter which is always like giving birth;
exciting but exhausting. Then I have a worship service for the local assisted living place in town (once a month). The one bright spot is my dinner date with LH who is driving down into the country to meet me for dinner at the Dairette Whose Reputation is Known Far and Wide. Not the healthiest dinner, but I only eat there once or twice a summer. I am looking forward to chocolate soft serve for dessert. And LH and I will get to sit at a picnic table and watch all the traffic go by on the historic HWY and just enjoy dinner together and being outside.
Just have to find some energy for a very heavy day. And I pray God's Spirit will supply me with what I could ever possibly say that will bring some measure of comfort, support, peace and hope.

RAIN - DELICIOUS AND GLORIOUS!

So, yesterday evening while talking over the fence with our neighbor, big, poufy, high tower clouds came rolling in and then the grey shelf cloud with lightning behind it. Oooo...and the wind picked up. We ended the conversation, so she could gather her children to safety inside. I walked back to our patio to savour the incoming storm. The temperature chilled down by at least 15 degrees from 90 to 75 and the wind blew the cool air. I spun and opened my arms to enjoy the delicious coolness. Unfortunately, the storm went north of us and we got just a sputter and spit. Not even rain to make the ground wet! A couple brief rumbles of thunder and that was it. But the cooler temps were ever so welcomed.
I love a good thunderstorm. I like when the wind picks up and gets a bit wild and untamed. It speaks to my spirit. How telling that is of God's Spirit that also is somewhat wild and untamed. Who blows at will and whose energy cannot be contained or controlled.
I love the smell of ozone from the lightning heralding the oncoming storm. It has a fresh smell to it and of the scent of rain falling before it arrives and the scent of it as it comes down - kinda earthy and musty. I love to watch lightning and find it ever so mesmerizing. I love to watch the storm clouds over head, to see them churn, and roll and move in various shades of grey. It is so fascinating. One summer storm sky looked "biblical" - like something from Cecil B. DeMil movie - The 10 Commandments!!! I love to hear the rumbles and rolls of thunder.
Forunately, it did rain during the wee hours of the morning and actually did some good for the gardens, fields, grass and trees.
Perhaps, next time a storm comes in, we will have a real thunderstorm with actual rain! We haven't had a thunderstorm all spring which is quite unusual. Seems like the Midwest has gotten them all and they either went up northeast to Canada or fizzled out by the time they got here.
Thankfully, the heat wave has broken and the farmers are glad for the wee bit of rain that fell.

HOT, HOT, HOT!

We are baking, broiling, roasting, frying, broasting, and just darn cookin' in this heat! Ughhh...it's only June. This is Abbey Normal for this time of year. It's too hot for me. And, there's been no rain for a week. The midwest has gotten it all and it either goes north of us, south of us, or just plain fizzles out before it gets here. The corn and fields are pleading for some rain.
We haven't even had a thunderstorm all spring and now it's June 9th? Oh, I'm not looking for anything wicked, just a decent thunderstorm with some far off lightning and some deep rumbles and rolls of thunder, preferably, in the evening when I am home with LH and the greys. Or just before going to bed, so I can hear the rumbles while drifting off to sleep!
Send some rain and a thunderstorm, please!!! And a cool, refreshing breeze!

What **** Means

You are full of energy. You are spirited and boisterous. You are bold and daring. You are willing to do some pretty outrageous things. Your high energy sometimes gets you in trouble. You can have a pretty bad temper at times. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Thanks, Cheesehead, for this! I also used my real name since St. Inuksuk wouldn't be the same. I'm still figuring out the Type A part and bundle of energy. I'm more a B type with lower energy. Oh well. I am a bit of a rebel though and if you could ask my Mom, who is in her eternal home, she would agree that I was a handful!!!! But my trouble was mild and never anything really bad - just enough to give Mom several grey hairs!!!!!

200th POST!
I know for most of you it doesn't sound like much, but finally, I've hit my 200th post.
To celebrate even further, I finished writing all the openings and closings for VBS the end of July! Since the Methodist pastor is on vacation/conference this month and I will be on vacation mid-July to start of VBS, I had to take advantage of a slower week and get it done. Yipeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whoohoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now, I still have a few things to get together for our VBS Beach Party - like our sand/water, the cute Beach arrow sign I found at local craft store, and to duct tape blue plastic tablecloth on the outside of a rectangluar plastic container to make the water look more invitingly blue and to tape a clam shell together with a "pearl" bead inside.
Sunday evening is the Jr Hi & Confirmation class pizza and a movie night to celebrate our year together. I'll be showing Brother Sun, Sister Moon on the life of St. Francis of Assissi. There is so much about discipleship in that movie that it is pretty much a standard thing to see it in my confirmation classes.
Just so glad to be done with the VBS writing!!!!!!!

SUMMER MEME:
As seen at St. Casserole's and therefore tagged!

1. What first tells you Summer is here?
Heat, humidity and long summer evenings!

2. Name 5 of your distinctly Summer habits or customs?
*Grilling food
*Watering herb garden and flower beds, even trees when there's a drought
*Sitting on the front porch in my rocker/on the back patio watching the sunsets
or the starry skies
*Vacation - either to my sister's in IL/WI or someplace else
*Deadheading my red geraniums and refilling the hummingbird nectar



3. What is your favorite smell of summer?
The scent of rain before the approaching storm.

4. What is your favorite taste of summer?
Fresh raspberries and peaches, not necessarily together!

5. Favorite Summer memory?
Spending the summer with my Grandma in 1983 while interning at a church two
towns over in Switzerland. It was an amazing summer and I just loved it (except
for preaching in German!) Went on a mission trip to an Alp where we finished
laying a waterline from a glacier to a meadow where the cows could get water
the flowed into an old bathtub. It was an hour's hike just to the worksite,
pickaxing into the granite mountain, sandwiches and tea w/siesta on the alp
and viewing the vistas. Went to Geneva, Basel, Zurich, local Fest, saw my
cousins and Aunts and Uncles. One morning, my great-aunt called and invited us
on a day trip. About an hour and a half later, my great-Uncle (who was a truck
driver), my great-Aunt, (probably 76-78 years old) and my Grandma at 84 and I
went on a lovely ride over the St. Gotthard pass (where we ate a picnic lunch
at the side of the road) My Great-aunt had packed a basket full of sandwiches,
fruit, chocolate, and red wine - complete with real glasses!) We drove over
several passes that day including the Susten/Furka. It was a lovely, wonderful
gorgeous summer day in good company!

6. Extreme heat or extreme cold? Which would you choose and why?
Neither. I prefer it in the 70's-50's. I don't handle heat very well nor
the extreme cold. Although with the cold, you can bundle up and also stay
indoors where it's heated!

7. What books do you plan to read for the season?
Three Cups of Tea, Pawley's Island, Anne LaMott's Third One in Travelling
Mercies, Wangerin's Father and Son

8. How does Summer affect your faith? Is it a hindrance or an allay?
Sometimes it gives me breathing room and space. Once VBS is done, although
this year it's the end of July :( , I seem to enjoy a slower pace.
Unfortunately there's still a sermon to write most every week and planning
for the fall. All in all, it's an allay. Perhaps, the extended daylight
and all things green and growing inspire me more than the grey, cold and
drab.

If you read this, consider yourself tagged! Enjoy your summer!

WEEKEND DISCOVERY:
We rented a wonderful DVD Friday evening for our entertainment.
"Vitus" is a wonderful Swiss film that was a nominee for Best Foreign Film in the Academy Awards. It's about a child prodigy (piano and otherwise), his protective & yet pushy Mom, his-trying-to-make-a-living Dad, and an imaginative, good souled Grandpa. Delightful and wonderful that points to the tension of being a prodigy and yet desiring to be "normal". Just an all around great film. See it for yourself!
I struggled with reading the subtitles or just listening to Swiss-German! Sounded so good to me. Guess I needed to hear Swiss again!