d'oh!
The whole sprained ankle affair taught me a couple of things:
The practical:
1) Don't deliver Mobile Meals to homebound seniors in heels on the stairs in the rain
On a more serious note:
Part of the events surrounding my little tumble was finding out a parishioner was dying, my haste to finish out a delivery so I could get to the hospital led to the fall. Over the next few days, I could only do funeral planning from sofaside (although it's amazing what one can do with wireless Internet and a laptop, and the cordless phone, as well as assorted TV remotes--wait, THAT didn't have anything to do with work). Which was so frustrating to me, because I definitely believe in spending time with grieving families, sitting with them, being with them, planning the service in person--and there was nothing I could do. I could not put any weight on that foot for awhile--especially not if I hoped to lead Sunday worship or preside at the memorial service.
Today a parishioner told me how meaningful the memorial service was. And I got hit, upside the head as always, with the fact that IT'S NOT ABOUT ME. God took care of it. We planned as best we could, and God took care of the rest.
Unfortunately, I doubt that will be the last time I'm going to learn this particular lesson.
no good deed goes unpunished
Just fyi. . .
I sprained my ankle while delivering hot meals to homebound seniors.
(A little achy today after a full Sunday, even though I alternated between crutches and hobbling around). Thanks for all the well wishes.
down for the count
...sprained my ankle...
(ow, that really, really hurt).
ordained women just can't get no respect
Overslept this morning and called in to the office to see what was going on.
Our administrative assistant just took this phone call. The caller first asked for food, then for money. When she said only the pastor could deal with that, the caller demanded to speak to the pastor.
Admin: "I'm sorry, she's not in."
Caller: (outraged voice) "What do you mean, it's a CHICK?" Dude. You're not helping your cause.
down the lane at sunset
There's been a lot of noise in my head lately--not bad noise, particularly, not destructive--just distracting. So when I got out to our diocesan camp and conference center for a board meeting Friday I became aware that just being out there, even if it was on business, was going to be a relief.
Walking up the lane at our diocesan camp and conference center in the evening after dinner, I could feel the noise in my head turn off just a little. And as I rounded a corner, there was a deer in the meadow just ahead of me. The deer and I stood looking at each other for awhile, then, as I backed away slightly, another one came into view, and another, until there were five of them watching me.
Despite the fact that my feet were firmly grounded on the blacktop of the drive, I felt as if I had stepped, ever so briefly, into another time and place. It seemed holy, if you will, and then, they began to drift away and I returned for the evening portion of our meeting.
As we left the center Saturday afternoon, two more deer were leaping across the meadow. A reminder to take a walk, to turn off the noise, to keep my eyes open for holy things in the midst of the everday.
Marching To Zion
Well, Driving Through Zion, anyway.
More photos from our trip. Zion has become my favorite Western National Park. We spent a day there a couple of summers ago and I was completely enchanted by it. You drive along through this red rock country, and then all of a sudden you start following this green strip along the Virgin River into this beautiful valley filled with dramatic rock formations. You can't drive into Zion proper during the summer; you have to park and take a bus to the park, and then another bus through the park. I heartily approve. It really lets you have that feeling of being at an oasis. Although the park is packed, it's much more peaceful than the Grand Canyon. Without their cars, people are fairly civil to each other.
This time we weren't stopping, merely driving through on the eastern edge on our way from St. George to Flagstaff. Warning--it costs $20 to drive through. But you get to pass through all sorts of fabulous scenery
and a very cool set of tunnels
One of the highlights is a mountain named Checkerboard Mesa. There was a big sign at this pullout explaining the geological causes of the checkerboard effect, but I can't remember what they are.
We drove on through Grand Staircase-Escalante, which is still quite undeveloped (glad we didn't have our flat there) and over into Arizona at Lake Powell. I have such mixed feelings about Lake Powell--I'm pretty sure it's a bad environmental decision, but it's quite stunning, seeing the blue water against the red rock. The tourist center at the dam is under much, much tighter security than it was when I passed through on a trip with campus ministry back in the mid-90s--a sad reflection of the times. But I also remember that trip to Lake Powell because it was there that I had a funny little spiritual experience that finally pushed me over the edge into admitting maybe, just maybe, I should explore this whole vocation to the priesthood thing. Maybe.
If you had told me then that on my next trip through the area I would be a priest and married to a priest I would have laughed in your face. Never underestimate the Divine's sense of humor.
Summer Adventures
Husband and I got away for a couple of weeks out West in our trusty vehicle.
(Really, we took the car).
We planned our trip around the temperature. The mountains of Utah beckoned after weeks of drought and heat here at home. We even got in some hiking near a place called Tony Grove Lake--when we got out of the car, I was actually chilly. What an odd sensation. The "spring" wildflowers were in full bloom up there.
Eh, let's face it, we have to go to Utah on a regular basis not for family and friends but for the real purpose of our pilgrimage--the one and only
(Utah State's signature gift to the world).
Driving the Friday Five
via the RevGals, as always:
1. Driving: an enjoyable way to clear the mind? a means to an end? a chance to be quiet with one's thoughts? a necessary evil? the downfall of our planet and its fossil fuels? Discuss. I have a love/hate relationship with driving. On the one hand, in a city without regular public transportation that goes where I need it to go, it's a means to an end. And I admit to enjoying being out on the open road--especially backroads highways. OTOH, I don't like the costs--societal, financial, and personal. I grew up riding public transportation in Chicago--living out West for graduate school finally forced me to embrace the automobile.
2. Do you drive the speed limit? A little faster? Slower? Have you ever gotten a ticket? Eh, a little faster.
3. Do you take public transportation? When? What's your opinion of the experience? One of the things I love about Chicago and St. Louis is being able to take various forms of trains. And one of the reasons I love going to England and other parts of Europe is to take lots of trains. Lots and lots of trains. Buses, I'm not so fond of. I even enjoy the occasional Amtrak adventure. And I love tooling around San Francisco on their public transportation. It helps that there's always something interesting to see.
4. Complete this sentence: _____________ has the worst drivers I've ever experienced. Dallas is scary. Chicago's pothole encrusted narrow lanes don't make for an enjoyable driving experience with your fellow neighbor, either.
5.
According to the Census Bureau, reverendmother's fair city has the 6th longest average commute in the United States at 29 minutes each way. How does your personal commute rate? I drive 17.5 miles one way, currently, mostly interstate, which is about 20-25 minutes.
Bonus for the brutally honest: It has been said, and the MythBusters have confirmed, that cell phones can impede driving ability almost as much as drinking. Do you talk on a cell phone while driving? I don't talk much on the cell in the car, but I will share a great moment from vacation: While driving through Flagstaff, David and I noticed a car in front of us with the bumper sticker, "Hang up and drive." The car was weaving a bit in its lane because, you guessed it, the driver was on the phone.
