PROCRASTINATION

Too long have I been dilly dallying with this assignment.  Four weeks ago our Spanish teacher announced that one, no more English, only Spanish; two, that in three weeks we would have written an essay in Spanish to be read in class; and three, there would be a test on verb tenses the week after that. 

Well, the first of these didn't happen, at least for me.  I have a very limited Spanish vocabulary, am just catching on to the verb tense thing, and I don't seem to be able to hear what I do know.  Thankfully, the others are very patient with me and with a lot of coaching and a lot of praise and encouragement from our instructor, I struggle through the oral stuff.  My pronunciation is good, I just can't recall vocabulary quickly.

And the essay?  Really, what a difficult thing.  I did one sentence, then another, then another.  Okay, that's a paragraph.  Then I made the mistake of Googling 'essay' and found that there is actually a formal essay format.  Five parts.  There is NO WAY this essay of mine is going to have five parts.  I am going to be lucky to construct three.

I'm not even going to have three if I just don't get at it......................

IT'S FRIDAY

Friday is my only scheduled eight to five work day -- Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, all day Friday.  This is a doctors' office.  We work with the 'public.'  That means people.  Many people.  Nutty people.  Cranky people.  People hurting and frantic and worried and sometimes not rational. A LOT of the time not rational.

It is trying to maintain civility when being bombarded with negativity -- from the outside and sometimes from the inside.  Friday's can be nuts.  Going in with a positive attitude is helpful.  sometimes that isn't enough.  Sometimes it is.

Five o'clock does come.  The doors are locked.  The lights go out.  We go home. 

YESTERDAY'S SNOW ....

OOPS!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JEFF

One of the highlights of my life is my son Jeff -- formally Jeffri -- born January 12, 1960.   We have had our ups and downs and our in and outs, but if I had to choose someone to be stuck with on an elevator, it would be Jeff.  If I had to choose someone to share a deserted island, it would be Jeff.  If I had to trust my life to someone, it would be Jeff.  Well, you get the idea.  He is clever, intelligent, innovative, creative, loyal, honest -- well, I'm his mother, I could go on and on. 

What I like most about Jeff is that we work well together.  He seems to be able to anticipate my need and supply it, but stays out out of the way if he sees I can do it on my own.   We can agree to disagree.  We accept who the other person is, even as that is changing.  He is supportive even if he doubts my position or motivation.  And he plays games -- word games, board games, puzzle games.  Jeff is a fun person.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JEFF

BRING IT ON

Snow is one of the beautiful wonders in my life.  Each snowfall a unique entity to be savored.  As the snow blankets the neighborhood, I walk from window to window observing all the new patterns and designs.  New photo opportunities.  New driving adventures -- learning to be a safe driver.  Or no driver at all if that is the better way to go.  Read Jeff's take on the coming storm here.

Being semi-retired I have the privilege of settling in and being an observer.  I don't really HAVE to go out in the snow.  I have done my snow time in the past -- walking my mile or so to school is Chicago where there was NEVER a closing for snow.  Shoveling.  Yes, I have shoveled tons of snow.  Was probably good for me at the time.  Now?  I let the younger ones do the work while I walk from window to window and delight in all that beautiful white snow.

TOO MANY MEs

Sometimes I feel like there are many parts of me -- each part seeking its own knowledge, or creativity, or task, or desire, or mission, or ministry.  One not necessarily coordinated with any other one.  All trying to do something, be something.  All wanting to be part of the whole and not quite knowing how to do it.  In close proximity one to another, the parts are not isolated.  There are overlaps, underneaths, next tos, and upons; some are in touch with many other parts, some only a few.

All these different areas of my life are fun and challenging and keep me alert and seeking and absorbing all kinds of new 'stuff.'  Once in a while it gets to be too much, too many different directions to go and things to do.  Panic sets in.  That is when I have to decide which of the areas of interest upon which to concentrate -- right now.  Let the others recede in to the background for a bit.  Try not to be too fragmented.  Try to coordinate the many different areas into a kind of harmony. 

Life is fun -- even if complicated.

SUNDAY WORSHIP

Two baptisms at Grace this morning.  One a baby in arms, one about three years old.  Beautiful Latino girls welcomed into the body of Christ .  Lots of Latino friends and relatives.  It seems like we, at Grace Episcopal Church in Norwalk, are burying many of our Anglo parishioners and baptising babies from young Latino families. 

When Grace Church merges with Iglesia Betania we will be more Latino than anything else.  Our priest, Lois, is learning Spanish to better serve the Latino faction.  A handful,  a small handful, of us are trying to learn Spanish in an effort to show our good will.  I put it this way because I am so slow to learn and will probably never really get to be able to speak it very well -- but I try.  Others are doing better.  Lois is doing VERY well.  In fact today she is filling in for the Betania priest missioner and celebrating at their one o'clock service.

At three-thirty a delegation each from Betania and Grace will do a walk-through of the entire Grace Church plant that we now share.  There is much needed work to do.  We will list the needs, prioritize, and formulate a plan to do the work.

This is one way that people from different cultures and individual backgrounds can learn to be together peacefully and harmoniously in the love of Christ.