TANTE DORLI

My oldest aunt passed away last Thursday. I am saddened by her death, for it seems that with each aunt and uncle and parent who has died our connection to our larger family is lessening, fading. I don't really know my cousins - their lives are in Switzerland and mine is here. Oh, I know a couple of them fairly well, but they are so far away. Except for my annual Christmas letter, a stray and sporadic e-mail, I don't hear from them. They are busy living their lives and I am busy living mine, except for those moments, those times when I yearn for a closer relationship, to be more a part of their lives and they a part of mine.
I've noticed that it gets increasingly harder and more awkward to return to the homeland of my parents, to my second home. The ones I grew up with (well, saw every 5 years), the relatives I got to know, love and appreciate, the ones that warm my heart and soul with memories - are all gone now. Grandparents, all my uncles, my aunt, great uncles and aunts - except for the youngest have joined the Church triumphant. I miss them greatly at times. They were full of life, fun, work and toil, they were honest, salt of the earth folks, genuine and quirky.
I think I was amazed to learn when I was 6 that I had a huge family across the pond and over the alps. I miss the way it was when my parents and my cousins' parents were together. How they just connected, brothers and sisters, who remembered growing up together, hardships, school pranks, and as I reflect on that, how warm and connected I felt. Now they are all but gone, one aunt with Alzheimer's remains, and I miss that connection, the ties that were our parents that bound us together and now are memories we keep close in our hearts and store in our minds. It's just not the same any more. I miss them all so very much, even as I give thanks to God for the gift they were and the grace to have known them, if only in brief segments of my earlier years.
My aunt was the spittin' image of my paternal Grandma. Even her voice sounded like grandma's. They could have been twins and not just mother and daughter. With my aunt, I had a direct link to my Grandma who passed away when I was in 7th grade. I have her dark brown eyes, they always told me. I shrugged it off! Who wants to look like their grandparent? But, with the passing of the years, as I gaze at her picture, trying to discern just who she was and how we might have gotten along, I see her beautiful, kind, wise, strong, dark eyes, with just a hint of twinkle and that reflect a deep and abiding faith, I am thankful, grateful that my eyes are just like hers.
I last saw my aunt 3 years ago. LH and I drove to the Nursing home and she was still in good shape for 89. We had a most delightful chat in her room at the table and she even walked with her walker down the hallway. She shared a few things about her life that I never knew and most of the cousins don't know either. She gave me strength when I did my Dad's committal, her faith tapped into mine into all the faithful, that great communion of saints. She mentioned that getting married late in life to one 23 years older than she, was the most wonderful gift of her life. The 7 years they enjoyed together as husband and wife were the best years of her life. And her face shone with love and delight at the mere mention of that fact.
We will see one another again some day, Tante Dorli and I. It will be a wonderful reunion with all the relatives I knew and loved the best, whose faces, smiles, eyes, quirks, voices have left their imprint on my mind, soul and heart and with whom I will always be connected though the cable becomes a tiny thread.

PREPARING FOR REFORMATION SUNDAY

This coming Sunday, LH and I are taking part in a pulpit exchange of our churches.
Kinda cool to think that Presbyterians and Lutherans are exchanging pulpits when Zwingli and Luther never could agree on the presence of Christ in Holy Communion.
It only took 279 years!!!!! Never, never give up hope!!!!
It is a bit challenging putting together a service for husband. I am anxiously awaiting his scripture choices so that I can plan one hymn and a couple prayers.
I am doing my "Zwingli" schtick with a couple modifications and updates for a Lutheran congregation. I am most nervous about the communion service since it has been awhile since I've lead the Lutheran liturgy. I'm desperately praying that I won't goof something up (ie: skip to the wrong preface, leave out part of a prayer, etc.) I figure if I do stumble in the early service, I can redeem myself in the late service. God gives me two chances to do it "right"! (Actually, God gives me chances over and over and over again to get it right, which is not necessarily about "doing it right"!) God is very forgiving - Lutherans, well, we'll see!!!

RGBP'S FRIDAY FIVE - COIN TOSS:
(in reference to giving to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's)

1) When was the last time you flipped a coin or even saw one flipped in person?
Long enough that I can't remember!!!

2) Do you have any foreign coins in your house? If so, where are they from?
Quite alot! They are from Switzerland, Greece, France, Philippines, Scotland,
Germany, South Africa and Canada. We always keep a few coins as souvenirs.
We also have Swiss Francs for our next trip.

3) A penny saved is a penny earned, they say. But let's get serious. Is there a special place in heaven for pennies, or do you think they'll find a special place in, well, the other place?
I could live without pennies and the country could save much in production without the penny. My vote is the nickel being the new penny and everything could be rounded off to 5 cents.

4) How much did you get from the tooth fairy when you were a child? and if you have children of your own, do they get coins, or paper money? (I hear there may be some inflation.)
Let's see, back in the old days that would be a quarter! I hear kids get at least a dollar these days!!

5) Did anyone in your household collect the state quarters? And did anyone in your household manage to sustain the interest required to stick with it?
LH is the collector in our house although I contributed quarters that I had and received with him. He is also into numismatics and collects paper money from various and sundry eras and times, although mostly US.

RADICALLY AMAZED

I spent the weekend and my study leave attending the Radical Amazement retreat led by Judy Cannato in Michigan.
The journey began as a pilgrimage to the retreat center not far over the border from OH. I had a great drive up. Then I reacquainted myself with the center and stopped in the bookstore. Found a few items and then went to a couple places in town and had dinner.
Our first session that evening revealed perhaps 2-3 protestants out of 25, all women, and some really radical nuns!!! It makes me wonder if the priests at the churches they attend have any idea how radical they are!!!!!!!!
The retreat itself focused on Cosmology and I am still chewing on some of what was presented. The biggest sticking point for me was that Jesus was presented as human being filled with God's energy and highly evolved in the unitive state. Although I can appreciate this new terminology, there seemed to be no reference to Jesus as the Son of God. There is where I had the problem.
That does not mean I had no experience of the Holy and spent time with God. I enjoyed the times for reflection and prayer.
The book, Radical Amazement, by Judy Cannato will give you much to think about and consider.
The drive home was uneventful (thanks be to God) although there were lots of Sunday traffic.
It was a good time away and I sought a time apart, to be with the Holy One of Love, and to be stretched. That it was...

GRACE

I will be going on retreat tomorrow until Sunday afternoon and I am looking forward to the time away and apart. My Spirit needs this more than I can say. The leader is RC and I will probably be the only protestant clergy there, but that aside, it should be interesting and meaningful.
I plan to bring my journal and a couple books for hopefully some quiet evening time.
My hope is that there is some free time for reflection. We always leave a couple hours for that whenever we lead a retreat (our Synod's Spiritual Formation Team).
It will be much warmer than I had planned and am debating what I will wear, from long pants and sweater now to capri's and t-shirts. I had not anticipated that it would be this warm.
LH and the Boys will get along fine without me.
I need time with God away from here, to listen and to savor.
I will be off-line as well. I will resist the urge to bring my laptop and tap into the internet. A retreat means to me to shut down from the world and to come into God's presence itentionally and letting the rest of the world and its turmoil be held in God's hands, while my spirit focuses as completely on God as it can.
I will check back with you all next week. God's peace be with you, sustain you and keep you.

INCREDIBLE EDIBLE MEME:

As seen at Lutheran Chick's "L" Word and therefore, tagged.
Bolded means I've tried it.

1. Venison. Love it! If I ever hit one, I'm claiming it!!!!
2. Nettle tea.
3. Huevos rancheros.
4. Steak tartare. Had it at home and in Switzerland
5. Crocodile. Tastes like chicken!!!! Almost.
6. Black pudding. My people call it Bluetwurst, too. Not for me. LH really likes it.
7. Cheese fondue. MMmmm...made the Swiss way with lots of cloves of garlic, crusty french bread, and a touch of kirsch. Raclette is also very good and eaten with boiled potatoes. I even like to make grilled cheese sandwhich with Raclette cheese in the broiler. Smelly cheese is tasty!
8. Carp.
9. Borscht. Had it at a church I served. Bleech!!!
10. Baba ghanoush.
11. Calamari. Have made it myself!
12. Pho. No.
13. PB&J sandwich. Although, I had to have been in Jr. Hi before I ever had a PBJ sandwich. My Swiss folks never cared for it and we didn't even have it in the house. Every once in a while, I'll make one for myself.
14. Aloo gobi. That's a mystery.
15. Hot dog from a street cart.
16. Epoisses. Huh?
17. Black truffle. Other fungi, yes - procini, morelle, etc.
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes.
19. Steamed pork buns.
20. Pistachio ice cream. Does pistachio pudding count?
21. Heirloom tomatoes. I guess the ones my Mom planted which are
not always easy to find anymore, might qualify.
22. Fresh wild berries. One of the best things on earth - fresh raspberries. Have picked, bought them already picked. Also picked blackberries.
23. Foie gras. Not a huge fan.
24. Rice and beans. Like rice, not a bean fan.
25. Brawn, or headcheese. Again, a Swiss-Germanic thing. My folks loved it. I hated it. Yuck, made from pigs head.
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper.
27. Dulce de leche.
28. Oysters. Make mine Rockefeller!
29. Baklava. Now here's a sweet and tasty treat.
30. Bagna cauda. Never heard of it.
31. Wasabi peas.
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl. Hearty soup for a winter's day.
33. Salted lassi.
34. Sauerkraut. Ach, ja, mit cervelet und bratwurst!
35. Root beer float. Was a big thing in the early '70's, got over it.
36. Cognac with a fat cigar. How about just the cognac and nix the cigar?
37. Clotted cream tea. It doesn't even sound appealing. Make my tea natur.
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O. Sounds like a college thing to do.
39. Gumbo.
40. Oxtail. Makes a great soup, and for wonderful Osso Bucco. Excuse me, Osso Bucco is made with veal shanks and not oxtail. A simple lapse of body parts!!!
41. Curried goat.
42. Whole insects. I have my limits!
43. Phaal. What?
44. Goat's milk. Nope. Cheese made from goat's milk. I've had unpasteurized milk and a horrible tasting pasteurized milk direct from the milkman in Switzerland. We put Suchard Express (chocolate milk powder) into it to kill the taste. Finally, the milk in the box was SO much better!!
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$130 or more. How about some for a bit less $$? It's been smooth.
46. Fugu.
47. Chicken tikka masala.
48. Eel. Haven't ever eaten it and most likely won't. However, I do like my eelskin wallets and an eelskin purse would be nice.
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut. My greyhound's favorite sweet snack. I like the chocolate custard ones myself.
50. Sea urchin.
51. Prickly pear. Pretty sure I've had the jelly.
52. Umeboshi. Huh?
53. Abalone. Mom made it once. It was just like rubber. The one inedible meal she ever cooked.
54. Paneer.
55. McDonald's Big Mac Meal. Sometimes when we're on the road travelling we might get one and probably once a year otherwise.
56. Spaetzle. Knoepfli. One of my very favorite foods. Kinda messy to make, but delish. The Betty Bossi Spaetzli Maker helps and she even has a recipe for spinach spaetzli which are really great.
57. Dirty gin martini.
58. Beer above 8% ABV. I'm pretty sure I have some or one along the way.
59. Poutine.
60. Carob chips. Yup, used to use them when I made dog cookies.
61. S'mores. Sometimes I'll still make one in the microwave!
62. Sweetbreads. Use them in Pastaetli. Was a traditional Christmas Eve dinner at our house growing up. It always looked and smelled wonderful in it's delicious white cream sauce all poured into a flaky pastry shell.
63. Kaolin.
64. Currywurst. I've had wurst and I've had curry - just not together!
65. Durian.
66. Frogs' legs. Mmmm...tastes just like chicken!
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake. No, no, yes, no.
68. Haggis. Had it in Scotland and it was very tasty and good as long as you don't think too much about what it is.
69. Fried plantain. Does fried banana count? Dad used it in his African Country Chop
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette. I don't think so!
71. Gazpacho.
72. Caviar and blini. Can live without it.
73. Louche absinthe.
74. Gjetost, or brunost.
75. Roadkill.
76. Baijiu.
77. Hostess Fruit Pie.
78. Snail. Mostly as escargot!!! Tasty.
79. Lapsang souchong.
80. Bellini.
81. Tom yum.
82. Eggs Benedict. Enjoy them at least once a year when I make them New Year's Day.
83. Pocky.
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef.
86. Hare. Make mine Rabbit! Grew up with it and still make it from time to time. Usually it's domestic.
87. Goulash.
88. Flowers.
89. Horse. Had plenty of opportunity in Europe, just can't bring myself to do so.
90. Criollo chocolate. Don't know this chocolate. Make mine Swiss chocolate.
91. SPAM. Ughh, had it when we camped once or twice. I don't care for it and won't eat it.
92. Soft shell crab.
93. Rose harissa.
94. Catfish. Best Catfish I ever had was in Natchez, Mississippi at the Magnolia Grill or Restaurant or something like that, right by the Miss River. It was just the best ever.
95. Mole poblano. I've had them in the yard, but never eatin' 'em.
96. Bagel and lox. Love bagels not so much the lox, just too limpy and tastes like raw fish. Give me smoked salmon from Ewig Bros. in Port Washington, Wisconsin any day!!!
97. Lobster Thermidor. Love lobster anyway you cook it!
98. Polenta. Italian corn meal mush!!!
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee.
100. Snake.

Bonus round: Most unusual food you've ever eaten: Brains, when Mom substituted them for sweetbreads, not the same. Gemsbock, wild boar, Kudu, Arctic Char, Kingclip, Dolmades, strong mutton stew (in Greece), & Buendnerfleisch - air dried beef.

If you've read this consider yourself tagged! And provide a link to your place!

FAREWELL HUMMER & MAZDA

I am saddened to say good-bye to our hummingbirds, Hummer and Mazda. Last night I took our little flowerbox feeder down, emptied it, and didn't put it back. Mazda will come and look to eat and there will be no nectar waiting for her. It makes me sad. But I do this because it's time, time for them to leave for the south and more warmer climes. The cold temps are on their way here and so I had to...take down the feeder. And it makes me sad to say good-bye in such a way. And I wonder, what does she think, when she flits by and there is no nectar? Perhaps, she is hungry and now there is no food for her. But I have to relinquish my care for them and let them go their winter's way. No more will they flit and hover nearby. They drained the Bee Balm long ago and their brown bald heads remind me, it is that time, to say good-bye, to let go. I will feel better tomorrow, knowing they are winging their way to where it is warmer and food more plentiful. But for today, I honor my sadness, for that is fall's lesson - to let go, surrender, relinquish and to acknowlege and honor the sadness inherent to that. Tomorrow, I will look forward to the hummingbird's return in the spring and putting the feeder in my flowerbox full of fresh, red sweet nectar and welcoming them back with a refreshing and satisfying meal at the end of their journey back. But for now, I grieve their leaving...

WEEKEND RECAP:

Had Presbytery meeting on Saturday. Drove 2 hours to get to the meeting. Stayed four hours. Drove 2 hours home in time to check mail before dinner. Would've been a nicer drive in a couple weeks when the trees would be peaking with their fall color. I stopped at a pottery place whose sign I've seen everytime I've been in that region in the last 23 years. I found an urn and a candleholder for pretty cheap and in a matter of no more than 15 minutes. It was a short stop and not necessarily the type of pottery I really like.
It was interesting with the morning spent with a speaker regarding church planning and development. Worship was traditional with communion. Comissioned 2 lay preachers.
Missed some of the afternoon stuff. Oh well. I made a few copies of Presbytery Bingo, but didn't have time play and the meeting wasn't boring this time around. Will save it for next time!!!
Of course, when I returned home, the neighborhood block party had begun. There were at least three others of us who did not attend. I suppose it is just as well, as I was pretty tired from all driving that day and still had to go over my sermon and service and the Adult Sunday School lesson. Not attending the block party is still a sore spot between LH and I, we differ on the whole thing. But, it's over and we are busy.
I really felt it yesterday afternoon when I got home, ate lunch and could barely keep my eyes open and promptly feel asleep on the couch for an hour and a half!! Felt much better afterward.
Filled the Finch feeder with thistle seed, fed the Boys, rubbed Jett for a good long time. Rubbed Ben for awhile.
Made Beet Salad to go with some Brats. Did the dishes. Went over the Bible Study lesson and readings for Monday morning. Caught the season opener of "Desperate Housewives." Talked with my sister.
Hoping for a quieter weekend this week!

JONNY APPLESEED FRIDAY FIVE:

1) What is your favorite apple dish? (BIG BONUS POINTS if you include the recipe!)
Apple Crisp. No recipe since I prefer the crisps someone else makes!!!

2) Have you ever planted a tree? If so, was there a special reason or occasion you
can tell us about?
When we moved into our new home years ago, we had no lawn and no trees. I had
always wanted an eastern redbud (beautiful spring flowering tree), I really
like Birch trees and to plant a Gingko tree was on my Bucket List. So, we
planted a redbud out front (which has now died and will be replaced this fall).
We planted a River Clump Birch in the back and I, by sheer providence,
found and planted a Gingko tree. I enjoy my trees immensely.

3) Does the idea of roaming around the countryside (preaching or otherwise)appeal
to you? Why or why not?
I've done my share of roaming as an interim minister. I kinda like being in
one place for awhile. Alas, roaming seems to be in my blood, as both my parents
crossed the pond and my Dad had lived on three continents. I suppose I will
stay put only so long until I or LH will make a move to seek a new call.

4) Who is your favorite "historical legend"?
Wilhelm Tell. Duh. No brainer! Whose the biggest, best and baddest legend
in Switzerland? - William Tell!!! Sharpshooter extradonaire! Didn't take
c--p from the Austrians, stood his ground, united the peoples and a
country called Switzerland was wrested away from the Hapsburgs (Austrians)
and became a nation unto itself - free, democratic, and neutral.

5) Jonny Appleseed was said to sing to keep up his spirits as he traveled across
the west. Do you have song that comes to mind when you are trying to be
cheerful or is there something else that you often do?
Most often the Taize song: "In the Lord, I'll be ever thankful"

BONUS: What's your favorite apple variety?
Jonathan. Can't hardly find them in the store anymore so I eat Gala's.
Now it's your turn to share!

QUIET DAY

The floor care team has finally finished cleaning all the carpeting and floors in the Sanctuary, fellowship hall, downstairs classrooms and hallway. Interesting that the Offices were not cleaned! Hmmmm....But at least it is quiet today without the constant droning and noise from the machinery.
It is refreshing to have - quiet. The phones were quiet. No much traffic into the building today. Visits that didn't work out. So, it is quiet. Still. A time of prayerful work, of listening to the still, small voice that only comes in the sheer silence. I don't mind the quiet, a respite from the noise within and around me, to hear, to listen, to notice, to pay attention to God. There will be times when bustling through my day, I will have no silence. So, I will savor, cherish and honor this quietude and know I have no need to fill it up...

WANTED:
A 14 yr old computer tutor. Must be responsible, knowledgeable, able to explain in everyday language. Must have patience. Needs to be familiar with blogging, Skype, and other applications. One hour at a time for a reasonable fee.
I'm thinking it's time to advertise for some help. Sometimes, I feel like I'm falling further and further behind in all this technology.
This would make a great fundraiser - rent a teenager - for computer tutorials, or raking leaves. It would even make a great silent auction item!!!
Just.need.help.Sigh.

AUTUMN EQUINOX RGBP'S FRIDAY FIVE:

As this vivid season begins, tell us 5 favorite things about fall:

1) A fragrance -
The scent of leaves burning, which doesn't happen much anymore because
of town rules and restrictions, especially on a crisp fall day.

2) A color -
Firey orange trees (well actually their leaves!)

3) An item of clothing -
Sweaters

4) An activity -
putting the garden to rest: cutting down, pulling out, and putting down
cow manure and raking it in

5) A special day -
I should say LH's birthday which is Thursday and happens in fall or my sister's
birthday on Tuesday, also fall. I could say our anniversary which is the
beginning of Dec. and still officially fall.
But this year, it will be a retreat in MI I'll be attending in two weeks!!

I STAND CORRECTED -

I did not blog about Three Cups of Tea, merely mentioned in my vacation post that I had read it.
The book is still with me, not literally, but within me as I continue to reflect on the amazing web of relationships, the sacrifices, and the wonderful schools that have been built in Afghanistan & Pakistan by Greg Mortenson.
If I won the lottery, his organization would get quite a share.
I am humbled by his calling and work. And I lift up his integrity and honesty. The world, our young persons need more of these qualities.
If you haven't yet read the book, by all means, do! It is very readable, keeps your interest, inspires and encourages, touches and humbles.

HURRICANE IKE IN OH:

Although we did not have the rain or storm sturges that our Texan brothers and sisters experienced, we did get the winds up to 70+ mph. For several hours late Sunday afternoon and evening the winds blew bringing down power lines, uprooting trees and shearing the tops off of pine trees.
Fortunately, we lost power only momentarily several times in the evening. Others were not so fortunate. Our subdivision has all of its power lines buried which makes all the sense in the world. The village where I serve lost power and school was cancelled, businesses closed and I worked at home. We cancelled Session and Worship Committee meetings and rescheduled for next week.
The residual winds of Ike, if you can call them residual at the rate Ike blustered through here, shredded our neighbor's play tower canopy which now bears a Halloweenish ghostly haunted house look.
Our prayers have been with the good people of Texas and those in all the countries Ike has touched.
We did get the rain we have sorely needed in these parts on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. My rain gauge totalled 4+ inches. The frogs in the retention basins were celebrated their joy in song!
Will have a very long week next with several committee meetings and Presbytery that will be 1 hr. and 50 min. drive each way on that Saturday.
For now, I will enjoy the breathing space that was given as gift to me this day.

A BLESSING:

The love of the faithful Creator
The peace of the wounded Healer
The joy of the challenging Spirit
The hope of the Three in One
surround and encourage you
today, tonight and forever.

(Kate McIlhagga)

There are times...
when I could just smack LH! We will be the most unneighborly neighbors when the upcoming block party/pig roast someone in our part of the subdivision is hosting happens on the last Sat. of September. The invitation flyer came Labor Day weekend and along with the pig roast, there will be rented tents, tables, chairs, tableware (plastic and paper), an inflatable jumper, games and prizes for the kids. We are to bring a covered dish, our beverages and submit $35.00 per household regardless of how many children or no children.
So that became the sticking point for LH who succinctly stated,"I'm not paying $17.50 for a handful of pork, a paper plate and a chair." No amount of cajoling could convince him otherwise. He contends that the gathering will not even happen due to the cost. I contend that it will and we will be the only neighbors not in attendance. He promises to make it up to me if he is wrong. The bet is on.
In the meanwhile, I am thinking of ways he could make it up to me. Any ideas?

LAST FRIDAY EVENING

I took a bit of sunshine,
some of the goodness of earth
and rain
and saved the taste of summer
in the corn cobs I blanched
and stripped
all packaged neatly
in three freezer bags.
I placed them in the cold, dark
freezer where they will stay
suspended summer
until in the middle of winter
on a cold, bleak and grey day
I will open a bag of sunshine
and taste summer all over again.

BACK FROM THE BEACH

A bit banged up, battered and bruised I am back from the Beach!! I actually met the challenge of Lake Michigan and went in and swam despite the waves and cold. Too hard to swim as it was choppy. Since the Lake level is higher this year and with the waves churning up the sand, I forgot about the two boulders that are there and promptly stepped on one, slid on it and scraped my knee. The biting flies found me a wonderful buffet bar and I banged my other knee on the quick closing screen door.
Despite that, I had a great time with my sister, BIL, and niece. Enjoyed two croquet games where I came in last and second to last!!! Yipee! My best standing ever!!
I did manage to beat LH at our Woertentaefelnspiel (Word Dice Game- fashioned after Scrabble), two nights running!!!
We discovered a new Cheese store - Cedar Valley Cheese Store with all kinds of cheese and cheese related items. Yes, I came home with Swiss cheese atenna topper!!!
(People will think I'm a cheesehead from WI rather than Swiss!!!) And we picked up the most incredible smoked salmon from Ewig Bros. in Port Washington, WI.
Since LH caught a bug and was sneezing up a storm on Monday, we spent a quiet day at the Lake on Tues. It was the most beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky, there was a bit of wind making the Lake choppy and it was really cool - like 3/4 sleeve shirt and denim capri's cool, like you can sit in the sun all day and never got hot kinda cool. It was marvelous. I spent the day reading Three Cups of Tea, writing a poem, watching the Lake, going for a long walk on the beach and seeing the tail end of a snake slipping through the beach grass. I also saw the resident garter snake in the Lake House yard which I rather would not have liked to see at all. It slid between the rocks of the flower bed. (Ugh...shivers up the spine) Except for seeing the snakes, it was a perfect vacation day, a gift of Sabbath.
Now it's back to the hectic busyness of the fall season! (Sigh) I will treasure that vacation day through the year and pull it out when things get really crazy (like Advent/Christmas, Lent/Easter). Then I can savor it all over again.

TO THE BEACH:

I am so ready to hit the Beach! I'm mostly packed for our trip to Chicago and Wisconsin and my spirit is saying, "Let's Go!"
In the meanwhile, I have a couple visits to make.
Can't hardly wait to see my Sister. It's been a whole year since we've seen each other. Sure we talk on the phone every week, but it's not the same as being together.
I have a free massage coming too!!!! OOoooo...can I leave now?!!!?
See you all in a week!

Lowered Drinking Age Initiative

I understand that if one can drive, vote and serve the country at age 18, that they should be allowed to drink. However...the irresponsibility of the majority of teens leads one to think this is not a good idea.
When I check the College list I was grateful to see that my Alma Mater was not on it, but was surprised by several church affiliated institutions who were on the list.
There was drinking at my Alma Mater, but it wasn't near what is being done today, no hoses and funnels, etc. That's just sheer stupidity.
When the story appeared on the news last night, I said to LH that these colleges don't want to spend personnel, time and money enforcing their policies on underage drinking and also don't want to be liable for those students who die or are injured from their irresponsible drinking in violation of college rules and policies. Actually, I think the liability issue is the thrust behind the wanting to lower the drinking age. That way the college can't be sued by families.
They ought not to be anyway, because their child engaged in risky behavior, used poor judgement, and was irresponsible.
Perhaps, families ought to model responsible behavior, talk about drinking issues, etc. in the home as the child grows up.
Lowering the drinking age will make no difference to those who engage in such binge drinking. They will do it whether it is legal or not.
Hope these College Presidents use their degrees and use their wisdom.

RGBP'S FRIDAY FIVE:

Share 5 transformations that the coming fall will bring your way.

1. The last blooms of the flowers fade and all goes to rest.
2. Harvesting my herbs and hanging them to dry.
3. Plucking the last ripe tomatoes and hanging the vines in the garage to
ripen the few remaining green ones.
4. Putting away my summer clothes and pulling out the winter ones.
5. Weeding and fertilizing the wee garden and flower beds and fertilizing the
lawn.

Bonus: Give us your favorite activity that is made possible by the arrival of fall.

Throwing on a sweater and still being able to sit on the porch to watch
the kids at play, to savor the sunset, or just to view the stars.

MORE VACATION!!!

LH and I are looking forward to 1 more week of vacation next week as we plan to head to the Windy City and the Lake House in Wisconsin. I will be so glad to see my sister and BIL again. One added bonus, my niece will be there as well for the weekend!! Back from the craziness of LA to the flatness of rural central IL as she begins Med School. Not much rock climbing there! It will be good to see her in person and not just hear her voice breaking up on the cell.
I am preparing myself to lose at the annual Croquet game, it has become a family tradition. I actually am starting to look forward to losing!!!
Sports was never my forte. I was always too klutsy and not all that competitive.
I just wanted to play for fun. It can be fun to win, but just playing the sport is fun. I fail to see that on many athlete's faces any more.
And although I got my swimmer's badge at age 9, was the youngest in the test class and put in a lane closest to the pool's edge (in case I had a problem!)and I came in fourth out of 6 or 7 only to be approached to be on the swim team, I declined.
I didn't want deprive myself of the delight and pleasure of swimming by having to compete. It would've sucked the joy right of swimming for me.
Later, in High School, I did join the Synchronized Swim Team and had a blast with it, especially the shows we put on. It wasn't the competitive, precision, mechanical thing it is now. We learned new and different stunts, choregraped them to music and made costumes and just had fun. It was wonderful.
So, I don't have to win at Croquet, I just want to enjoy playing the game and being with my family.
Maybe, that's how it should in relationship with God. It's not about winning, it's about simply being with God for the sheer delight of it and to love God. It's not about who has the biggest church, who does the most mission, who has the slickest programs, etc. I keep hoping that our church members would catch on "are we having fun, yet" in our faith with God and in our faith community. Can we not enjoy our faith, our calling as Christians, as Presbyterians? Shouldn't we be having fun in our life together in Christ? I think we need to recover the sheer delight of being in God's love and to take a rest from beating ourselves up and over with certain issues that the church cannot bear at this time. Let's get back to the love of our Lord and somehow, it will work out as it needs to in God's time not ours.
Onward to my Croquet game...

AN OLYMPIC WOW!!!
Wasn't that just a nail biter of a race in the Men's 4 X 100 Relay last night!!?
I am more impressed by Cullen Jones than by Michael Phelps (media hype poster boy).
So inspiring to see these talented athletes compete. I pray that they are competing fairly with their God given talents and hard work of training and practice and not by using drugs of any kind to enhance their performance. May they be clean, honest, above-board and display good sportsmanship.

OPENING OLYMPIC CEREMONY:

No one's talking about it much, but was anyone disturbed at all that the Olympic Flag was goose-stepped to the flag pole and raised by China's military? I, for one, was rather taken aback. It seems to me that usually the Olympic Flag is brought it by past Olympians or coaches etc. Never military. The Military doesn't have a place at the Olympics and I felt it was a slap in the face to all the world. A reminder that China's military rules along with the communist party.
I found it very disturbing, that it had no place in a ceremony lifting up the Olympic Games and the achievement of all these world and world class athletes.

VBS INSIGHT -

One Mom who brought her preschooler to VBS said her preschooler was very excited about coming to VBS. Her Mom told her they would leave home a bit early to come to church and see who the teachers were going to be. The preschooler responded, "Isn't God always our teacher?"
Kids are wiser on some levels than we are!

ERSTEN AUGUST!!!

Happy Swiss Independence Day!!!!
to all my family and my Swiss friends and acquaintances.
Wow! 707 years old!!
We celebrated by displaying the Swiss flag from our front porch. I wore my white capri's and a red T-shirt. We made Brats, Swiss potato salad and cole slaw (instead of sauerkraut). For dessert, I will indulge in a bowl of raspberries - something red!!!
VBS ended on a good note with an outdoor Beach Party carnival. There were different games for the kids - pick a rubber ducky for a candy prize, knock down three (plastic bottles with some sand in it), fish for a fish (by magnets in water), throw a ping pong ball into little bowls of water (no goldfish), do the Limbo, spin the wheel for a prize, throw an inflatable ring (3 of them) around the inflatable flamingo, get a tattoo (temporary of course!) We served hot dogs, chips, and freeze pops, water and lemonade. Each child received a tote bag in which to put their prizes and the parents talked and it was just a nice village/neighborhood gathering.
We were thrilled with the 55-60 kids we served each night - the majority were those who come every year with some fresh faces and new youngsters.
The kids will be singing in church for us on Sunday, and that will be a treat.
En'guete Alle!!! Lebet wohl!!!

The Trouble With VBS:

-is, that the props for the opening beachcombing were not prepared ahead of time.
(I did have my starfish, decoration donations, and biblical costumes all neatly
ordered in the church library before I left on vacation)
Yesterday, at 15 mins. before the start of VBS I was combing through a pail of
shells looking for a joined clam shell and running to the SS closet hoping there
would be a white bead (Thanks be to God, there were chunky beads and white ones!!)
This is not good. Whenever I have props - they are lined up in order ready to go
in a safe place.
I wonder if the turtle will be here tonight or the sand dollar tomorrow.
Last minute does not work with this section of VBS.

-is, that I spent time editing, writing and putting together the opening and closings
split between us 2 pastors (which the Methodist minister has never once even
attempted to do, she shows up with her script [provided by me well in advance] in
hand and does it. This is year 5 for me in doing this.)
The week I leave on vacation, the MM tells me that the skits are being done during
snack time and not in the sanctuary during the opening. OK, not a big deal, change
a line to reflect what will come later.
I am knocked off my chair during snack when the MM does a prayer the exact same
prayer I am using for closing. Turns out the book I used for the opening and
closings is the same book with the skits and the M people doing the skits wanted
to follow that book to the letter with the prayer following the skit. I had even
copied the skits,highlighted all the parts, stapled them together, collated each
day and left it with our director. All this work, time and effort and now I had
to rework the prayers. I was furious. With our people and their people.
I could have spent my time doing other things. I have even approached the MM
into taking her turn with the openings and closings, "Oh, no, you write better
than I do!" Sure. She just doesn't want to bother with it and just show up and
do her thing. I am the one to help a little one, sitting with her all night,
helping with her craft, running to get a bandaid for a scraped knee, moving
my ample sized body to all the crazy motions to the songs as encouragement to
the kids I'm with (while she hangs around in the back talking to adults)
She's a Mom and I am not. Maybe, because she's done this with her now adult
child, she doesn't feel the need to do it now. Perhaps, I, who never had
kids, tries to be involved and helpful to our kids at VBS. But I don't
think in an obnoxious way, more low key way.
-is that I have to let all this go and I have for the most part. Yesterday was much better, far more relaxed and fun. It is really all about the kids. And they are having a blast! And so am I because they are really great kids and there have been
no major behavior problems! Whoohoo!!!!!!!

VBS MOMENT:

Our Little Rural Church is located at the Gateway to Amish Country in a region saturated with Mennonites. Well, our VBS this year is the Beach Party and we have been doing the Biblical Skits (much to the delight of kids and very amateur actors!)
The opening skit is where God tells Gideon to go, take a few men, nope, too many, a few less, and fight the Midianites. Our VBS Gideon had a different version and questioned God about fighting the Mennonites!!!!
Wow! We were roaring!!! Midianite. Mennonite. All "ites"!!! I guess fighting the Mennonites would have been much easier than the Midianites!!
We pray there will be no holy war here of Presbyterian & Methodists vs. Mennonites!

ANOTHER MONTH, ANOTHER WEEK, ANOTHER VBS!!!

Tonight will be my first night at my church's VBS. They started last night, but I was still on vacation.
It will be 3 back-to-back 12 hour days. Today I packed a change of clothes, so I won't look all gussied up for the kids. Everyone else will be in casual clothes!
Since it's a beach theme, I have a t-shirt with a lounge chairs and table, flip-flops, palm tree and sand, There's 2 drinks on the table - (Mai Tai's in my view) but if the kids ask, their lemonade of course!!!!!!
Times like these where it would be nice to be able to run home for a quick, healthy snack, clothes change and maybe, even put my feet up for 1/2 an hour. As it is, I'm 17 miles and 25 minutes from home and it isn't good stewardship to go home and come back. I'm thinking I should schedule a pedicure for Fri as a thank you to myself, for a busy, hectic week.
Well, at least I'll be at a Beach!!!!!!!!!

RGBP'S FRIDAY FIVE (a week late):
All about your blog:

1. So how did you come up with your blogging name? And/or the name of your blog?
I am so utterly fascinated and connected with inukshuks from our times in
Canada, which in the Inuit language means "likeness of a person". Inuit make
inukshuks as signs of good passageways, message centers, to mark places of
good hunting grounds and goodness. I see inukshuk as a metaphor for us pointing
the way to God and God's goodness in our lives, pointing to God's presence
and grace. Thus was born, St. Inuksuk and the title: signs-along-the-way
2. Are there any code names or secret identities in your blog? Any stories there?
LH stands for my dear Lutheran Husband, the Boys: our greyhounds, Ben and Jett,
Little Town - the small rural village where I serve
3. What are some blog titles that you just love? For their cleverness, drama or
sheer, crazy fun?
Presby*Opia, Skewed View, Quotidian Grace, Holy Grounds
4. What 3 blogs are you devoted to? Other than the RevGalsBlogPals, of course?
Real Live Preacher, the other two are RGBP: St. Casserole and Cheesehead
5. Who introduced you to the world of blogging and why?
I happened upon Real Live Preacher, which led me to RGBP. I was fascinated
and wanted to leave comments and try my hand at it. I am self taught, which
means, I really don't know what I'm doing and therefore, haven't learned how
to link or put pictures on my blog. Course it doesn't help that our computer
system is old and not up to snuff!!!!
Bonus: Have you ever met one of the bloggers you read?
No, not yet. But it would be interesting to be in the midst of such
awesome clergy women!

7 THINGS MEME

As seen at St. Casserole's and of course, now tagged!!!
1.List these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog.
3. Tag 7 bloggers and notify them. Frankly, if you read this consider yourself tagged!!!

*Preached in German in Switzerland
*Planted my footprints in the Bay of Fundy (washed away with the incoming tide!)
*Hiked down the Rothorn twice(two days in a row - 1 a 6 hour hike, the other in 2 hours at breakneck speed since a thunderstorm moved in)
*Designed my wedding gown with my Mom who then sewed it
*Did Synchronized Swim
*Interviewed Walt Wangerin, Jr. once
*Play piano (not as well any more, not enough time to practice!)

I'm Back!!!
Back from vacation up in the Northeast in Nova Scotia. Cape Breton was beautiful. Saw countless crows, 1 deer, a bunch of grey seals, numerous puffins, razor bills, gannets, cormorants, a couple of great blue herons, several bald eagles and not one moose! The puffins are the hummingbirds of the Atlantic ocean - they move really fast, especially when the boat is pitching and moving. Pretty tough to get a picture although LH did get a couple on the video recorder. It was a grey drizzly day but still great to be out to see the puffins.
Our day trip on the Cabot Trail was a picture postcard day with beautiful views.
It rained/drizzled the next day again when we left, so we felt blessed to have had such a fantastic day on the Cabot Trail. Be it known, some of the craft and gift shops leave alot to be desired. The lobster was great, however!!! Even McDonalds (which we usually don't patronize much for a meal had the McLobster (lobster roll) which we thoroughly enjoyed up in New Brunswick. Kinda lobstered out now!!!
Spent some time with dear friends in Mass and visited Deerfield Village on a rather hot day.
Spent a night in Frederickton, two nights in N. Sydney where we saw the ferry to New Foundland and walked the beach for a bit.
Spent 1 hour and 20 minutes in Freeport, ME to visit LL Bean's and the Mangy Moose. LH isn't a Bean person. Had dinner at a Lobster Drive-in, kinda like Little Town's Dariette but serving seafood instead of burgers and ice cream.
Drove through Conn. in some wicked rain that did some damage in New Hampshire.
Visited a winery in the Finger Lakes region of New York - over priced for what it was; a simple red table wine that we consumed that very night in our hotel room! Had the worst dinner ever in NY - seafood alfredo - which consisted of 4 rubbery squid rings, 2 scallops halved and part of one small shrimp amid a bunch of pasta - all for an outrageous price. I complained and got no where. We drove home via Pennsylvania!!!!
Went to the Ceilidh in Baddeck which featured an awesome violionist, a great pianist, and one average male who sang in Gaellic. It was most enjoyable.
Because of the rain we came home a day early. More time to do our laundry, get groceries, throw out the rotting garlic, get oil changes, and pick up the Boys who spa-ed at the Farm.
Memorable was the elderly ME driver who nearly hit me as pulled from the left lane into the right and then drove 20 miles per hour in a 35 mile hour zone with a long trail of frustrated drivers behind him. Finally, I was able to pass him!!!
Such are the stuff of vacations, time away and time apart to refresh and renew our spirits, with new vistas, landscapes, people, food, and experiences.

PULPIT SUPPLY SURVEY
Getting Ready...

On Monday we will be leaving on vacation!!!! I am so ready for 2 Sundays off!!!
We will be adventuring on the eastern seaboard; first to MA to visit our dear friends from Sem. and then upward and upward to Nova Scotia to Cape Breton. We have a date to see the Puffins!!!!
With all the planning we did for South Africa last fall, this one was much easier and we left time and space to explore anything of interest along the way.
So, I will be taking a break for a couple weeks but will return the end of the month with some fresh insights and tales to tell!!!
Still have more laundry to do and retrieve the suitcase from the basement. At least the Greek Letter Airline won't be breaking my suitcase this year!!!!!!
I always have a hard time leaving folks and always hold my church folks in prayer, knowing God has been taking care of them long before I arrived, while I am gone, and long after my time with them is over. But it helps me to leave with a clear conscience and to be open to vacation time and all that God longs to bring me in a different setting and way.
I have also done the liturgy and picked the hymns for the two Sundays I am gone.
Perhaps a quick survey would be in order:

When you leave on vacation and have supply preachers filling in, do you:
1. Plan and prepare the whole service, leaving the Scriptures and Sermon title
for the supply minister to provide?
OR
2. Does the supply minister furnish everything using the order of liturgy the
church uses? (ie: Call to Worship, Invocation, Prayer of Confession/Assurance
of Pardon and Hymns from that church's hymnal)

It would be interesting to hear from all of you as to how this is handled in your churchs and/or traditions.
Since I do the first option, I am exhausted before leaving on vacation planning services that I will not be at and yet feel since I've done all the work, I may as well be at. Plus, there is the service upon my return to plan and work up.
Whenever I supplied anywhere, I requested a bulletin, for the liturgy, and provided all the repsonses and hymns. I also made sure that if there were regular responses (as in Lutheran liturgy) I used those. When I supplied I felt called to lead worship and not merely preach a sermon. Perhaps, I am way off base, but I have heard from a couple supply ministers that they expect the service all planned out and done for them.
Just wondering if my expectations are way off base or I've been doing too much...
In the meanwhile, there are visits to make, a sermon to write, hair to be cut, dinners to be cooked, dishes to be washed, worship to lead, coleslaw salad for the church picnic to be made, packing, cleaning out the van and vacuuming it. There are miles to go before I even begin vacation!!!

ASIAN BEETLE INVASION!
LH and I left Saturday afternoon around 12:45 pm to pick up my van from
the repair shop that had to fix my squealing brakes (after I had new brakes put in 2 weeks ago) and were inching down the sloping driveway. I looked out the window and there were swarms of bugs coming up from the front lawn. Since I already had dusted my potentilla bushes, the burning bush, and the geraniums with Sevin (ack! poison!) in order to do battle with the few beetles I had seen, I was blown away by how many there were flying around our lawn and neighbors' lawns.
My first stop after picking up my van was to the big box home improvement store and right at the cash register in the Garden area were the Bag the Bugs system. Cool. I bought the starter kit and the stake kit. Ran my other errands, got home and put the Bug Bag up around 3 pm. Wow, it drew Asian Beetles like flies to you know what! You could even see them drop into the bag - when the sun hit the bag in the right way. It was fascinating to watch.
Well, last night, LH goes to remove the bag and we estimate it was well over a half pound of Asian beetles. He put up the new bag and if this keeps up, I'll have to go buy more bags. I had no idea there were so many of these nasty buggers around and in our lawn. They have gotten worse over the last three years or then I simply never noticed before how they just come up from the ground. I tend to think it's just gotten worse. Don't know how I would've missed seeing them as I am somewhat attentive to my home and environs.
If we have bagged hundreds of them then there must thousands upon thousands underground. The bag sure beats having to put poison on my plants.
So, those bug bag systems do work, just in case you needed or wanted to know!
We will win this war!!!

RGBP'S FIREWORKS FRIDAY FIVE:

1. Barbeques or picnics (or are they essentially the same thing?)?
Actually, grilling. In my midwestern mind, barbeque is slathered in sauce and
grilling is anything without barbeque sauce. Besides, with grilling you can
bring the food into the cool comfort of your home without bugs and hot, humid
temperatures!

2. The park/the lake/the beach or staying at home simply being?
At home simply being or with family over for eats. Usually, I am busy
preparing food to serve or cleaning bathrooms!!!

3. Fireworks - love' em or hate 'em?
I did like watching the neighbor's (don't know the people as they live across
the meadow from us)fireworks which were near professional. However, they set
them off even after 11pm Saturday night. Ben and Jett were none too happy and
poor Ben barely had his last call outside, when a big boom went off and
frightened him near to death.
4. Parades - have you ever taken part - share a memory...
Nope, not really. It seems to me when I was a Girl Scout our troop took part
in a Bataan Day Parade, idiosyncratic to this one Chicago suburb. Don't
really remember much about it. LH used to take part in a couple parades with
the SAR colorguard. But if it's too hot, you won't find him taking part.

5. Time for a musical interlude - if you could sum up holidays in a piece of music
what would it be?
I've always been partial to Copeland's Rodeo and the larger work of which it is
a part. Can't think of it at the moment. Must be a senior moment!

Hope you had a great fourth!

For Gardeners:

Tomatoes are on the vines, still green and small, some bigger and there are flowers still turning into fruit. My mouth is already watering in anticipation of picking the first ripe tomato and enjoying it's warm, full of flavor deliciousness.
"But then I taste a tomato that tastes tomato.
I pick ripened corn and plop it into a pot of boiling water.
I slice the fresh zucchinis, snap the beans, and sit down
to a feast of flavors
that must be like the feasts of Eden before the serpent said a word.
So I thank you for this garden, God, and for the strength to tend it in
my way, and for my tiny harvest, and for the tang and savor of each bite."
(robert jones)

Weird, but my capital 'j' has ceased to work on the keyboard. Must be the PC demons at work. I may end up typing only small case "j's" if this keeps up.
Oh the wonders, the frustrations, of techno-gadgetry!!!

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!

ISN'T WINTER OVER YET?

As we were under a frost advisory last night, I had to cover up my remaining tomato plants and my bay tree and herbs and this on May 28! This is the latest frost advisory I can remember in a long, long time. I am thankful that I didn't yet plant my other 3 tomato plants or my new Basil. I hope to plant them Friday and this frost stuff had best be over and done with by then. It's practically June!

A CHRISTIAN GRADUATE'S LITTLE INSTRUCTION GUIDE

1. Pray daily; it holds your day together and connects you with God.
2. Read the Bible regularly. It is the guidebook to living out your faith in life.
3. Worship often: your spirit needs to express praise to the Creator in community
with others.
4. Become part of a fellowship/Bible study group: it helps you to grow in faith and
the support of other Christians is encouraging, inspiring and comforting.
5. Make and keep a place for faith in your life; the well-being of your spirit
depends on it.
6. Don't be fooled by slick advertising, the pull of society and the Hollywood
crowd; they do not hold the ultimate truth.
7. Stand firm in your faith even when challenged and don't be ashamed of your faith.
8. Live by the Great Commandmant. (Matthew 22:34-40)
9. Do the best you can where you are with what you have. God expects excellence not
perfection.
10. Expect some pain and disappointment in life. God will be along side of you and
will bring you through even the most trying of times, even when you feel as God
isn't there, God is there, most profoundly.
11. Live with the hope of Christ in your heart.
12. Don't be afraid of troubles or failures; God provides opportunities and growth
even through these.
13. Read the Beatitudes often. (Matthew 5:3-12)
14. Let the joy of your faith shine out from your heart and hands to everyone
around you.
15. Sing out hymns boldly, joyfully, and with all the feeling your body can muster.
16. Be still at times and listen to the quiet of God's voice.
17. Trust God even when it is hard to do so.
18. Nurture a thankful, loving heart. Let the love of Christ dwell within you.
19. Express gratitude for all things big and small.
20. Tell others you love them. We all like and need to hear those wonderful words.
21. Let your life be a doxology: "Praise God from whom all blessings flow...."
22. Remember that forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door to love.
23. Accept that life is not always fair and there are no guarantees except for
God's grace and love.
24. Celebrate the great moments in your life and in the lives of others.
25. Pray for wisdom, courage, strength and guidance and not merely for "things."
26. Let music or art wash away the dust of everyday life from your soul.
27. Remember that there are no hopeless situations, only people who have grown
hopeless about them.
28. A good leader is concerned about others, not him/her self.
29. Happiness is found along the way and not at the end of the road.
30. When you are grounded in God, peace and contentment blossom and flourish.
31. Pray genuinely and sincerely for others. Sometimes it will change you more
than it will them.
32. Never let yesterday use up too much of today.
33. Serenity is not freedom from the storm, but peace amid the storm.
34. Responsibility is taking care of all that you can for yourself and not expecting
God or others to give things to you or do it for you.
35. Own up to your mistakes and learn from them.
36. The measure of success are the degrees of peace, joy, love and gratitude you
have in your life.
37. Integrity is being true to the self God desires you to be. It is a life-long
work.
38. Life is partly what you make it and partly how you respond to its unfolding.
39. Read widely to expand your horizons and challenge your thinking.
40. Be willing to take a risk, but not foolishly. Listen to your inner spirit and
heed the prompting of God's Spirit at work in you.
41. Give credit where credit is due.
42. The short-cut is most often the long way around.
43. Be patient, not all things come about instantly. Things of worth take much time
to grow and be.
44. Make time to play or just watch for shapes in the clouds.
45. Be gentle with yourself and others.
46. Dream dreams and reach for the stars. You may not reach the stars but the view
from the mountaintop is breathtaking.
47. If you can ease the way for others or soften their burdens, do so.
48. Everyone is a child of God, whether they know it or not, you do.
49. Embrace the fullness, the freedom, the spaciousness of God's love for you.
50. My prayer for you: that God be with you wherever the days, the years, and the
future may take you.
St. Inuksuk 1999

In honor of all graduates, including my nephew who will be receiving his Masters. Congratulations and God's blessings.

OLDER THAN DIRT?
I just checked my profile which I haven't done in ages and discovered that my birthday year was 1756 or some such year and I was listed at 252 years old? Now, I may certainly feel old on some days, but never quite that old!!!!!! So, for anyone out there who thought I was being facetious about my age, opps, just a typo! Don't have a clue how that happened, but there ya go. I am older than dirt!!!!!!!!

JUST SAW -
Lars and the Real Girl this weekend. Made me reflect how I as a pastor would've handled the situation. Quirky, funny, and inspiring to see community forming and what is done for love of one in community. Catch it on DVD!

NEW TENANTS-
Over the weekend, I had put some mealworms out for the bluebirds and was peeling some bark off our River Clump Birch when I noticed a bird's nest. Looks like there will be some baby Robins sometime in the future. No eggs yet, but the nest looks near completion!
Planted a butterfly bush, lupine and another larkspur. Sure hope they take and bloom.
Back in April, I planted 5 Milkweed seeds in a wee clay pot. Finally, two seeds began to grow. Now, of all things, there are 2 more fragile green stalks and one very wee green sprout appearing. That means all 5 seeds took even though they were a year and a half old. I don't know how I can plant these wee tender plants beyond our fence by the meadow. The weeds and grasses are aggressive and tall and would choke out these tiny milkweed. I don't know how they will ever grow enough to bear pods.
In the meanwhile, I water and set the pot outside and tend these fragile sprouts. Eventually, I will put them in a bigger pot.
Maybe, I should start the seeds in the fall indoors and perhaps, by spring they will be big enough and strong enough to be planted outdoors and not be overwhelmed by the meadow vegetation.
In the herb garden, I planted Rosemary, Sage, Tarragon (looking a bit weakly), Basil, Thyme, Marjoram, Oregano, Parsley, Hyssop and a little Bay tree! The chamomile have run with abandon through the garden, the garlic should've been thinned last fall and didn't, the chives are beginning to bud. I also planted tomatoes. So far, I have lost 1 Basil - I always lose the first one every year, and 3 tomato plants - either the first few days were too wet or as I suspect, a little too much tomato food fell into the hole and burned the roots. So, I have a back-up Basil to be planted this weekend (surely well after the frost date) and 3 new tomato plants. I usually lose 1-2 tomato plants every year as well. Go figure.
There is such a joy in planting these wonderful herbs and being able to pick leaves fresh off the plant or enjoy a turkey with my own sage, or chicken or lamb with homegrown Rosemary. And there's nothing as good as a ripe tomato fresh off the vine. At least with the herbs and tomatoes, when you plant them, eventually there is fruit by the end of the growing season. In ministry, it seems that all I do is plant seeds, and prepare the soil and rarely see any fruit. That always remains in God's care and hands.
The flower beds are lush and the poppies should be blooming within a week. The pin cushions have grown all over and have buds, the Bee Balm are growing up, the Baby's Breath has buds, and the larkspur has a bud. The Coneflowers and Brown-eyed Susans are growing well. The Siberian Iris have buds. June should be a colorful month and I am looking forward to a profusion of color gracing the front of our house.
May God be bringing good things to sprout and grow and eventually to bloom in the garden of your life.

NEW LOOK!

OK, I thought it was time for a change. I should take a class to see how you all do things with pix and videos and links. I keep it simple but I thought it would be nice to look a bit different. So here we go...

JUST FOR FUN!

What Your Favorite Color Green Says About You:

Balanced --- Relaxed --- Flexible Compassionate --- Philosophical --- Humble Loyal --- Inventive --- Unique

What Does Your Favorite Color Say About You?

WHAT I SHOULD BE DOING...

What I should be doing is rewriting the openings and closings for VBS, but I'm not.
What I should be doing is making a few phone calls, but I'm not.
What I should be doing is reading, but I'm not.
Lord, have mercy upon me, a sinner!

RGBP'S GRAND TOUR FRIDAY FIVE:

In honor of upcoming trips many are making, name 5 places that fall in the following categories:

1. Favorite destination - someplace you visited once or often and would gladly go again:
Cedar Beach, WI - it's so lovely on Lake Michigan, so relaxing

2. Unfavorite destination - someplace you wish you had never been and why:

The trainstation in Frankfort/Mainz late at night, dark, lonely, filled with
some seedy characters

3. Fantasy destination - someplace to visit if cost and/or time did not matter:

Space, I'd love to see our world from a spaceship and marvel at it

4. Fictional destination - someplce from a book or movie or other art or media form
you would love to visit, although it only exists in
imagination:

The gardens of Giverny - although they really do exist!
5. Funny destination - the funniest place name you've ever visited or want to visit:

Intercourse, PA & Bird-in-the-Hand, PA, stopped there on our way back
from venerable Presbyterian Seminary con ed program and spent a day
wandering around!

Just Because -

Just because the rain is done
just because the sun is shining
just because the sky is azure blue
just because the bluebird sat on our fence
just because the birch is tall and full of leaves
just because the redbud bloomed
just because the grass is green as green can be
just because it's Tuesday in May
just because it's a beautiful world
just because I'm here, alive and appreciate the miracle of May!
Thank you, God, just because.

POST-PENTECOST

It was a quieter Pentecost, but still powerful. Everyone got a birthday candle to make a wish (a prayer) for the church. The choir anthem was great. The Communion Hymn: I Come With Joy, was played far too slow :( yet the communion was meaningful and flowed well. Even the red fabric panels got hung up in time for worship!
All the women received a chocolate bar for Mother's Day.
Had my much needed nap that afternoon.
Perhaps, the longing ache of unfulfilled motherhood made it just a quieter day for me. I still cannot understand the reason I was not able to be a Mom. I think I may never have an answer. Someday, God will explain it to me and I will understand. Maybe at that point, it won't even matter any more.
In the meanwhile, I think...I think about who will care for words I have written, for photos taken on our vacations, for our wedding photos, for my wedding dress which my mom made for me, for our family heirlooms, when LH and I are gone? There will be no legacy, no forward into the future for us, forgotten as though we hadn't ever lived. It bothers me. It grieves and saddens me. Others will be remembered either well or poorly simply by being mothers and fathers, part of the family tree, grandparents, great-grandparents. There is no one LH's side, funny, six siblings - only 2 are married with no children and the other 4 are single with no children. That family line is ending with this generation.
On the other, I have a niece and nephew, but I know they will not care. I am their only blood aunt and their only aunt in the States. It is rare that I ever hear from them. I even tire of calling of them and leaving messages on their cell phones. I always remember their birthdays, graduations, and at Christmas. I have sent them care packages in college. Would they ever think to send me a birthday card? Or just call to say hello more than once a year? I don't understand that generation, they long for relationships but they don't put themselves into them.
I have no answers and from time to time, these questions rise up and unsettle me. I will stay with being unsettled for now.

EVER HAVE A DAY...

Ever have a day when the weather outside just reflects what you are feeling inside?
It's cool and rainy and grey. Sorta feeling that within me. No special reason, just kinda grey. I will be with this greyness and let it speak to me to see what it holds. But maybe, it's just a grey day in my soul.

PURE UNADULTERATED SPITE

In recent weeks, I have had to keep the door of the bluebird house open as the sparrows again had taken over the house. On the roof of the house is a small plastic dish for mealworms for the bluebirds.
When I hadn't seen the sparrows for awhile and saw the swallows flying around, I closed up the house. Last Friday, a swallow went into the house, and there were some chirps and the swallow and a sparrow flew out.
So, I once again opened the birdhouse door.
In the meanwhile, I still put out mealworms for Beau and Belle, the bluebirds. If we can't be a Bed & Breakfast, we can at least offer a snack.
For the past two days, the sparrow has crapped in the feeding dish. Pure, unadulterated spite! So, I've had to clean out the dish before putting in the worms.
Last evening, Beau came by, ate his fill and perched on the birch for some time, just resting, just giving me opportunity to enjoy him. I delight in the bluebirds and it is sad that they cannot use the house that is theirs. But I enjoy their visits and am glad they return often to say hello and let me be in their company.

ONE GREAT JOY!
I confirmed three young people yesterday and what a joy it was! The one girl had just been baptized a little over a month ago. They are great kids and grew up for most of their lives here at Country Church. I pray that their faith will grow stronger and be an essential part of their lives from this point on and throughout their adulthood.
This is the first time where I started out with 5 confirmands and only three followed through. Usually, it's been the entire class. One got caught up in sports and missed far too many classes. She has a good faith understanding and hopefully, later will be confirmed. The other a boy who chose not to be confirmed. He is a moody, introverted kid and try as I could, simply could not draw out. His mother is hurt that her son didn't want to go through with confirmation. He is a smart kid, has shoulder responsibility for younger siblings, and volunteers to help clean up and serve the monthly community dinners. Mom and grandparents, even Aunt, have been wonderful examples of faith and involved church members. I have spoken to the Mom and suggested that she not push him to do what he is not ready to do. I assured her that the family has been a wonderful example of faith to their child and we pray that God and God's Spirit will continue to work in him until he reaches the place where he can embrace the love of Christ and make public his profession - whether that is in a year or two or when he is an adult.
I have enjoyed getting to know these young people better and to explore with them their faith and beliefs. They are a blessing and have been a blessing to me!
All that's left is to schedule the pizza party and movie "Brother Sun, Sister Moon" for next month as a closing hurrah with thoughts on discipleship.
There are some things about being a pastor that make up for all the crud we often have to deal with. Confirming young people is a joy that makes it all worthwhile!