STOMP

I'm going to see STOMP tonight with my family. They're in Wilmington this weekend, playing at the Dupont Theater, and I'm so excited to be going!

The other major highlight of my up-and-coming weekend is that I get to look forward to the first of five consecutive Mondays off from work. Yay for unused vacation days! (That, however, is no guarantee that I'll actually get to rest on said day-off. I already have a list a mile long of things that need to get accomplished because it's officially Christmas time. Wish me luck in getting things done!)

A Day in the Life

Today's list:

- Send out SG emails 3:09 p.m.
- Advent Wreath details 11:21 a.m.
- YML article edit 11:59 a.m.
- Baby dedication roses 9:24 a.m.
- Newcomer dinner booklet 10:18 a.m.
- Staples errand 11:43 a.m.
- Labels for phone directories 2:23 p.m.
- Phone directories for NCD 2:42 p.m.
- Redo Women's Tea Article 1:08 p.m.
- Student Section 12:45 p.m.
- Journey article redo 12:20 p.m.
- Proof MN 1:35 p.m.
- Proof PP 1:28 p.m.
- Proof WG 3:43 p.m.
- Run MN 750 2:08 p.m.
- Run PP 750 3:13 p.m.
- Run WG 750
- Fold MN 3:24 p.m.
- Fold PP 3:52 p.m.
- Fold WG
- Check Web email 4:15 p.m.
- Server Check 4:21 p.m.
- Backups
- CE Posters
- Tea Posters Redo
- Meet w/ Sam 2:52 p.m.
- Remove Prayer Guides from Web 1:43 p.m.
- Redo Article on web for cantata
- Copy & post next week's schedule 4:42 p.m.
- Conference Room schedule 4:44 p.m.
- Email JF & JD re: worship 5:01 p.m.

At 5:05 p.m.
Note 1 - 500 WG's printed, 300 WG's folded. Will finish tomorrow morning
Note 2 - Carry over the following into tomorrow's list:
- Backups
- CE Posters
- Tea Posters Redo
- Redo Article on web for cantata
Note 3 - Food consumption for the day equaled 4 clementines, a blueberry muffin and some cookies. Need to work on better eating habits.
Note 4 - This evening's agenda:
- Drive home in traffic
- Make supper for family
- Crochet blanket for Baby E.
- Play with my nephews
- Help Rae w/ MK
- Sleep

Stories

"So many of us have been conditioned to think our faith as solely an issue of us and God. But faith is a communal experience. A shared journey. I have often heard people say that their stories are not exciting. I can only imagine how deeply offended God is with comments like this. Not exciting? If the story is about me, then, yes, it is only exciting to a certain degree. But the point of our stories and our faith journeys is that they are about something much bigger."

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm off for my mother's over in NJ. Thursday afternoon, I'll be flying up to Maine to visit family, and will be driving back on Saturday. Sunday, I'll be celebrating Thanksgiving with family in Delaware. It will be busy, but it will be very good.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Things for which you are grateful:

Thanksgiving will arrive soon, and if you celebrate such holidays, you might begin thinking of things for which you are grateful. Some suggestions follow.

1. Pocket-sized notebooks in which to take notes.
2. Bittersweet chocolate
3. William Maxwell's bittersweet novel, So Long, See You Tomorrow
4. All things bittersweet
5. Good, strong coffee
6. Good, strong bodyguards
7. Not being kidnapped

Happy Thanksgiving!

Silver Linings

To combat the greyness that's taken over again:

Weekend Highlights!
- Going to a DE beach I'd never been to before!
- Breakfast and second breakfast on Saturday.
- A good retreat with Jan, Beth and company. Being able to share what's on my heart. Getting to know, spend time with and invest in the lives of other people.
- Taking care of a necessary evil and in the company of a good friend. It's always much better to have to do the annoying things in life with a good friend by your side who understands the annoyance.
- Hanging out with Bethany and spending the night at her house Saturday night!
- Not getting lost in the city of Wilmington.
- Being the one to help Jill with her baptism on Sunday. Getting to listen to her testimony and hear how absolutely amazing God is. Realizing that there is a much bigger story out there that I rarely focus on because I'm too self-centered.
- Having lunch with the wonderful Emily, who is home from college on Thanksgiving break.
- Seeing Bethany randomly run up to me in the middle of the parking lot at Panera Bread, with her waving my cell phone (which I'd left at her house), saying that here was my phone. No charger, but at least I have my cell phone.
- Praying in a parking lot.
- Thanksgiving Dinner at Karl's house.
- Realizing that, since I had to go to the 6 o'clock service to pick up the glasses I'd left at Lois' house anyway, there must have been a reason for going, and then sure enough, finding out that there was.

Life in Grey

I just saw some of the first colors in the sky this week.

We've had nothing but grey and rainy and cold weather all week. Wednesday was nothing but a blanket of grey and white.

And then I was in the workroom and glanced out the window and saw a stretch of orange and pink clouds out in the west and it was absolutely breathtaking.

At this point, any color is heavensent. It was gone within a matter of moments, but it was one of those precious gifts from God that you enjoy to its fullest while you have it.

And so I now look for that next gift from God, for I know they can be found in abundance.

Easy Rider

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Knack of Flying

"The knack of flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss." -Douglas Adams

I seem to have trouble remembering how to miss the ground every time I go flying.

Translation: I took a bit of a spill over the weekend. What tripped me up? My bed. I kid you not. The sheets on my bed decided to stick their feet out and knock me over. And into my chest of drawers, bed and subsequently, onto the floor, thereby causing me to almost knock over my brother's guitar.

I now have a nice rug burn up my left arm, on my left knee and a sore lower back.

Truthfully, though, it had me heartily amused.

Quiet

There hasn't been much going on lately.

I have been house/cat sitting for a friend/co-worker of mine this week, and have been enjoying a time of quietness and solitude.

That is all.

When It Was Over

When it was over and they could talk about it
She said there's just one thing I have got to know
What in that moment when you were running so hard and fast
Made you stop and turn for home
He said I always knew you loved me even though I'd broken your heart
I always knew there'd be a place for me to make a brand new start

Oh love wash over a multitude of things
Love wash over a multitude of things
Love wash over a multitude of things
Make us whole

When it was over and they could talk about it
They were sitting on a the couch
She said what on earth made you stay here
When you finally figured out what I was all about
He said I always knew you'd do the right thing
Even though it make take some time
She said, Yeah I felt that and that's probably what saved my life

Oh love wash over a multitude of things
Love wash over a multitude of things
Love wash over a multitude of things
Make us whole

There is a love that never fails
There is a healing that always prevails
There is a hope that whispers a vow
A promise to wait while we're working it out
So come with Your love and wash over us

Oh love wash over a multitude of things
Love wash over a multitude of things

Jesus, save us from a multitude of things
Make us whole

-Sara Groves

No...

No shade
No shine
No butterflies
No bees

No fruits
No flowers
No leaves
No birds -
November!

-Thomas Hood

Happy November!