“Take 12″ for June

“Take 12″ is a project to take 12 photos on the 12th of every month. I’ve been doing this all year (admittedly, sometimes on the 13th and 14th), and haven’t quite gotten around to posting here. So finally, 12 pictures from my life on the 12th of June, 2012:

Nasturtiums in my garden. Bright orange – hooray!

A washed-out shot of the coreopsis and roses blooming in our front yard.

Pear tree
Some folks down the street have a pear tree in the their front yard and I’m jealous. Still, it makes me nervous to think about trying to eat dozens of pears before they rot, at least if birds and squirrels don’t beat the humans to the punch.

Apricot Teacake
Then again, I managed to make this tea cake with a surplus of store-bought apricots. Somehow, Meijer is selling the most delicious apricots I’ve ever tasted and I’ve gone through almost two bags of the things. I don’t bake much, but this recipe looked great.

We’ve had so little rain that the creek down the street is drying out.

The very suburban view from my church office windows (houses, houses, houses).

Beagle, pond, and dozens of ducks in the shade of that little willow tree. The tree seems to get a haircut every year or so — it doesn’t have those nice long tendrils hanging down into the water, like most willows do). I continue to be weirded out by the fact that mowed lawn goes all the way to the lake’s edge.

Rushes. And duplexes.

Garlic harvest! The cloves I planted last October were ready to be picked. There’s little as satisfying as pulling garlic plants out of the ground – they make this wonderful little “pop” when all those tiny roots let go of the dirt. The smell of garlic and dirt is fantastic. Rivaled only by…

…garlic drying in our shed, which makes it smell like an Italian restaurant.

The cubbies in our shed.
Garlic is drying on top shelf, on either side of the Christmas tree stand.

OK, this is cheating a bit, but this is a picture of Adam and me on Memorial Day at a county baseball game, for our friend Dave’s birthday. We’re in “old-timey baseball clothes,” per his request. When my dad taught me to take pictures, growing up, he always said, “A picture is always more interesting when there’s a person in it.” Since I’ve got so many garlic, flower, and park shots, I thought I’d add a couple faces.

A Week of Pastoral Conversations

A sampler of the kinds of things I talk about with folks. These conversations varied from 5 minutes to 2 hours, and took place last week. Some were formally scheduled meetings, some casual conversation, some one-on-one in a coffee shop, some over email or text. Anything pastorally sensitive I’ve made as vague as possible.

Monday: how to organize a terrific Sunday School class for kids ages 4-8, how a job search is going,  what churches can learn from The Apple Store, what hymns echo the scripture we’re reading for the next few weeks? (and also are a mix of new, well-known, and easily singable music), the conversion of Paul

Tuesday:  the story of how I became a priest, how can the diocese put more emphasis on the ministry of lay people? is the ordination process such that it discourages smart, capable young adults? a good date to schedule a group visit to a Coptic church in Glen Ellyn

Wednesday: how can we compile an updated list of church kids names and ages? an interview with a candidate for our secretary position, how painful it is to watch a friend suffer through their spouse’s increasingly debilitating illness, what it’s like to have left the Catholic Church, how a kitchen remodeling is going

Thursday: problems solving around finding a nursery volunteer for Sunday when the paid caregiver will be taking the day off, anticipating putting a much-loved pet to sleep (can I be there?), how priests can better deal with conflict instead of avoiding it, finding a set of used kid-sized tables and chairs for a Sunday School classroom, changing the message on the church sign

Friday: my day off — when I try very hard not to have conversations about church!

Ash Wednesday Diary

8:00 a.m.

Stop at church to pick up ashes, bread, wine, and the communion kit.

 

9:00 a.m

Visit R.H., who doesn’t leave home much, and her home care aid, M., in Naperville. We talk about the pictures on her walls, mostly painted or drawn by relatives, now long dead. We share ashes and communion.

 

10:15 a.m.

Pick up my laptop from the Apple Store. Keyboard had to be replaced after I, er, spilled blueberry juice on it. Yes, blueberry – an Odwalla juice blend at a Caribou Coffee.

 

10:40 a.m.

Back at the office. Answer email. Wash off ashes. Prepare for noon service.

 

12 noon

Ash Wednesday service with eleven people. No music. Ashes and communion.

 

1:20 p.m.

Tweak my sermon, which I’ll preach again tonight. Talk to a guy on the phone who’s looking for AA or NA groups for his girlfriend to attend, since she’s just getting out of rehab. Wash off ashes.

 

2:30 p.m.

Visit R.W., who couldn’t get a ride to services today. We watch some Judge Judy, have a cup of instant coffee, and chat about her kids. We share ashes and communion.

 

3:10 p.m.

Meet the piano tuner at church. Write a few newsletter articles. Talk to a colleague about a sticky church situation she’s dealing with today.

 

4:30 p.m.

Walk the dog. Take a nap. Have some dinner. Wash off ashes.

 

6:00 p.m.

Stop by Starbucks with Adam for some coffee. (Might regret this later…)

 

6:10 p.m.

Prepare for 7 o’clock service. Feeling good about the coffee.

 

7:00 p.m.

Ash Wednesday service with fifty people. Choir. Handbells. Ashes and communion.

 

8:30 p.m.

Change into pajamas. Wash off ashes. Begin to regret that cup of coffee.

 

9:30 p.m.

Still feeling that cup of coffee. But feeling good.