And life has been full since Christmas. Here's a partial run-down:
Bad Things:
- Work is crazy, thanks to Transition Mania.
- One kid missed an entire week of school for a virus last week. The other missed Wednesday through Friday.
- I have a cold.
- They are predicting 2-6 inches of snow tomorrow. Ugh.
- There are well over 200 entries in my Google Reader and my head is too stuffed up to comprehend them all. I will probably hit "Mark All As Read" and hope you will forgive me.
- I have gotten myself involved in a local controversy over school assignments. Some neighbors are mad at me, and I am a bit angry myself. Race, class, and privilege all come into play---not easy conversations to have.
- One of my grandmother's oldest friends was found dead in her yard the other day. My grandmother is feeling this loss deeply. At 83, every death is one closer to your own. Sigh.
- A friend at church was recently diagnosed with an extremely serious illness and ended up having to have surgery last week. The long-term prognosis is grim.
- Dear Friend and I had a lovely weekend together, after a long space between visits. Our engagement seems to have deepened our relationship in some lovely ways I could not have predicted.
- Ruth gave me a nice award, which I will post when my head is not spinning. Thank you, my friend!
- The Empress and I are having lunch together today and going to paint pottery together. In my altered state of consciousness, I have no idea what I will produce---but she is over-the-moon happy about our "Mommy and Me date," as she calls it.
- Tomorrow marks a Whole New Day. Thanks be to God.
17 comments:
Living in a small town, and having to go to a lot of visitations/funerals, I totally get the "At 83, every death is one closer to your own" comment even though I'm 48. You go to a visitation or a funeral of some elder member of the community, and there are a bunch of peers of the deceased, all with this sort of uneasy, "When's my turn in the barrel?" look.
(((Doxy)))
More when I can. Been blogging too much today and must get back to work. Also delivered chicken soup to a couple of friends in the morning. Sorry I couldn't take a short helicopter ride to your place and deliver some! Love from me and +Maya Pavlova.
I'm glad you touched base, even if you're feeling that the well is dry. My life is busy. I'm still writing more hours a week than is comfortable for me, but it's a blessing to have the work, and somehow some of the assignments keep getting delayed just enough for me to keep my head above water. I finished off one assignment this morning, glory be to God.
Other than that, I'm well. Looking forward to tomorrow!
It's 12:14 on January 20th, baby!
((((((((((Doxy))))))))))
(((Doxy)))... prayers for you and your church friend.
And I would ask prayers for my Beloved, who undergoes a maybe-routine-maybe-more procedure Thursday.
Pax, C.
Kirk--I wonder when that stage really starts to materialize? My grandmother's friends have been dying for at least 10-15 years now. It's tough to watch...
Jane--I would probably commit at least a minor sin for some good chicken soup!
Ruth--I'm so glad to hear that your tests came back with good results, and that work is going well, despite the glut. It seems the be the nature of our business, doesn't it?
PJ---backatcha baby! :-)
Cecilia--prayers ascending, friend. Let me know how things go.
Well, honestly...I could use some prayers for my continued employment. I get the feeling cutbacks are coming, and I don't know how severe they'll be.
You're on my list, David. Let me know how things are going...
Prayers for everyone here.
I"ve been pretty busy adjusting to my fairly new postition as a child welfare social worker.
Definitely need prayer for wisdom in some pretty challenging, difficult situations.
My parish right now has started a book study/ support group about living sustainably. We want to establish a community of encouragement around things like supporting local, organic agriculture, maybe helping out in each other gardens, getting into cheese, and soap making, maybe canning.
There's also talk about beginning a community garden to help the needy, and as an outreach project.
Lots of good ideas floating around which are pretty exciting. Anyone here into the same concerns?? Input is always welcome.
Oh Doxy, I am so late to getting here.
Sending you love and mover love.
I need to call you in the next day or so and will do so!!
Grace--prayers for you in your new job and for those whom you are serving. I have a friend who does what you do---it takes very special, loving people to do that job.
I love the idea of a sustainable-living group! My home parish is very much into "green" issues, but I'm not quite sure what's going on right now---I'm not there as much as I used to be. Dear Friend's parish is working very hard right now to raise the money to build a Habitat for Humanity house. I guess that's helping each other out in a slightly different way...
Fran---dearest, I have missed your voice lately, but am so happy that you are enjoying the new job. Whenever you show up or call is a blessing---don't sweat anything in the meantime.
I hear the 83-thing, only it's my parents in that boat. They really have almost no one left.
Totally burned out here, chronically exhausted. Ever since the election we've both been off-our-stride and deeply hurt, and while our jobs are safe, there seems to be more and more work leaving us less-and-less time for anything else, and I have a harder and harder time concentrating. We are also taking a cold bath with the economy and watching home values plummet. Luckier than many but it still has some nasty consequences which I won't go into. So much to do....
Anyway, the inauguration, which I missed (being in transit at the time) was nice enough but I feel shut out from the "hope" part.
I'm feeling very Matthew Arnold:
for the world, which seems
To lie before us like a land of dreams,
So various, so beautiful, so new,
Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,
Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;
And we are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
Where ignorant armies clash by night.
IT
(((IT and BP)))
Emily was pretty good at dismal too:
Crumbling is not an instant’s Act,
A fundamental pause
Dilapidation’s processes
Are organized Decays.
‘Tis first a Cobweb on the Soul,
A Cuticle of Dust,
A Borer in the Axis,
An Elemental Rust—
Ruin is formal—Devil’s work,
Consecutive and slow—
Fail in an instant, no man did
Slipping—is Crash’s law.
I have found that poetry helped me bear a lot of heartache. I've got a million of 'em if you need more...
I hope you will take some heart, though--the fact that the White House website posted Obama's commitment to civil rights for GLBTs on Day One made even this cynic smile.
Sorry, Doxy, I've had waaaaaay too many disappointments to be won over by fine words. Our lesson is Bill Clinton, who spoke grand words about gay equality, but caved very quickly. It's Bill Clinton who gave us DADT and DOMA. He was more than ready to throw us under the bus to curry "the center" once we became inconvenient.
Thus, the fine words are better than nothing, I suppose, but make absolutely no material difference unless acted upon. We're going to have to do this the hard way.
And, frankly, I can't see Obama expending any political capital on the GLBT when the economy and the war are much bigger issues in the scale of things.
I'm tired out from caring too much.
Oh, I know...I've been doing this a loooooooonnnngggg time. But the fact that Obama put it up there in black and white on the first day surprised me pleasantly. I don't think he WILL waste political capital right now, which is why the bold statement caught me off-guard.
And you have to remember---I'm a writer. Words matter. If you put them out there, you've given me something to dog you with. I do believe Obama knows this--he is a writer too.
But I recognize that we will have to do the heavy lifting. I don't take a single thing for granted in that department.
I recommend a news/Internet fast for a few days, IT. I am always amazed by how much lighter my heart gets when I take a vacation for a bit. I'm too committed to leave permanently--but it gives me some energy to get back in the fray.
Pax,
Doxy
Thanks Doxy! :)
((IT)) please be encouraged. I have so many friends, and have moved in more conservative circles for many years.
From my perspective, I actually can see a greater openness, more a willingness to listen. Paradigms are shifting.
Change is really coming, albeit slowly, but ever so surely. And, you are not standing alone, friend.
Love,
Becky. (aka Grace)
Hey, Sweetie -- I've been away in more ways than one and am sorry about your icky month. Hope all are well these days.
It was an amazing sea of faces and even more amazing to be standing in the middle of them.
I confess I turned my back when Warren began to pray. Not the most humble response, I know, but still. Some protest had to be made.
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