Starbucks makes it all better

Since I had some errands to run and would be passing by a Starbucks, I had to go in. I haven't had a frappichino in at least a year but I broke down and got a caffe vanilla. Yum-o! It is amazing how much taste affects my moods. Oh yeah, and I get to be front row at small a Todd Agnew concert tonight; great way to bring in the Sabbath. Anyway, for the last month or so my bad days have outnumbered the good. As a result of immense frustration, I took a last minute personal day on Wednesday. It ended up being one of the most perfect days. I woke up just after 8 AM and then sat down with O'Malley and a bowl of cereal to have my devotional. I am just starting Mark Finley's Solid Ground. It is a short one page message for each day. It is simple to read but really packs a punch. When I was finished I decided to pick back up a book,The Unmistakable Touch of Grace, that my mom recommended to me a couple of years ago when I was in this same state of mind. Cheryl Richardson is/was the life coach for a friend of my mom's and recommended her. She deals with life makeovers and finding your purpose. This is right up my alley as I am feeling overwhelmed and burnt out and purposeless. So after reading chapter one and doing the recommended journal exercise, I went for a nice, leisurely 3 mile walk. I was surprised at how much wild life was out and playing: birds, geese, squirrels. Even though it started raining halfway through, it was very peaceful. I got back to the apartment at 10:30, took a shower and read some of C.S. Lewis's Out of the Silent Planet. Then my favorite part of the day: NAP TIME! I took a two hour nap. (Like I said, it was a very good day.) The evening was topped off with some Thai food (from boxes of course) and Lost with E & J. Why can't every day be like that?

Poem?

It's a very rough draft, but it's been floating around asking to be written down for a little while: Placeholder Stabilizing, nudging in place Holding strong to achieve that which is not mine Stagnant anchor Finding purpose in journeys I can only guide Hidden beneath the surface Empty, sinking into the forgotten -klh 4.17.07 Update: Placeholder Stabilizing, nudging in place Holding strong to achieve that which is not its own Stagnant anchor Finding purpose in journeys it can only guide Hidden beneath the surface Hollow, sinking into the forgotten -klh 4.20.07

April Showers Bring... too much to do!

April is turning out to be a very busy month. And I’m not even talking work-wise! The first weekend in April/last weekend in March I helped E&J paint and set up their new house. We ended up seeing The Vital Might at a dive bar that Saturday night. We met up with LadyBoyd and her hubby which made for a fun night. Last weekend was communion and potluck. I made Mom’s 7 layer salad; it takes little effort and goes a long way. It was nice to have E meet up with me for church even though she couldn’t stay for lunch. Tomorrow afternoon I have the privilege of going to a live Ardent Studios session with Jet. It will be a nice way to kick of the weekend. I’m sure to have to teach SS and I have announcements at church this week. Right after potluck I’m heading down to Mantachie for the rest of the weekend. J is singing at his parents’ church Sunday and since E is in Boston, I figured I’d support him. Next weekend is the baby shower in Little Rock and the last Sunday in April is the constituency meeting in Nashville/Madison, TN that I so nicely volunteered for and will most likely be driving a few others to. It doesn’t look like May is going to be any quieter. So far there is a wedding in St. Louis, the Beale St. Music Fest, my b-day, and maybe even a start on house hunting. In addition to the many travels, because I can’t seem to rely on the youth SS leader, I’ve taught the class for as long as I can remember. I got a call at 9 AM on March 31 from him saying he had to bail on the class. Good thing I feel the need to prepare every week. This was just two days after he told me that the days of me picking up his slack were over and that we were going to institute a teaching schedule. I have yet to see anything of the sort. Last week he was there in body only. After some small talk the actual lesson part fell to me. He didn’t even know what we were reading about and didn’t bother to check emails or get in touch with me during the week. I really don’t want to have to be the one to call the LEADER to ask if he is going to be prepared for class each week. I’m also worried about April 21 since I’m out of town. The last time I thought I was going to miss a class and he said not to worry about it, he put it off on the other assistant the night before. When I showed up halfway through (found out I had to cover announcements at the last minute and my plans had fallen through) I was expected to take over or do some Bible Trivia (the fallback plan for the unprepared). Not cool.