watered

The last several days have been full and busy. Our diocesan convention was pretty much "business as usual," with elections, reports by committees, discussion on the budget, and so on. Most notable is that it was not contentious as in years past, and our bishop gave an address that, much as the inaugural speech of our new president, reflected an honest appraisal of the challenges we face (with a touch of humor here and there). There were some highlights, like seeing people that I have come to know and enjoy over the years, and exchanging happy greetings and hugs with them, and I added several inches in length to a scarf I was knitting. I also had the pleasure of snuggling with young Hadley Spurlock, daughter of another priest whose wife is a good friend. Hadley will be two in March, and she and I have a special bond.

The lasting impact from this convention, however, was the message of our guest speaker and preacher, The Right Reverend Charles Jenkins, bishop of Louisiana. Bishop Jenkins was flooded out of his home when hurricane Katrina hit, and even as he was struck by loss, grief and trauma from that event he also led a charge to responding to other victims left homeless and, often, helpless. Though we heard some of the details of what life looked like after a devastating hurricane, I was touched by his spiritual journey and his struggles to cope with the experience. His reflection and sharing watered my own parched soul, and this morning, with time and the benefit of solitude, I am being attentive to the voice of my soul as it responds to Bishop Jenkin's words and their meaning. (Stay tuned--it's too much to put in one post.)

In addition to the convention we had a full morning on Sunday at church, with higher than usual attendance that included some visitors (yay!). Monday I had a busy morning at the office, followed by hours and hours of data-entry trying to get an updated directory ready for print. Then, at the eleventh hour I did an online search for software that would handle our needs and at about 9 PM last night found what looks to be a great program for FREE! I downloaded it and started re keying the info, finally forcing myself to stop when David Letterman went off the air (I am NEVER up that late!).

Today I have miscellaneous items on my agenda. It's a rainy, messy day but that's okay with me. I can hang in my jammies for a while and be reflective before getting down to business.

I've missed being in touch.