Thursday, October 15, 2009

Home

Reading week is approaching, and many of our seminary friends and classmates are heading home for the week. Several have spouses in home cities; others have family in the location they left; and all of us have dear friends "back home". So, there are status updates and conversations about leaving to go home or, at this point in the week, having safely arrived there.

Since arriving at 85 Templeton Way in July, I have logged a lot of hours wishing to go back to Denver, missing my family in New York, and more generally wanting to be almost anywhere but Sewanee, TN. I have compiled mental lists of all of the gross, annoying, bothersome things associated with living here. I have cursed the mold, the mildew, and the sogginess of the ground while yearning for the desert climate I left behind. I have had beautiful dreams of the beautiful grass in beautiful Denver.

And I realized today, "This is home."

As far as I know, we will still return to Colorado after Jordan's three year stint at seminary. I still miss my dear friends in Denver, and I still sometimes wish that I had my family close by me. The gross, annoying, bothersome things (here) are still gross, annoying and bothersome. But I am home.

When I walk into my house, it smells like my house. (Admittedly, that's not always a pleasant thing!) I have established those corners of disorganization that function as a catchall for things I want to put out of reach or out of the way of other members of my household. I know where I'm going. I understand the abbreviations and nicknames common to the community. (I'll write another entry on that another time.)

This place - the town, the school, even my house - is home as I have never known it before. I feel loved ... nurtured ... mentored ... welcomed. The love is Christ's love. It is a love that asks for nothing in return and demands no change in me. It is freely and gently given with genuine gratitude for God's love for us. It doesn't always accompany friendship or fondness, and, yet, it is truly love. The nurture is not condescending or chastising. It has been at turns practical and mystical. I have felt the prayers ascending to Heaven like incense. The mentoring is at once humble and wise. It is as if folks have intentionally brought me alongside them and still retained the understanding that they know what I do not. The welcome transcends "inclusiveness" and "tolerance". It is the welcome that marks true Spiritual hospitality. The community, as one, has broken its circle and made a place for us.

And that place is home. Sewanee truly is a special place, and I am deeply grateful that we were called here to call it home, if just for a season. I pray that what we are given here, we will give to the next place that we call 'home'.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

The Simple Life ;)

If I were again applying to college, I would have a lot of extracurricular activities to list! Well, I suppose that's only true if I were to include my children's activities (fair, don't you think?) and social events.

Among the four of us, we have soccer, dance, parents' morning out program, spouses of the seminary board (secretary), serving as an acolyte, kids of the seminary (K-OS), choir x2, Bible study, intramural flag football and intramural volleyball. Then, there are the countless events that go along with being on a college campus: art exhibitions, visiting lecturers, musical performances, and theater events. Add to that the casual dinners, the community worship, and volunteer jobs, and there's a full schedule! Jordan has also been quite busy with reading for his classes, but he is striving for balance more than excellence. As the dean of the School of Theology put it, "You can't get an 'A' in life." When he has a chance, I will have Jordan write an update that focuses more on classes and worship at the seminary.

Jordan and I recently invited students and spouses in the seminary community to join us in a prayer group. We have really missed our small group from Christ Church, in Denver. We did not realize at the time what an unusual group it was. We shared deeply, almost from the start, and we prayed comfortably with each other and for each other. Gifts of the Spirit, while not dominating the group dynamic, entered into our prayers quite often. I conveyed a similar vision for this new prayer group, and I was uncertain what the response would be. I had not seen evidence of a strong charismatic presence at the seminary or even in the community. However, several people (more than 14) responded, and we have met twice. We will continue to meet weekly and then re-evaluate at the end of the semester. I ask for your prayers for the prayer group. :)

Yesterday, a break-in occurred in our little neighborhood. The perpetrator(s) took some jewelry and made their escape on a four-wheeler using a trail quite close to the house. Our house is quite a bit more visible than the one that was burglarized, but the event still spooked me a little. I have been keeping our doors and windows locked, and I entertained the idea of getting a very large dog. I told my mother I would call her before I acquired any more animals. My mother is a very practical woman.

At the end of August, our car broke down. AAA towed the car to a mechanic in a nearby town, and a seminarian retrieved me and the kids from the side of I-24.

The radiator had blown, and the mechanic replaced it within a few days. When he ran the car with the new radiator in it, however, the new radiator almost blew up. This, apparently, indicated that something was wrong with the engine. We found out early last week that the head of the engine is irreparable. The mechanic found a replacement engine with fewer miles on it than ours, and he has ordered it (I hope). We should have our car back sometime next week! (We will pause here so that everyone can do a little dance of joy.)

Well, you might suspect that an engine, even a used one, is expensive. It is. Please pray for financial provision. We have several possible sources of help. I'm a little worried that each one will expect the others to cover our need with the result of no one sending us any money! (Actually, they would send it to Christ Church, not to us.)

I'm sure that God has us covered, but knowing that you will be praying makes me feel better.

All in all, it is not exactly "the simple life," but it is good. Even with finding two ticks and hearing of a burglary nearby, I didn't once think about leaving. Thank you for your prayers!

Current prayer requests:
- that my return to a disposition of hope, faith, and love would continue
- that Jordan continue to do well in school despite putting more effort into balance
- for our finances and those of the other students (and families) here
- for our car
- for my artwork (see inkstreetdesign.blogspot.com)