Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

Hi there! Didja miss me?

I'm sorry for the long absence. It's been kind of busy here.

You wouldn't know it from the echoing emptiness around here, of course; but it has actually been a productive time. A brief recap:

• Remodeling. We finally (finally!) finished the bathroom! Several layers of joint compound, inexpertly applied over raw green board and tape, alternated with sanding that left enough white powder around the room to mimic a cocaine addict's greatest fantasy. The remaining surface, while not perfect, actually looked far better than I had hoped when we started. Then cleaning... and priming... and two coats of creamy yellow paint... and we have a bathroom that will not make me flinch whenever I walk into it. After Christmas I plan to do some decorative stuff in there: hang a couple of pictures, and maybe do some stenciling.
• Christmas shopping. No, I'm not done yet. Are you kidding? But I have made some serious progress, and have every hope of actually being done in time.
• Chaplaincy: Actually, this item has required my attention in that I've needed to be available and accessible; but it's not been time-consuming. I've served several on-call shifts for the hospital, and even subbed for another chaplain who became unavailable. I've only received a couple of pages though, and haven't actually had to go in.
• Parish ministry. No surprise here: this has been an active time at church. Joined the hearty crew who cleaned and greened the church; visited our one long-term shut-in; covered the rent for a neighbor that needed a little help; and planned liturgies and put together & proofed bulletins for one Sunday (4 Advent), two Christmas Eve and one Christmas Day services. I even (thank you, Jesus!) got in some actual, intentional sermon prep time this afternoon, both in exigetical study and in conversation. Boy howdy, has that been given short shrift lately! I can't tell you how good it felt to blow the dust off my Greek New Testament, and then to bounce around "what if's" with a like-minded preacher.

So, what's next? Tomorrow I'm at home, so we will at long last haul out the decorations and put up the tree. Do some family stuff, and maybe even work on a few last-minute homemade gifts on my list.

Oh, and blogging. Need to remember that, too. I find I get twitchy when I go too long without saying hello.