Thursday, July 9, 2009

A Year

Last week, on July 1, I celebrated my one year anniversary in this job.  Well, I didn’t actually celebrate, I just sort of noticed that I had been here for a whole year.  And what a year it has been.  My personal life has been filled with conflict and turmoil and transition - we’ve had one major transition in our family every month since arriving last June.  Geez, it has felt chaotic.  But, work, work has been so amazing and so wonderful.

A few months ago, I had to write a “report” for the Annual Report.  This is what I wrote:

Sitting on the fence. Like Humpty Dumpty or the Rolling Stones, I’ve just been sitting on the fence. Not because I’ve been indecisive but because sitting on the fence is the perfect place for me to watch and reflect. Since I arrived here 7 months ago, my primary goal has been to watch, listen, and learn, and I have seen and learned much in that time. 

I have watched a faithful community of people gather on Sundays to engage in the mystery of Holy Communion. I’ve watched children at play, both in worship and on the playground, living fully into who God has created them to be. I’ve watched couples, arm in arm, devoted to one another after years and years of love and companionship. I’ve watched families struggling in faith to bring God into the center of their common life. I’ve watched people caring for one another in both simple and profound ways. 


I’ve heard laughter. I’ve heard crying. I’ve heard outbursts of anger. I’ve heard singing. I’ve heard shouting – some during play and some during moments of pure frustration. I’ve heard incredible music coming from our beautiful organ. I’ve heard the voices of angels praying. I’ve heard kind words in the midst of troubled times. I’ve heard the gospel proclaimed. I’ve heard the ancient and beautiful words of scripture. I’ve heard truth.

I’ve learned that an enthusiastic group of people really can rake 6 acres of leaves on a Saturday. I’ve learned that listening is always better than talking. I’ve learned that this community responds to the needs of others with abundant love of grace. I’ve learned that the history matters. I’ve learned that there are new ideas everywhere I turn. I’ve learned that there is a hunger and thirst for righteousness here. I’ve learned that God is at work in powerful ways in the midst of this faithful community. 

Sitting on the fence has given me the incredible experience of getting to know you, the people and community of St. Martin’s-in-the-Field. You are truly created in the image of God. I am so blessed each day to be here with you. 

I really feel like that is a good summary of my experience here.  Certainly, I have participated, my time here hasn’t all been observation and reflection.  But I do feel like that was a huge part of what I did in the last year, and an important part.  Getting to know this congregation and my place in it was of utmost value.  

I think next year will be the time for jumping down from the fence and mixing it up a bit!

Posted by julie at 15:25:56 | Permalink | Comments (1) »

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Mowing the Lawn

The kids and I moved into a new house last week.  Our lease was ending in our townhouse and since I decided not to purchase it, I knew that we’d have to move.  Our landlord really wants to sell it, so I knew that he’d put it back on the market once our lease ended, so we were going to need to move.  Through the grace of God, we connected with a set of parishioners that were debating about whether to sell or rent their home.  He was retiring and they were moving to a home in Maine that they purchased a year ago or so.  They were thrilled to rent it to us and we are thrilled to get to live there.

It’s a 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath house with a full basement.  It has been recently updated and the kitchen is just fabulous.  As a special bonus it has a swimming pool in the backyard - which is just amazing.  Best of all, it is less than a mile from church.  Nicholas’ commute to school has been reduced by 1/2 hour each way, which is just a huge blessing.

This is the first time I’ve lived in a single family home since I moved out of my parent’s house 20 years ago.  Since then I have either lived in apartments (during college) or condos/townhouses.  It is a bit strange to be in such a big house.  It’s wonderful not to have to remind the children not to stomp too loudly on the floor because someone is below us.  It is great to send them out to the front yard to play with the neighbors, knowing that they are playing in a quiet cul-de-sac where they are safe.

And, with living in a house, comes all the chores of a house.  Mostly they are the same as other places, except for that whole yard thing.  Sunday afternoon I mowed the lawn.  I’ve never mowed a lawn in my entire life.  I remember watching my dad mow the lawn as a kid, but somehow I never got around to actually doing it myself.  Actually, it wasn’t something I ever thought I would do.  I guess I always assumed that I’d either have a spouse who would mow the lawn or, better yet, we’d just be wealthy enough to hire someone to mow the lawn.  But, life doesn’t always become what we expect it will be, and so I found myself mowing the lawn.  Truthfully, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be, though next time I think I’ll try to remove the sticks from the big tree before I start mowing as I did an awful lot of wood chipping as I went along.
Posted by julie at 20:24:52 | Permalink | Comments (1) »