Yuletide Blessings

"Butter my butt & call me a biscuit!"

Last Friday, while hanging with a friend, we found this calendar that had funny "country" sayings on them. This made us laugh as neither of us are from the country. Although I'm a bit more of a country bumpkin than he is I think.

The semester went by fast, not much of a surprise really. It was a great adventure with the constant twists & turns of life. It'll be good to know that I passed everything in a few weeks when the papers are graded. I'm looking forward to the bit of traveling I'm able to do now that break has started and clear through the end of January. It is such a blessing to have all of my things in one place with the few select things that are still stored at my parents' home. My highs for the semester are making new friends and getting to know them. As well as feeling the passion of the Spirit within my life and knowing that I'm in the right place. My lows would be the constant transitioning that is life & how tiring that is. I've seen the Spirit working through my friends and professors and have a better means of verbalizing my theological thoughts because of seminary life. I do miss being able to be relational as much with friends and strangers and not feel like I should be doing something else. I also miss traveling a little bit, but at the same time I don't miss all the driving (it was nice to not be a driver last year). I'm sure I've changed in a few other ways, but one way I've changed since the end of YE life and the moving so far from home is I've become domestic. Whoda thunk the day would ever come? I suppose being hospitable comes only natural as it is a gift of my mother's and was for sure a gift of my mammaw's. The lesson I learned, I need to learn how to say "no." That silly word that most 2 year olds love, I need to remember & not get in over my head.

Yesterday I traveled with two friends back to IN for the holiday. Once we hit the Chicago area it was like being back in the home area. The hills of WI are beautiful to drive through, but the slight rolling hills of much of northern IL and northern IN are home. It's not flat, although some friends would disagree, but states such as KS are flat. The crazy thing is we even saw some farmers still harvesting their corn despite the fact that it's the middle of December and there's snow on the ground. The cold in MN is so dry, but the cold here is damp & chills you down to the bone. Today was baking day & fun, but tiring after at least 5 different Christmas treats. Once again, that domestic side of me taking toll!

I get to travel to C-bus for New Years! I haven't been there in going on 2 years, it'll be great to go back & see friends & meet one's little boy. Then I'm off to the east coast for the first time since early August of 2007. It'll be great to be back out that way & see friends there while doing a bit more discernment about the diaconal program. Apparently nobody @ home really understands what my program is at the seminary, ha! For a little clarification I am a Master of Divinity non-ordination student, a candidate for the ELCA's diaconal program, with an emphasis in the Children, Youth, & Family program at Luther Seminary. What this all means is I will be doing the program to be a pastor, but do not feel called to parish ministry so I am not currently planning on getting ordained. Through the diaconal program, which is focused in word & service, I will be consecrated and rostered through the ELCA. My emphasis is because I feel called to work within children's hospital chaplaincy, but also am passionate about service work and non-profit missions. God only knows where I'll actually end up!

That's my hit the ground running sorta life that God's got me livin' right now. 2010 is nearing & who knows exactly what's around the bend other than J-term & another exciting semester of seminary. Despite the car troubles I've had since moving to MN, and they've been significant, I look forward to experiencing all 4 seasons in MN. I think the catch is to go someplace different for J-term each year & at least miss that one cold month :-)