Week-end Update: Ups and Downs and Ups

It has been one of those week-ends that was a mix of happiness and depression.  The depression came from having a drywall person come and be less than enthusiastic about our project.  In some ways, we should have bounced back; we will want a person/team/company to do the taping, mudding, and sanding/finishing work.  We have a team scheduled to come in and hang the drywall, which at once point seemed impossible to find.  We will find someone to do the rest of it, or we'll do it ourselves.

But Saturday afternoon, we both felt dejected at the same time, which is a difficult and sometimes dangerous time for us as a couple.  If only one of us is dejected, the other can be rational and reassuring.  We didn't have that Saturday.  So we watched Pure Deviltry, a strange movie with subtitles, about two demons who have to go to the regular world to find two people who most deserved to go to Hell.  It turned out to be oddly charming.  We started it Saturday night and finished it last night.

Yesterday was a good day at Faith Lutheran, in Bristol, Tennessee.  I finished I getting the children ready for First Communion (for more on that, see this blog post).  After worship, my spouse and I went over to the house of the church council president for a lovely lunch.  When we got home, I went over to the house of a Lutheridge friend who is selling her house and selling stuff.  We don't need much stuff, but she does have a cool glass birdbath that will be ours.

It's strange to think that I always thought of this neighborhood where we live as a place where most people wouldn't leave, but that hasn't been the case.  I understand, but it does make me sad at points, even when people aren't going far.

The sunset last night was absolutely gorgeous.  I captured some shots that might find their way into a sketchbook.

I made this Facebook post this morning:  "It seems a first worth mentioning here: I'm washing a white robe to get the Ash Wednesday ashes out. The care instructions say to treat the robe like a delicate creature, even though it's probably been on the earth longer than I have. It seems like one of those rugged poly-cotton blends designed to outlast humanity, but I'll treat it as if it was made of hand-tatted lace. We should all get that kind of treatment occasionally."

A few other points from the week-end worth mentioning:

--I need to apply to United Lutheran Seminary to be affiliated with them (as a Methodist who wants to be ordained in the ELCA, I need to be affiliated with a Lutheran seminary, and ULS does a better job with distance students and midlife students than most Lutheran seminaries).  I need 3 people to be recommenders; one must be my home pastor and one must be a professor, so I have fewer people to choose from in those two slots.  Happily, I now have a yes from each category.

--Why is it hard for me to ask for this favor?  In part, because I've already asked for what feels like a big favor, and now I have to ask again.  In part because this application process is cumbersome.  Let me get this wrapped up this week so I don't have to think about it in this way again.

--We had a great Bible study by way of Zoom on Saturday.  It's so cool to be able to stay connected with the women from my Florida church this way.  About half of us have moved somewhere else, but we still want to stay in touch.