Bonus blessings

We are here in Chicago for the weekend, attending the baptism of my mother-in-law's 6th great-grandchild.  She got to ride along with us this trip.  We left early yesterday (Saturday) morning, took our time driving, and have had one whole day here to feast and celebrate and worship together.

Someone from my church asked me if I did the baptism.  I had to smile. The extended family on my husband's side are Missouri Synod Lutheran, so no, they did not ask me to do the baptism.  I told my sister-in-law about the comment, and she said, "Well, that would have been nice, wouldn't it?" 

This should tell you something about my husband's family.

I'm enjoying the weekend away, although, to be truthful, we are spending a lot of it in the car.  It's not that I don't want to be at my church; I missed them this morning.  However, the fact that I wasn't preparing a sermon for this weekend meant that I could spent some time on a few other parish responsibilities this week.

(On the other hand, in this pre-interim transition time, securing a supply preacher, communicating with them about our services, and preparing everything for them to be here takes a fair amount of time too.)

(I learned something from the supply preacher this weekend.  When I called him, he said that preaching would not be a problem.  However, doing the rest of the service has become more difficult and stressful lately as every church does not use the same worship format any more.  And said something like, "What can we do about that?"  I thought at first he was saying that he couldn't do it if he would have to lead worship, but he was really saying, "how can we make this work?"  And I learned that leadership is not always about simply saying, "Yes", or "No", but about answering the question, "How can we make this work?")

I always enjoy visiting my husband's sister.  She has the gift of hospitality.  She's a great cook,a great reader, and a great conversationalist. She always makes us feel at home. 

There was the bonus this particular weekend of having the baby fall asleep while I was holding him last night.  I was rocking him in one of the rocking chairs, and singing a couple of songs, including "Beautiful Savior."  He was fussing a little, and then he rested his arm on my chest, and his head on his arm as if it was a pillow, and pretty soon he was fast asleep. 

That alone is worth eight hours in the car.