YET ANOTHER DISAPPOINTMENT:

LH just heard that the part-time interim close by was offered to another who orginally had some distance concerns or wanted full time.I know he is deeply disappointed. He has an interview scheduled for next month and another church where his name was given as a candidate.
It is hard not to feel disheartened and discouraged. I am trying very hard not feel as though there is some evil voodoo floating around in the universe. I know that there is always evil at work in the world, but this is getting a bit too close to home.
As I deal with leaving home for this 3/4 time interim next week, having to draw out of our retirement savings to make all our payments, I, at times, feel so overwhelmed by it all and struggle, really struggle, to see God bringing a new thing to bear in our lives, to hold onto God's promises of new and abundant life and to lead us into that life. It is hard not to get too depressed.
Pray for us. Pray that LH will soon be offered a position that will be good for the church and for him and us. With the love of Christ in my heart still, I thank you.

RGBP'S FRIDAY FIVE - On Your Feet!

1. What is your favorite footwear at this time of your life?
Something comfortable, not over 2 inch heel, wide, cushioned.
I really like the Soft Spots Stephanie pumps. Wish they came in
brown.

2. What is the craziest shoe, boot or sandal you ever wore?
Probably a platform shoe or sandal in the early '70's.

3. What kind of shoes did you wear in your childhood?
Practical ones - brown, black or white, depending on the season.
Black and white saddle shoes were my favorite - flat, wide, comfortable.
Got pretty upset when my Mom threw out an oldish pair. Hated to see them
go out of style.

4. How do you feel most comfortable? Barefoot, flip-flops, boots, or what?
My Columbia suede mules - just slide in. At home, my boiled wool slippers
which keep my feet warm but not sweaty.

5. What kind of socks do you like if any?
In the winter, my cashmere blend socks. They keep my feet so nice and warm
and they're soft!

BONUS: Anything you want to share about feet or footwear.
Now you've pushed my button!!! What's up with shoes these days? Either
they have 3 inch heels or none at all. The vamps often cut right across
my bunions. And why can't some of the styles come in a 11 wide? Sometimes
10's are too short. All the cute styles don't come in 11 or 10 W.
It must be the shoe manufacturers' and designers' conspiracy!!!! Yet,
bunions come from too narrow a shoe. They have created deformed feet in
the middle-aged. (some of its hereditary, though!)

Things Are Different:
When lives are in transition you notice how different things have become and are.
With both LH and I in the call process, we are experiencing the lack of open calls at the moment. Fortunately, God has provided me with an interim position even though it involves my only being home 2 nights a week. LH is interviewing for a short interim the next town over. That would buy us some time before a major move.
However, LH is also interviewing a small rural church far from much of anything and it has a very small manse with a one car garage.
It has been nice to have our own home, to have 2 1/2 baths, and a kitchen with some counter space and cabinets. Our house is nothing spectacular, just an ordinary, average house in a middle class subdivision. We live simply, moderately (although our basement is full with retreat items, books, leftovers from our move, craft supplies, Christmas presents for this year).
I am struggling with leaving this home and having to go into a parsonage again where pastors and their families are expected to make do. It will only have one bathroom, the bedrooms and closets will be small, and the yard is not fenced in for our greys. I don't expect luxurious surroundings. But why would a church hold on to a manse that has only one bathroom? What family in this day and age can function with only one bath? Have I been too spoiled? I think not. This will be a very hard move to make and many of our things and books will have to go into storage. I know it is only the two of us and we don't have children. But if and when family visits it will be awkward. It is so rural, that buying a home would entail living a town or two away. I don't think the church would be open to that. Sigh.
I will cross that bridge when we get to it. Perhaps, God has something else in mind for us that has not yet made itself known. Have to trust in God and what God yet has in store for us. I am trying desperately to be open, but it is so very hard. I know we do not lead "normal lives", but must we have to live in ways most parishioners don't? Am I way off base here?

Fall Learning

This is what I learned this fall -
Never let your Siberian Iris go for 6 years without digging them up and
dividing them.

I dug out four clumps of Siberian Iris- 3 of which did not bloom well this year.
It took the spade and all my weight, which is on the heavy side, to lift those clumps. My muscles are still complaining today.
It is a reminder not to let things go too long without tending to them -putting stuff away where it belongs, filing, etc. I hate to admit it, but I often let things go too long before tending to them and there is that much more work and effort. I know far better than I do, as St. Paul reminds me.
I suppose that most falls I am busy with the starting up of the church program year. This year I am tending to my healing and trying hard to prepare my heart and soul and spirit to begin a new interim position. So, I've had time to tend to those things that have neglected for some time.
Lesson is getting learned.
I had hoped we would have made a move by now, and I wouldn't have had to dig them except for taking the few Iris I would have taken with me. Which in retrospect, I still would have had to dig them all up anyway, since I couldn't just dig up a few.
I replanted a much smaller amount of Iris complete with some fresh garden soil and some really crappy cow manure-organic matter made by a well-know fellow's name company. I can't believe I found plastic bag bits, a small stick, a few rocks (I have plenty of my own thank you very much! So many of my own that I can hardly find a place to dig anywhere!), some weeds that were already growing in it (again, I have plenty of my own growing wildly here!), and moss covered pieces. Course, I like moss, but not necessarily in my manure compound. I was very disappointed in this product, because we use the same company's fertilizer for our lawn and that has worked rather well. I should've been clued in by the .99 cent price. I thought it was just on clearance.
Lesson 2 - You get what you pay for. No more cheap priced cow manure for me!

I wasn't planning on planting anything, but the open area left by clearing out the Iris and the Pin Cushion plant debris cried out for something. I picked up an "Autumn Joy" Sedum which I know will outgrow its present spot. But I liked the crimson flowers and the color of the leaves - lighter green. I'm not a huge Mum fan and that's all you see these days around here at this time of year. So, I couldn't resist the Sedum.
Next, I will have to pull my tomato plants and let the green tomatoes finish ripening on the vines in the garage. I will harvest some sage, the parsley and cut down the chives. Then I will put down the Sweet Peet which was so good for the garden last Spring. It's pricey but very good. That's why it just goes in my herb garden and not the big flower beds out front.
Finally, I'll have to take down the flowerboxes and say good bye to the red geraniums and enjoy not dead-heading everyday.
Those were my two lessons this fall thus far. I'm sure there are more to come as the month goes by.

IN THE KITCHEN & GARDEN

We arrived home from our trip to the Land of Lincoln and America's Dairyland where we celebrated my sister's b-day and LH's b-day - one Italian dinner and one Greek dinner and we are neither. But the Swiss have an Italian canton!!!
The tomatoes in the bowl on the kitchen counter were ripe and I was able to pick a few more off the vines making for another 4 lbs.. Too much to eat, so I cooked them up and made another two quarts of tomato sauce.
With the frost forecasted for Wednesday evening, I harvested the Basil which cannot tolerate very cold. I made some pesto sauce with the majority of it and am drying the remaining twig. Had I had the pesto sauce recipe last year, I would have planted more basil!!!!
Today, I will make Florentine Lasagna with my homemade tomato sauce! This will give LH and I several meals in the weeks to come. Florentine Lasagna is my term for meat lasagna with spinach mixed into the ricotta. Usually, Italian dishes that contain spinach are called "Florentine", although not in Italy, where we had very few dishes in Florence that actually contained any spinach at all.
So, this week I was in the kitchen and in the garden.
I also was using the sewing machine to shorten a skirt from a suit and will shorten a pair of lightweight grey wool pants I picked up at the Talbots outlet store while visiting my sister.
This unintended Sabbatical will end at the end of this month. There has been space and breathing room to heal. I have missed the rhythm of preaching and worship. I have enjoyed catching up on things around the house and that it is much cleaner than before. Still cluttered, but cleaner.
In the next couple weeks, I will be preparing for my time away from home with the new interim position; finding my confidence, preparing to serve again, getting items needed for the efficiency apartment, trying desperately not to miss the dogs and LH too much, trusting that God is with me and will work things out, and that LH will soon have a position himself.
Soon, I will be fertiilizing the lawn, putting down some Sweet Peat and laying the garden and flowerbeds to rest. Always a somewhat sad time to say good bye to all my flowering friends and to harvest the herbs.
As the growing season comes to end, so does this Sabbatical. The flowerbeds and garden will enjoy their fallow time and my fallow time is over and the hardwork of spring preparing has begun now in autumn.