Tomorrow begins my two month sabbatical.
Thank you, Jesus.
I am so very, very ready.
I've finally made my Big Plan!
Here it is:
10 days, by myself, in Italy.
While my daughters are away at camp for two weeks, I will be taking a week-long cooking class in Tuscany (actually on the island of Elba) and then spending three nights in the beautiful walled city of Lucca where they produce world famous olive oil.
I'll be renting a little car and I'm picturing myself zipping along the beautiful west coast.
But today, I need to focus on getting through the "before I go" list.
I've got to change the message on my voice mail.
Finish the contingency plans for the wardens.
Preside at the Wednesday noon Eucharist.
And pray that, once I leave this office this afternoon, I'm able to let it go for 8 weeks and trust that all shall be well.
I hope everyone who reads this is able to make some sabbath time this summer.
For God's sake!
Because if God really did create us for companionship, we need to follow Jesus' example and go away and spend time with God.
I'm just sayin'.
Peace,
RevMutha
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Summer tag #s 6 and 7
Okay, I didn't answer #s 6 and 7 in the summer tag so here goes:
6) What books do you plan to read this summer?
I'm currently reading "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin and loving it, especially seein' as how I'm hoping to go to India this fall. The book is set in Pakistan/Afghanistan but it still gives a sense of the cultural differences. On my nightstand is a stack of books but I'm too lazy to turn the spines around and read the titles to type into this list...plus the stack is perilously high and will certainly topple so I'm probably gonna just start at the top and work my way down. I know one of the books is "A Grand Obsession" about the building of pianos...and one is "In the Eye of the Storm" by Bishop Gene Robinson...and about 12 others. I'll keep y'all updated.
7) Is summer a help or a hindrance to your faith?
Good question. Any season or geographical location or emotional state can affect my faith at any given time...No, wait, that's not exactly true. I believe that faith is a gift. I've been given this gift. I don't need proof, I just have faith. Usually pretty blind faith. I believe that God is good even though there is evil in the world. And I believe in the doctrine of apokatastasis.
I enjoy the beauty of creation in all the seasons. I'm able to spend more time outdoors in the summer, so that's a way to help my faith. Of course getting into a blazing hot car in the middle of summer and finding that one of my daughters has accidentally left a sippy cup of milk under the seat...well, it doesn't affect my faith in God but it affects my faith in my kids...In upstate, NY, many Episcopalians tend to take the summer off from church. This can make it hard to stay motivated. So this summer I decided to take 8 weeks of sabbatical. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
That's all I'm sayin'...
Maybe I'll blog more during my sabbatical!
Peace,
RevMutha
6) What books do you plan to read this summer?
I'm currently reading "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin and loving it, especially seein' as how I'm hoping to go to India this fall. The book is set in Pakistan/Afghanistan but it still gives a sense of the cultural differences. On my nightstand is a stack of books but I'm too lazy to turn the spines around and read the titles to type into this list...plus the stack is perilously high and will certainly topple so I'm probably gonna just start at the top and work my way down. I know one of the books is "A Grand Obsession" about the building of pianos...and one is "In the Eye of the Storm" by Bishop Gene Robinson...and about 12 others. I'll keep y'all updated.
7) Is summer a help or a hindrance to your faith?
Good question. Any season or geographical location or emotional state can affect my faith at any given time...No, wait, that's not exactly true. I believe that faith is a gift. I've been given this gift. I don't need proof, I just have faith. Usually pretty blind faith. I believe that God is good even though there is evil in the world. And I believe in the doctrine of apokatastasis.
I enjoy the beauty of creation in all the seasons. I'm able to spend more time outdoors in the summer, so that's a way to help my faith. Of course getting into a blazing hot car in the middle of summer and finding that one of my daughters has accidentally left a sippy cup of milk under the seat...well, it doesn't affect my faith in God but it affects my faith in my kids...In upstate, NY, many Episcopalians tend to take the summer off from church. This can make it hard to stay motivated. So this summer I decided to take 8 weeks of sabbatical. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
That's all I'm sayin'...
Maybe I'll blog more during my sabbatical!
Peace,
RevMutha
Summer
I'll continue the "Start of Summer" tag cause, hey, after all, it's June 1!
1)What first tells you that summer is here?
Usually the calendar and Memorial Day Weekend on account of living in upstate, NY we can still have frost (which we did) even after Memorial Day--but it feels different. Also, seein' people out working in their yards and putting in flowers makes me feel like summer is here. I actually planted tomatoes this week!
2)Name five of your distinctly summer habits or customs
Cooking with lots of fresh herbs
Wearing cute cropped pants with my sleeveless clerical shirts
Eating dinner outside on the back deck of my house
"Mass on the Grass" with another congregation followed by a big picnic
August Family Reunion at Pompanuck
3)What's your favorite smell of summer?
Freshly mown grass
4)What's your favorite taste of summer?
Icy cold watermelon
Bacon, Lettuce, and Fresh Tomato Sandwich
Grilled corn on the cob
5)Favorite summer memory?
as a kid: going to Dauphin Island or Gulf Shores
as an adult: watching my kids swim in the pond at Pompanuck, picking fresh vegetables out of the gardens and creating food of love!
6)Extreme heat or extreme cold, which would you choose and why? I kind of already did choose when I moved to upstate, NY. I can usually find another sweater or blanket but when you're hot you can just get down to nekkid. I'm just sayin'...
1)What first tells you that summer is here?
Usually the calendar and Memorial Day Weekend on account of living in upstate, NY we can still have frost (which we did) even after Memorial Day--but it feels different. Also, seein' people out working in their yards and putting in flowers makes me feel like summer is here. I actually planted tomatoes this week!
2)Name five of your distinctly summer habits or customs
Cooking with lots of fresh herbs
Wearing cute cropped pants with my sleeveless clerical shirts
Eating dinner outside on the back deck of my house
"Mass on the Grass" with another congregation followed by a big picnic
August Family Reunion at Pompanuck
3)What's your favorite smell of summer?
Freshly mown grass
4)What's your favorite taste of summer?
Icy cold watermelon
Bacon, Lettuce, and Fresh Tomato Sandwich
Grilled corn on the cob
5)Favorite summer memory?
as a kid: going to Dauphin Island or Gulf Shores
as an adult: watching my kids swim in the pond at Pompanuck, picking fresh vegetables out of the gardens and creating food of love!
6)Extreme heat or extreme cold, which would you choose and why? I kind of already did choose when I moved to upstate, NY. I can usually find another sweater or blanket but when you're hot you can just get down to nekkid. I'm just sayin'...
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