It's the Little Things....

Last Wednesday morning, after our Matins service, a woman came up to me and said, "I would like to give you a little present. It's a book.... I just got done reading it and I wanted you to have a copy too. I couldn't put it down." Of course, this made me curious: what kind of book could elicit this kind of reaction? I didn't have long to wait before I discovered: later that day a copy of The Faith Club was in my mail box at the church office. She said, "I've never known a Jewish person or a Muslim before. It was just fascinating." Here is an interesting sideline: Last spring, Keith Ellison came and spoke at our church. He is the representative of our district, and the first Muslim member of the House of Representatives.

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Lately, I've noticed that I am beginning to have more trouble with my eyes. I especially notice this when I am trying to do the weekly puzzle in the New York Times Magazine. I have a hard time reading the letters and numbers on the acrostics, and the shiny paper, I think, makes it worse. This is cutting into my puzzle enjoyment. Even when I wear my progressive lenses, the letters and numbers are still hard to read. I did finally get an eye appointment for next week.

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Thinking about the economy lately, I have declared an informal moratorium on buying anything. We are at that age where retirement is closer than we might like to admit. We still have time, but it is worrying. So I decided: no more books (go to the library), no more new clothes, no more bric and no more brac. And that shiny red coffee pot that I have been coveting? I don't need it. But -- funny thing -- I just saw the coziest sweater, in autumn colors, and suddenly I have this insatiable desire for new pajamas.

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Did you know that October is Clergy Appreciation Month? Neither did I. But I got a card from a woman in the congregation just last week, with a small amount of money in it. I bought this wonderful book
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Waking up in a Strange Place

We were away, just overnight Sunday night, and I must have slept pretty well and deeply, because when I woke up, I had that feeling you get sometimes, "Where am I? How did I get here?" It took a few minutes to orient myself to reality, and to remember the events of the last twenty-four hours, including the worship services, the animal blessing service, the trip up to the City by the Great Lake, the dinner with Earnest Younger Stepson.

Our new organist played beautifully, with passion and proficiency. You really can't explain music, can you? I particularly liked the way he "played latin" on Cantad al Senor.

We all loved the Animal Blessing Service at my husband's church. If you have never heard Bill Staines' song, "All God's Critters Got a Place in the Choir", you have missed something fantastic. Scout liked getting blessed, but she loved meeting and sniffing the dogs more, I think. She's been a little skittish around people the last day or so. We don't know why.

We went home long enough to throw a few things in a bag, and then we headed up to to the Great Lake City, where we delivered a few things to Stepson #2. I didn't look much at leaves because I spent more of the trip up reading our book club book, Giants in the Earth. I'm glad I'm re-reading it; it was far beyond me in high school. But I will say that it is a challenging book for a busy September. It has made me think about courage and community and hardship.

So yesterday morning I felt that "waking up in a strange place" disoriented feeling.

I can't seem to shake it, totally.

No, I really know where I am: that's not it. But I can't get over a strange, disoriented feeling. It's partly the economic news. On the radio on the way home, a talk show host was saying, "If things are so bad, why did I see everybody out to the restaurants, and Home Depot, and grilling in their back yard this weekend, just like nothing was happening? What's that about?"

He had a point. I just have a feeling that there is another shoe left to drop, and I can't quite articulate what it is.

But it's not just the economy. It's a sense of the church, and the spiritual life and health there, where I am a leader, where I am responsible for inspiring people, and helping them to see God in their lives, and equiping them to live grace-ful lives: not just for an hour on Sunday, but every day.

I always thought that this blog would help me with that. I love to write. I need to write.

But, I think I need to take a break.

Small Town Values

I used to shop often at an antique store in a regional city near my home in rural South Dakota. It was a regular day-off stop, so much so that I got to know one of the shop managers pretty well. We'd talk a little about the antique business, farm auctions, folk crafts and regional artists. There were certain items that they wouldn't carry in the store, because there wasn't any market, she said. Most people didn't have money for that.

Then she said something that has stayed with me for over ten years.

"They really take advantage of the hard-working people of this state."

What do you mean? I asked.

She said, the business community and the political community in her town banded together to keep wages low, knowing that most people would by their nature work hard no matter how little they were getting paid.

I've been thinking about "small town values" lately. We love those small town values: work hard, go to church, know your neighbors, care about each other. We love those small town values: independence, simple living, growing gardens, telling stories, knowing your history, knowing your limits.

But, it's a funny thing.

Those great small towns, the best places to raise children, the backbone of our country: most of them don't seem to be doing very well. My town, for example, had no bank, no school, no cafe, no grocery store and no gas station. Just the church, and the grain elevator, and the post office.

Not all small towns are in the the same boat, I know. A few have figured out creative ways to flourish. Some benefit by their proximity to larger cities.

Still, I wonder, if we love small towns so much, if we think they are such good places to raise future citizens, why are they getting to be endangered species?

While I don't agree with everything in this article, it does give some excellent food for thought.

Long ago, in a galaxy far away...

When I first got back from Japan, many years ago, I wasn't sure what I was going to do next. I had felt called to be a missionary, and I loved my work. I really threw myself into teaching English and working at the small church where I served.

But when I returned to the United States, I needed a job.

I started working "temporary" at a small insurance office in my city. It was a very small branch of a large company; in fact, I believe there were just 5 of us in the office when I started.

I worked as an assistant for a woman who was selling basically two kinds of insurance: Directors and Officers Insurance for large corporations, and Errors and Omissions Insurance for Professionals. I started as a clerk, and eventually became what is known as an "underwriting assistant."

I started to handle more and more of the responsibilities until my boss left to take a position at a well-known brokerage. Then those in the regional office in Chicago discovered just how much I had been doing.

I got a nice raise, and a promotion. I got training in the regional office in Chicago, and more training in their national headquarters in lower Manhattan. We went out for dinner, dancing and fun almost every night.

The company also told me that they would like me to consider another promotion, which would take me to Chicago. This was just about the same time that I started to wrestle with the possibility that I might be called to ordained ministry.

The move to Chicago sounded interesting, and of course it was flattering to be considered to be on the fast-track in a field that, to be honest with you, bored me to death. In the end, seminary won.

Oh, and the name of the insurance company that I worked for many years ago?

AIG.

I'm very interested in what will happen in the next days....