Thursday, May 29, 2025

The Frustrations of Forms, The Joys of Geraniums

It has been a frustrating week in some respects, frustrating from the point of view of needing to fill out paperwork and not having the systems work.  Yesterday I think I finally got all of my forms for the VA filled out; I needed to submit these forms so that I can begin CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) at the Asheville VA Hospital, which starts on June 15.  I need to do CPE so that I can stay on track for ordination.  Several times I went to the first form, only to find out an essential piece of information had been entered incorrectly, which meant I needed to notify the VA, which meant I needed to wait for a human on the other end to correct the form.

Yesterday I started on the process to get my WELCA scholarship awarded/applied to my Lutheran seminary where I will take a Lutheran theology class in the spring.  I thought I was ahead in the process, since I already have an account in the ELCA grants system.  But yesterday, I filled out the form and did not see the green submit button that is supposed to be at the bottom of the form.

I have written to the e-mail where one should write if one is having trouble with the software.  And now, I wait.  The window for getting this done is very short, especially if one is having trouble.  I am trying not to fret.

Yesterday after all the wrangling with forms and websites, I took myself to the NC Farmer's Market.  A friend is getting ordained on June 7, and I have been tasked with getting geraniums.  I have assumed that would be no problem, but I wanted to see what was available.  I have been worried that I might have blown it by waiting too long.

Happily, there were geraniums.  Not at wholesale prices, but they looked like healthy plants.  I got some with buds on them, and hopefully, by the time of her ordination, each plant will have some blooms.  I put them on the table on the deck, and they look lovely as they capture the light.

I get the joys of geraniums for 9 days, a gift that gives in so many ways, as I wait for the forms to be fixed.

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