Gifts Ungiven: a list

::I had bought Geoff's Mom Cook's Illustrated for its article on meatloaf.  But I kept it because I was riveted by the hand-illustrations and the prose.  It was like:  In order to keep the browned bits of onion (fond), keep the heat on low.  Come on, that phrasing is too good.

::A half dozen IKEA candles for teachers.  I read about them here:  http://momfilter.com/at-home/ikea-candle.  Now, you can find them burning all around my house-- the altar for evening prayer, the bathroom, and the newly cleaned mantles.

::Candy Cane chapstick because it's so good.

::Super 8 Projector and Screening for my parents.  The projector was an ebay find that arrived too late for Christmas but will floor them for my Mom's birthday.


::Several pairs of hand-dipped candles from Germany, I bought in bulk.  They were to be given to neighbors but upon delivery, our kids chickened out because one set of neighbors looks like Andy Warhol and Cruella De Ville.  Plus there tends to be a clowder of stray cats on their porch.  So I couldn't fairly blame them.

To Do and What's Done So Far

So Far, in 2013:

-fended off the virus that moved through our extended family over the holidays
-replaced our shower curtain as a stop gap measure
-baked with our kids
-bought Paperwhite bulbs
-put the smackdown on the laundry
-counseled this morning


Still To Do:
-to set up my desk for the Spring Semester
-to purge my wardrobe
-import contacts into my phone
-and in general, hold on to my hat for another year of right-sizing my expectations to God's big plan

Things That Moved Me Today

-the mosaic-tiled park across from the Spells Writing Lab
-kids in it learning self defense
-watching Benicio's fleet-feet while he played a hot-potato game
-the two angels that God sent us to help me while getting lost all around N. Philly
-remembering it's my Grandfather's death anniversary and how he loved the Hymn of St. Francis, thinking of him sing that key change, "Oh Master, grant that I may never seek. . .
-friends' news of pregnancy that strikes me today as something utterly brilliant that God designed

Forgive Me, It Was Finals

Oh, hi there. I was either in the library, at Shop Rite, or at one of the kids' schools. Or en route to these places in our minivan, listening to worship music or npr. Now it is officially my summer and here's what I've been up to: -not so much read as devoured Anne Lamott's new book -enjoyed a Jennifer Weiner book with Canis Lupus at my side -vacuumed the pantry. Ahh, yes it was very juicy. -got uninterrupted face time with friends -organized kid books Grades have not come in for the Spring Semester. They have not announced the CCEF interns. I am enjoying the settled feeling after the work is over. It's like when you make pancake batter, it has to rest for a sec while all the ingredients are suspended and sliding down the sides of the mixing bowl. Things are settling and coalescing. No verdict has come down, labeling my effort with some grade. Or accepting my application. It's just me and my sense of accomplishment. And for that as my pump teacher would say, "give myself a big ol' hug." I learned a lot last semester about ways of looking at Scripture. Instead of a big scrapbook of morality tales, it is a seamless redemptive narrative. It is a living text that proves that God is loving and longs to surprise us. Also-- how to look at relationships. To quote a friend, "Sleeping with a blanket that is ten inches too short for you." This is how I looked at everything. My eyes went right to the flaw, the shortfall. I am learning how to rest in God's strength, God's purpose. My favorite comment I got from EW, "You are growing. You are becoming more okay with weakness." This was my third class with him and I was thrilled for a comparative comment. And this comment reveals how high I hold expectations. Something that's not so fun for me, nor Geoff, nor our kids-- anyone really. Favorite comment I got from my advisor, "You need a better attitude" (regarding standardized testing about Bible or Confessional). Sorry, but I don't think I will ever be in favor of standardizing tests.