March 20

The last few several days got away from me!  And they have been chock full of wonderful moments with friends and many, many "God moments."

Friday, spring was in the air as I volunteered.  The flowers were blooming and I heard many stories of springs gone by, gardening, and hope.  The robins are definitely back, and we're starting to see a little color on the finches.  Daffodils are in bloom and crocuses, and the trees even have a little color on them.  One gentleman, a biologist by training, worried about the early green and what might happen if we still get a frost--very plausible since it's only the middle of March.  The conversations I share keep me fresh and on my toes.  The stories I hear inspire me.  I treasure this time.

Early, early on Saturday, I picked M. up from the train station for a day in Oberlin.  We went for a long walk/run (read: J and I walked T while M ran), showed her around town, and ate a delicious dinner with some of our Oberlin friends.  It was a delight to introduce her to the wonderful friends we have made here and to see the different parts of our lives come together in a exuberant dinner party, with good wine and delicious grilled pizza.

We drove to Chicago on Sunday afternoon and met L & T for dinner in Uptown.  We walked along the Lakeshore path from M's apartment.  I love being in that city.  And so many people were out enjoying the sunshine and the beautiful pre-spring day.  Tennis players, golfers, bikes, runners, and rollerbladers.  I even managed to get a tiny bit of sun.  We had an awesome sushi dinner and drinks at one of our favorite Chicago bars.  Lots of catching up, laughter, and generally enjoying one another's company.

The main reason, however, for my quick trip to the city was for a conference at LSTC yesterday.  Dr. Linda Thomas and Nadia Bolz-Weber spoke about how our identities matter in ministry.  It's also an added bonus to be able to sit in the LSTC chapel, one of the places that grounds me most.  I dipped my hand in the baptismal font and caught up with many colleagues and classmates.  Several of my classmates went out for lunch at one of our favorite Hyde Park restaurants.  We laughed and shared stories of joy and frustration and the ups and downs of this life of ministry.  We shared stories of our families and just generally caught up with one another.

As I listened to stories from House for All Sinners and Saints in Denver, I was moved by the stories of the Eucharist making a difference in every day life--of people making connections to that meal and the meals of every day, of a new found family coming together to eat where all are truly welcome.  Both lectures challenged me to think deeply about the contexts in which I live and serve, as well as the importance of story telling.  Our stories matter and they need to be told.  How is God at work in life?  Why does our faith matter?  Who taught us and how do we carry it out?

On this first day of spring, I changed the trainer tire on my bike to the outside tire and J and I went for a 26 mile ride.  It felt great.  The countryside around Oberlin is beautiful--the flowers and trees and little farms.  There's even a little vineyard.  Our halfway point was the Lorain County line.  It was a great way to spend the morning--feeling the breeze on my back, and then, coming back, on my face.  It's good time to think and reflect and even do a little bit of praying.

So to sum it up, in the past few days, I've seen God at work in flowers and blooming trees, through stories, and in people I have loved for a long time and people I just met.  Incarnational.  Gritty.  Real.  Wonderful.

March 14

Toni Morrison was in town last night. Finney Chapel was packed to hear her read from her new novel, which is due out in May. I loved what she had to say about writing, about loving an living with characters and letting them go. I also loved watching students watch her with wide-eyed wonder. And seeing her 101 year old 1st grade teacher in the front row. She said lovely things about her mother and made us laugh a lot. It was definitely an "I love Oberlin" kind of evening.

March 13

Jazz improv absolutely blows my mind. Tonight was the last concert of the artist recital series at Oberlin. Herbie Hancock and his crew were amazing. I love listening to really good jazz groups and the way they play with rhythms and themes and pass them back and forth. It is not a gift I possess, but I am so grateful for folks like Mr. Hancock who share their incredible gifts with the rest of us. The show was unique and entertaining and a totally different kind of concert that any of the others in the series. He played one piece solo on piano and his guitar player played a solo piece that if I listened to on a recording I wouldn't have believed it was guitar. Amazing. Great concert. Great fun. Great music.

A gorgeous spring day without any immediately pressing work for either of us called for a long walk in the Rocky River Reservation, about a 35 minute drive from us. It was busy--lots of bikers and runners. The forest floor was covered in the beginning cover of spring and the river rushed along the trail. A nice change of scenery and, as always, nice to walk and talk with my husband.

March 12

It was a nervous energy kind of day as J went for his job interview. I biked and walked the dog and cleaned and did laundry and did lots of praying. Hopefully, our long season of Advent will be over soon...

As we walked this evening--starting after 6 and still completely light-- I noticed more animal noises. All of the sudden there are birds and bugs and life. The woods have the early spring water color look--just a hint of green on the forest floor. It's a season of hope, even after one of the most mild winters I have ever experienced.

March 11

I visited Faith Lutheran in Lakewood this morning.  What a delightful little congregation.  Their sanctuary is beautiful and they sing very well, especially considering there weren't very many people there.  They're doing amazing things--a community meal, clothing "store" and all kinds of outreach to the neighborhood. In the sermon, Pastor R. talked about how God calls us to see church differently sometimes.  It was a challenge, and yet a comfort that, even in the change, God is with us.

This afternoon, I took T for a long walk in Wellington.  The reservoir we walked around sparked in the sunshine and everyone was happy to be alive on the first real spring day.  At one point, an old fashioned horse and buggy team was practicing on the county fair track near the trail.  Fisherman were out and lots of people out walking their dogs.  We also went for an evening walk with some friends here in town.  We noticed leaves starting to poke out on a bush near the trail.

I finished reading Moral Ground: Ethical Action for a Planet in Peril today.  The essays are written by a diverse group of ethicists, scientists, religious representatives, and writers.  And though they took many different paths, the message was clear: we do have a moral responsibility to care for this beautiful and fragile planet.  On a beautiful spring day, it's easy to see God at work, but how do we live in such a way that honors that everyday, not just in our localities, but for the entire planet and all of its human and non-human creatures.  It's definitely food for thought...

March 10

It was a quiet day today.  Tenney and I went for a long walk while J worked.  Spring is definitely in the air, though.  The crocuses and snow drops are blooming like crazy and I've noticed that there is more bird song.

My sister registered for college yesterday.  And, I have to admit, I'm having kind of a hard time with it.  It's hard for me to believe that she's almost ready to graduate from high school and start college.  I'm excited for her and know she will do fantastically well, but, in my mind, I guess I still have the image of that cute little girl.  Her passion and energy and excitement are incredible and I know that she is going to do wonderful things.  So she'll have to forgive me for getting a little misty eyed when I think of her as a college freshman.

March 9

My volunteer time is nothing short of amazing. I love hearing the stories of the people I visit--their experiences, travels, joys. Today, the conversation kept creeping toward change. How much the world changes in 80+ years. How much they've seen. How getting old brings unwelcome changes. But we also laugh and smile and look for signs of spring and hope. They inspire and amaze me.

As I walked home today, I had to stop and take this photo of a yard covered in snow drops. It is a beautiful sign of hope, resurrection, and spring. Even with a mild winter these signs are much appreciated and welcome.