new office decor.

15 Apr
It was Thursday afternoon and I didn’t have much on my to-do list for a change so I spent some time at the care center/assisted living facilities in Dawson “wandering.” I just wandered, talking to people I came across. I was reminded how someone, stopping by just to say hi and share a smile, can completely make another person’s day. It was a lovely Thursday afternoon.
I got back to my office around 5 and found this :

Jesus had a new shrug. A barn musical … thing. A slightly creepy doll, seated as if for counseling. Bird statuary by the phone. The fish-bubble-aquarium tower that changes colors as it bubbles.
But that wasn’t all.
These little creepy guys were chilling on my macbook.
A new afghan on the back of my chair. Though you can’t see in the picture, a small loon is next to my computer. (Necessary, of course, because the loon is apparently the state bird of MN.) And did you notice the spotlight? A spotlight, aimed directly at my face as I sat in my chair.
Snowman. Fake greenery. Wicker basket thing. Not pictured: twin bunny candles, a wicker bench, music box of sorts, picture of Jesus wearing stage make-up, and a sit ‘n spin. It was quite the sight.
The story: Every year, the women of the church host an attic to cellar sale. Basically, it’s a giant garage sale. People can bring in items to donate for the sale and the basement becomes the rummage sale. Apparently Kendall and Karen had been gradually setting things aside as they arrived, things they knew I would especially appreciate and love in my office. Unfortunately, we had to take the things back to the basement today. But I certainly loved it while it lasted.

taffying.

14 Apr
We cooked. We buttered. We pulled. We got sticky. We ate.
It was taffy day for my last release time class with my precious and never-attentive third graders. It was successful in that each of the fourteen darlings took home a bag of packaged taffy that they themselves pulled. It was a success in that they had fun. One could also call it a success because Lindsay maintained her sanity for the entire hour (and only a couple times had to count to three before speaking). Overall, it was a lot of fun – buttery, sticky, messy fun.
This is how it worked – my coworker Tammy helped me cook the taffy before we went to pick up the kids at 2pm. The taffy cooled and once the third graders arrived, they washed their hands, put on a paint shirt and buttered up. Hands need to be completely buttered otherwise the taffy sticks. Once their hands were good and greasy, I scooped up some taffy and instructed them to start pulling.
Then, for the next twenty minutes, I heard the following over and over:
“I need more butter!”
“Lindsay! Mine is sticking!”
“Am I done? What do I do next?”
“Can you get the piece I dropped on the floor?”
“I need help!”
Oh my. It was chaotic but in the most organized sense possible. It was a fun and unique way to end the year of release time. I’ll miss my third graders!
And the lesson is :

excitement.

13 Apr
Okay. Last night’s post regarding the cruelty of internship was a little depressing? too much? vulnerable? That was apparently my emotional limit of the evening. The post is still absolutely and completely true – the thought of the end of internship is still saddening to me. BUT –
Today’s weekly staff meeting cheered me. Staff meetings are enjoyable to me but they can go one of two ways. They can either completely overwhelm me as my to-do list grows OR they can make me utterly excited for what is on the horizon. My limit of time has not increased – it’s still just four months – but I’m excited for what is to come in those four months. And I needed something to be excited about. I had been looking forward to Adam’s wedding for so long and it was wonderful but. then. it. was. over. As my favorite resident at my summer CPE site would say repeatedly, “Now what? Now what?”
– Taffy! I’ve had this dream (or self-inflicted nightmare?) of making taffy with my third grade release time kids. Since tomorrow is the last day of release time, it’s taffy day! (I got the idea from this site.)
– TWO church lock-ins (fourth graders at one and fifth/sixth graders the next weekend)
– A ninth grade confirmation overnight trip to Gustavus College.
– Planning and leading a day camp in August – woot!
– Going to camp! Apparently, as a pastor, I can just take off for camp and visit our kids while they’re attending programming there. Pastor perk!
– Planning and leading a confirmation retreat this summer.
(Let us note together that each and every one of these upcoming events that excites me has to do with children/youth. Hmm.)

internship cruelty.

12 Apr
April. Month eight of internship. How is that even possible?
I feel like the beginning, uncertain Lindsay was just yesterday. That I was only recently unpacking, settling in, and feeling lonely in Dawson. It seems so close but this is the eighth month of my time in Dawson. Over halfway complete.
Eight of twelve. I suspect that these last four months will fly by faster than I ever want them to fly. Once summer hits, I will blink and it will be time to pack my apartment and move back to St.Paul.
It hit me last week when Grace received the paperwork on the new intern. New intern. I will soon be the old intern who once taught confirmation. The past intern who quilted with the ladies. The intern who baked for staff meetings. I found myself feeling a bit possessive of Grace, of my role as the intern. I don’t want someone else to be in my place … I love my place too much.
Internship is a cruel process in this regard. ‘Here,’ internship says. ‘Move to this town. Form relationships. Get to know the community, the church, the people. But in twelve months I’m going to take you away whether you want to leave or not.’ Internship is mean.
I love it here. Knowing that it is month eight, I am beginning to grow sad. I realize that this week is my last release time class. Soon it will be my last confirmation class. Last Monday afternoon Bible study. I’m not ready for lasts. I don’t want to be kicked out and plopped in a classroom again. But, I suppose, whether I’m ready or not, it will happen and I will enjoy my last four months as much as I can.

Wedding weekend!

12 Apr

My best man duties were put to the test this weekend. Could I :
  1. Get manicures and facials with the groom-to-be?
  2. Organize, set-up and participate in the bachelor party?
  3. Accompany the groom in getting ready/calming nerves before ceremony?
  4. Walk without tripping on my heels?
  5. Be any more excited? [No!]

It was a wonderful weekend and I couldn’t have been more honored and more happy to be with Adam throughout it all. I LOVED being a best man – HIS best man. It was simply an absolute joy to hang out with him. It has been a long while since Adam and I had spent time together so to be with him this weekend was great.
The wedding was perfect. beautiful. all things lovely. Both Kara and Adam looked overjoyed to be walking down the aisle and promising their lives to each other in front of family and friends. I’m so happy for them both and the new joys they will discover in this journey!
[[ Click the play button in the bottom task bar, beneath the photo, to begin a slideshow of more wedding photos! ]]

Easter visitors!

6 Apr
My mom and sister made the trek to Dawson to spend Easter with me … or at least near me/in my apartment while I worked. They arrived Friday afternoon and stayed until Monday morning. It is an eight hour drive from Edgerton to Dawson – phew! – and I certainly hope they feel it was worth the gas and time in a car!
I was excited to play host and to show them around my current “home” for the last seven months. I think it offered my mom some degree of comfort to see my living situation and meet my coworkers, to understand that this is a good place for me and to see that I am really happy with where I am at. My coworkers were (of course) awesome at welcoming and greeting and there were a few congregation members who weren’t shy either. My mom heard over and over, whether from the pew of ladies sitting behind us or other off-the-cuff comments, how she looks like a sister to me rather than a mother. Ego boost!
We did the church thing, shopped in Dawson, met the gnomes, and took the grand tour of the town. We also hung out a lot at my apartment, watched a fair amount of Friends, and all napped at various points. It was pretty much as low-key as you can get for a weekend away but it was enjoyable to have them here. I hope that they agreed that it was enjoyable to be here!

Holy Week.

5 Apr
It was holy week from a new vantage point. Just as the season of Lent opened for me with the bizarre but strangely wonderful experience of the Ash Wednesday worship service, the season closed with a fruitful and exciting series of services of which I was a part in a new and different way than before. And in the midst of a week in which I felt weighed down by the uncertainty of how to preach a funeral sermon, I found great joy and excitement in the planning of Easter services and the writing of my Easter sermon.
Our holy week worship schedule began with a seder meal on Thursday followed by a service of Holy Communion. Thursday was also April Fool’s so I may have been given a raw egg to peel amongst the boiled eggs for the meal. We may have also included a new reading, blessing, and the finding of hidden Easter egg cookies at the end of the seder. (An addition that perhaps would be seen as slightly heretical to the tradition of our Jewish ancestors? Perhaps. We did it most tastefully in the spirit of April 1.)
Friday evening was a Tenebrae service, highlighted with choir anthems, readings from John, and the seven last words of Christ. The service ended in darkness and in silence, the cross and alter having been veiled in black. I had never before been to a Tenebrae service; it was a meaningful first experience. I had little role in the leading of the service – most was done by song/choir and narrators. I read prayers, guided the acolytes in the extinguishing of the candles, and then also played flute with the choir on a piece.
Sunday. Easter. Three services – 7am, 8:30, and 10:30 – all wonderful. The “Sonrise” service was mine to plan and preach with the following two services being identical. Let me sing “Jesus Christ is Risen Today” and “Thine is the Glory” with the organ and I’m a happy camper. Add special music, a beautifully decorated sanctuary and pews full of people and it was a perfect Sunday to find the tomb empty. (Though I realize and am glad that even without those things, the tomb is still empty!)
Might I also add to the list – a rocking children’s sermon. PK and I had a lot of fun with hundreds of slips of colored paper, the sounds of an earthquake, and making the whole congregation participate in sharing the message of the gospel — Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

would you rather –

5 Apr
Last week was a bit on a crazy side. Holy week brought a weekend of five worship services and with the addition of two funerals, time was short and stress was high. But now, as I write this on the Monday of a new week, it’s evident that I survived! woot! I’ll speak more of holy week services in a later post but first, some new “firsts” which led to the following question from my supervisor :
Would you rather eat a hamball or preach a funeral sermon?
My first hamball: In this region of Minnesota, if there is a visitation preceding a funeral the night before, it ends with a prayer service. As the intern, the prayer services are my gig. I led a prayer service this past Tuesday night and then the husband – the same man who has taken to calling me “Pastor Sweet Pea” – invited me over to his house to join his family for lunch. (It was 8pm … “lunch” could mean anything except the noon-day meal.) Unable to say no to pretty much anything, I accepted the offer.
I arrived at his house and immediately was shooed into the lunch line. I grabbed myself a sandwich and a cookie. My host gave up his chair at the dinner table for me, I sat down and then someone behind me grabbed my plate and returned it to the table with an addition – a hamball swimming in chunks of pineapple and a mysterious sauce.
Now, I’m not blaming the cook but rather am simply questioning the ethics of it all. Ground ham in ball form? I ate it but will admit – as I texted my supervisor following the incident – I was “mildly disgusted.” This was something new to me and I’m not so certain I was a fan. Apparently, upon further investigation, I understand that the meat market in town sells the ground ham. As more people find out my general distaste towards the ball of pig, I grow worried that it will show up on my plate more often. Sarcastic threats of hamballs have been many from coworkers since the hamballing episode …
My first funeral sermon: With the planning of holy week services and writing of Easter sermons in addition to two funerals, I had my first opportunity to write and preach a funeral sermon. My supervisor typically preaches at all funerals but with the schedule of this week, it seemed to be a good chance for me to have the experience.
So here is what Lindsay does – Lindsay accepts such challenges with an optimistic mindset and then freaks out days later when she realizes what she needs to do and feels in no way equipped to do it. I felt very ill-equipped to write a funeral sermon; the words came very difficult for me. I knew very little of the woman or her family and that, for me, made it more of a challenge.

But you know what? I did it. I wrote it. I preached it. I received critique and feedback from my supervisor in the days preceding and after preaching, felt fairly confident about the message. Because the funeral took place on the Saturday before Easter, I spoke of Easter lilies and the symbol of hope in the resurrection that they convey. The sanctuary at Grace was decorated with lilies for the next morning and, it turns out, a lily was the flower that the family gave for the funeral. God was at work.
Which would I rather do? As a facebook friend wrote to me – the best of both worlds – “Convince the family to include hamballs in the funeral lunch to eat after preaching the sermon.” Jackpot.

there must be hope.

30 Mar

I’m finding myself in dark places this week; journeying alongside others in their valleys, with families in their grief, and in the approaching darkness of the Friday before Easter. Henri Nouwen says it poignantly –

[[ If the God who revealed life to us, and whose only desire is to bring us to life, loved us so much that he wanted to experience with us the total absurdity of death then – yes, then there must be hope; then there must be something more than death; then there must be a promise that is not fulfilled in our short existence in this world; then leaving behind the ones you love, the flowers, the trees, the mountains and the oceans, the beauty of art and music, and all the exuberant gifts of life cannot be just the destruction and cruel end of all things; then indeed we have to wait for the third day. ]]

an EGG-stravaganza.

29 Mar

Eggs were found.
Scavenger hunt completed.
Palm Sunday song sang.
Skit by confirmation boys acted.
It was EGG-cellent as EGG-spected. (Fake laughs EGG-cepted.)
A few highlights :

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →