beautiful monday

day started out with...lovely walk with doggies, a little kitchen cleaning, blog reading, emailing...now starting to knit socks for the first time (we will see how THAT goes)...
smiling to myself about friend's story of watching GodSpell with her two little girls...."Who is that?"
"Jesus"
"Jesus CHRIST", says older daughter.
"How old is he?"
"ummmm, 30-ish, I think"
"But he's really hundreds and thousands of years old", says older daughter.
"Well, actually, he's 2009 years old"
"Wow! You know everything mom!"
and on and on. Great story. Hope she blogs it!

Now am going to read a book or two.
Take a nap, maybe.
Then finish a couple of pieces down in the studio.
Work on the socks a little more.
Oh, yep. And exercise. I will, will, will....

I have a zillion errands to run, but for now, will be still.

Oh, and the closet. Sigh. Not finished, not really a closet, but two holes in a wall. With some nice trim. I have to laugh at myself on that one.

and I am off...

to pottery class. never mind I have a sermon to write. never mind I should wait for the contractor to come. never mind I should be preparing for a couple of very big events coming very soon. never mind the house is a wreck--mostly because of said contractor. never mind I should exercise first, and then go a little late. never mind, now that I think of it, that we should have got at least one more reference for this said contractor who although, inexpensive, has kind of sort of not really done what I had in mind for him to do. never mind that Beloved and I gave him two different scenarios. we did work that out.

just never mind.
I am off.
to create.
and wow, do I need some clay-time today.

amen.

why blog?

I started blogging a few years ago when I was exploring the connections between clay, creating, and my spiritual journey. It eventually morphed into something else...just ponderings, or silly things, or serious things.
I don't really blog to write anything of significance, except, well, maybe significant to me. What I am saying, I suppose, is that just typing in a couple of words about something or nothing is just a way to touch base inside of me, make sure I am still there, make sure I am still connected to God, and to the world. That's about it. I write in a hurry--that's why I call it a notebook--I write sloppily without thought to craft or coherence, even.
I could.
I could write well, but I don't, not here, anyway. Sometimes something lovely happens in a prayer, or a turn of phrase, but mostly I just blog because it is one of the ways I can find God and me in a couple of minutes here and there during the week.

However, I am grateful for my bloggy friends who do write well, and whose words nourish me like a gentle rain or a great big bite of something delicious to enjoy for a while. Thank you, dears--you know who you are!

today at class...

I started three little boxes,made out of six pinch pots, rolled out two slabs to carve for tile-y wall thingys, got some dissappointing news, laughed with the women with which I create and they are really so great, I wished someone happy rosh hashana, tried not to think so much, tried not to feel so much, prayed wordless prayers...
and thanked God for clay.
and for friends.
and for those who understand.

indeed, it is fall...

preschool in residence is starting back this week....
meaning mommies and daddies park everywhere in the lot so I can't get to my parking space, IF someone hasn't taken my parking space...
loud teachers RIGHT. OUT. SIDE. MY. DOOR.
I love those teachers. I love the kiddos.
But the minor inconvenience make me a little crabby.

but frankly, I am in a crabby funk today.

I will attribute some to pre-menstrual or perimenapausal hormones....

and perhaps some to the energy let-down from the weekend busy-ness and highs...

and other stuff.

As I stood in the shower this morning, letting the warm spray cascade around me, I just leaned into the wall, imagining that I was leaning in to You. Right now...I wish I could do that again...lean into You...but if I do, I might cry a little, but I can't really explain why. I just feel that way.
Your Spirit knows the prayer I can't find words for today.
May my sighs mingle with Yours, knowing You can hear them.
Amen.

so, the new program year has started....

We had 30 children on Sunday. Wonderful!
This past weekend was very busy, on the ministry front. Our annual ice cream social got rained out, but we transformed the fellowship hall into a coffee shop cafe, and the band was psyched about playing on the stage. The social is a public event, and when it is outside, it is really fun--neighbors come out, we all dance under the stars and it is great. However, next year I am thinking to up the ante, since over half of the people that were there were non-church members, which is great...NONE of our church members brought/invited a guest. The whole point of doing this is not only to have a great event for the neighborhood, but for our folks to have something NON-churchy, and NORMAL to invite guests to. Plus, since we were inside this year....although many of the guests were lovely, we had a fair share of...shall I say, interesting...(o.k. yes, some were really weird) and I love that we can spend $800 bucks on an event and provide a great time...it is a lot of $$$ that could have had a little more bang for the buck.

However, it was very fun to serve leftover ice cream during fellowship hour after worship on Sunday, and let the little kids have at it with the whipped topping and sprinkles. One little guy came back three times to replenish the sprinkles on his melting mass of oreos ice cream.

This fall, due to a couple of reasons, I am teaching 6-7 grade Sunday School...which means I am only in worship for the first 15 minutes or so. I love the kids, and it is a great opportunity to be with them...plus I am only preaching TWICE this fall because we have so many guest preachers, plus me, plus a seminarian, plus sr. pastor, plus always a reader in service...so I don't get to participate much in the liturgy anyway. Still....it feels weird not to be in worship. Some mixed feelings here, as you can tell.

It is a bluer than blue stunning September afternoon in New England.

Oh, and since I am being random. I restarted Weigh Watchers this morning. True to myself, I happened upon a bag of Hershey Nuggets in my closet that I forgot about. Don't worry. I only ate the ones I liked. ;-)

waiting.

that's all.
In the middle of doing a lot of stuff to get ready for our big Regathering Weekend, which I am very much looking forward to, and am quite busy...
I am busy waiting.
unbloggably waiting.
that's all for now.

it's over. sigh.

I have stretched out summer as long as I could...it started the 12 of June with a week off....and continued to this weekend, pretty much. I did work a little bit in all of that, but I just soaked in the last few days by being completely and totally relaxed and lazy and pretty much unproductive...in spite of knowing I might pay for that this week.

So. Summer is over. I felt a little sad last night, knowing that. I am looking forward, yes, to having my congregation all back on Sundays, and for more items on my schedule that will matter in ministry and in my heart, and....

yet, those lazy days have been delicious.
and I am grateful for them.
(and, if summer wants to stick around a little more, I wouldn't complain!)