It is Labor Day weekend, and I am already a solid week into this new semester at Seminary. Getting here was an adventure, and I had to hit the ground running, but I'm beginning to finally feel settled.
I finished out CPE stongly, I believe, growing to love the job more and more every day. There were crazy days and easy days, and on my last day of actual work, I was given both the regular on-call pager and the trauma pager for a couple of hours during the Resident's graduation celebration, and of course that would be when two traumas, one death, and one family conflict would come in all at once. I loved it. I feel like I was really able to grow into my pastoral identity over the course of the summer, and I am so glad for how I spent it. I was excited by how much I felt that I could be a minister, and by how much I learned over the summer.
Outside of CPE, I had a minor hiccup just at the end of the summer. I was driving home from my last visit with Silas one Sunday evening, when my car started to make a funny clicking noise. I mentioned this to my parents, and my mom drove me to work in the morning so she could take my car into our mechanic and get it checked out. We assumed it wouldn't be a big deal, until the car died before it made the two mile trip to the mechanic. Something or other happened, which led to what was deemed by the people working on it "catastrophic engine failure." The good news was that my car was still under warranty and now she has a shiny new engine. The bad news is she wasn't going to be ready in time to get my mom and I back to Ohio so she could catch her flight out of town. So, we got the idea to take my dad's car and then trade halfway between after awhile. My mom and I made our long drive back to Ohio, and we'll be meeting somewhere in Tennessee later on in order to trade cars back. We're also hoping this is the end of my bad luck with cars.
When I got back to Ohio, I hit the ground running. I began my job as Sacristan by showing up and being asked to be a crucifer for the first service of the term. Then there were long meetings with Karen and Kristen, the worship life coordinator and my fellow sacristan to begin to figure out how we would work things over the upcoming year. I'm enjoying the job immensely already, and I've already begun to write a worship service for the upcoming week.
I've also already gotten started on classes, even before I was able to get all my school supplies organized for them. This semester I'm taking Systematic Theology, Old Testament 2, Preaching, Lutheran Confessions, and Christian Perspectives on Other Religions. I'm pretty excited about all of them already, especially Systematic Theology, which surprised me a little bit. I think that I am really beginning to get into the interesting stuff of seminary this year, and I think it will be a good year.
I'm glad to be back here, as much as I enjoyed being in Texas over the summer. I'm beginning to get to know the new people at the seminary, and reconnecting with my friends. I'm already feeling back into the swing of things and George is even well settled. He had an adventure his first day back by getting out when my mom and I were going to be gone awhile, but he got to stay in one of my friends apartments until we got back. Today George helped me to put together a bookcase, which I can't wait to fill up with my overflowing books. I'm still working on getting my apartment reorganized, and keeping up with my dishes (I already miss having a dishwasher again) but I've got one more holiday day of the weekend to get to it.
I'll be blogging more regularly now that I'm back on a normal schedule, so keep an eye here for updates on my Middler year at Trinity!
Showing posts with label CPE. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CPE. Show all posts
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Friday, July 25, 2014
CPE and Poetry
Today has been my first day this whole summer that I have had entirely to myself. I have been filling my days with work, with time with my family and friends, and with visits with Silas. All good, but it is certainly nice to have a day like this.
This morning I slept in, I cuddled with my cat, I sewed, I read, and I watched tv. It was wonderful. I thought it would also be a good time to write a new blog post.
CPE has been going fast and furious, and now I only have three weeks left. CPE has been a very interesting experience. It has been more challenging than I expected in some ways and it has been easier than I expected in some ways. I have found that I truly love doing ministry. I love being called to visit with people in need and being able to share the grace of God with them in some small way. I have had meaningful visits conducted entirely in Spanish and despite the language barrier between myself and my patients, God has been fully present. I have hugged perfect strangers, prayed without words for ten minute spans, and worn so much personal protective equipment that I'm getting used to being wrapped in plastic and latex.
I am assigned to three units, one of which is an isolation unit. That means that for many of my visits I have to put on a yellow plastic gown with full sleeves and light blue gloves (that color combination will always represent Parkland to me now). On other visits I have to wear a "fit mask" which I was tested for before I began work. It keeps out something like 98% of all the stuff in the air, so I probably won't get sick from that. One of my units is one of Parkland's five ICUs, and I and a resident chaplain attempt to visit each of those patients every day. It is really wonderful to watch how people get better on the unit, and it is tragic to watch when they don't.
I have been present at the death of a young girl because she ran into a horse with a car, and helped her family begin to grieve and offer life to others through her organ donations. I have attempted to help a woman make a decision to give her mother a peaceful death and been frustrated in the process. I have visited with a woman who felt incredibly lonely despite being surrounded by signs of love as she healed from being run over by a truck. I have touched a woman who just lost a baby she didn't know she had. I have seen God this summer in the eyes of hundreds of people.
One thing that surprised me this summer is that I love being on call. I love being called, even to the most difficult situations. When I am on call with a resident I hold on to the house pager, and feel at peace as I find myself all over Parkland. The other thing that surprises me is how difficult I find cold calls. When I just make a list of people I need to visit and then wander into their rooms asking if they want a visit from the chaplain (me) I find myself exhausted. However, this is something I do four days a week. I am only on-call once a week. So I practice. And keep practicing. We'll see what happens during the next couple of weeks.
I have loved working at Parkland, though. I love the department there and most all of the people I work with. One of the staff chaplains is the mother of a girl I knew when I was in elementary school and who Mom knows well, and we laughed over the fact that she knew me when I was eight and now we're working together. I've loved having the chance to encounter other theologies and better articulate my own and I have loved the chance to grow closer to God.
Silas and I have found ways to spend most of our weekends together, despite differing schedules, and it has been wonderful to be able to see him so often. We have already made plans for next year to not have to go so long without seeing each other as we did this past semester.
I have been getting ready for the new semester as well. My book list is out, and my mom and I have made plans to get me and George back to Ohio. I'll finish CPE, and then have one week to get back and settled before classes start again. It's a quick turn-around. I'm looking forward to next semester, though. I think my classes will be great and I am really looking forward to being one of the sacristans. I'm looking forward to being back into the routine I'm used to, even though I'm finally getting used to the routine of CPE.
Tomorrow I'm on call again, followed by two more weeks of work with two more on call shifts, and one week of mostly finishing things up. I can't believe it's all going so fast. Yesterday was a day of poetry for my CPE class as well as the class at UT Southwestern, who we do classes with, and it was an absolutely fantastic day. We were taught about poetry as medicine and I wrote two poems during the day. I was surprised at what came out of me, but it was wonderful to put some of my experience into the words of poetry. Tonight I'm going to sew a bit more, and tomorrow after work I'm heading up to Oklahoma City, and then to Tulsa for my grandma's birthday. It should be a good weekend.
These are the poems I wrote:
This morning I slept in, I cuddled with my cat, I sewed, I read, and I watched tv. It was wonderful. I thought it would also be a good time to write a new blog post.
CPE has been going fast and furious, and now I only have three weeks left. CPE has been a very interesting experience. It has been more challenging than I expected in some ways and it has been easier than I expected in some ways. I have found that I truly love doing ministry. I love being called to visit with people in need and being able to share the grace of God with them in some small way. I have had meaningful visits conducted entirely in Spanish and despite the language barrier between myself and my patients, God has been fully present. I have hugged perfect strangers, prayed without words for ten minute spans, and worn so much personal protective equipment that I'm getting used to being wrapped in plastic and latex.
I am assigned to three units, one of which is an isolation unit. That means that for many of my visits I have to put on a yellow plastic gown with full sleeves and light blue gloves (that color combination will always represent Parkland to me now). On other visits I have to wear a "fit mask" which I was tested for before I began work. It keeps out something like 98% of all the stuff in the air, so I probably won't get sick from that. One of my units is one of Parkland's five ICUs, and I and a resident chaplain attempt to visit each of those patients every day. It is really wonderful to watch how people get better on the unit, and it is tragic to watch when they don't.
I have been present at the death of a young girl because she ran into a horse with a car, and helped her family begin to grieve and offer life to others through her organ donations. I have attempted to help a woman make a decision to give her mother a peaceful death and been frustrated in the process. I have visited with a woman who felt incredibly lonely despite being surrounded by signs of love as she healed from being run over by a truck. I have touched a woman who just lost a baby she didn't know she had. I have seen God this summer in the eyes of hundreds of people.
One thing that surprised me this summer is that I love being on call. I love being called, even to the most difficult situations. When I am on call with a resident I hold on to the house pager, and feel at peace as I find myself all over Parkland. The other thing that surprises me is how difficult I find cold calls. When I just make a list of people I need to visit and then wander into their rooms asking if they want a visit from the chaplain (me) I find myself exhausted. However, this is something I do four days a week. I am only on-call once a week. So I practice. And keep practicing. We'll see what happens during the next couple of weeks.
I have loved working at Parkland, though. I love the department there and most all of the people I work with. One of the staff chaplains is the mother of a girl I knew when I was in elementary school and who Mom knows well, and we laughed over the fact that she knew me when I was eight and now we're working together. I've loved having the chance to encounter other theologies and better articulate my own and I have loved the chance to grow closer to God.
Silas and I have found ways to spend most of our weekends together, despite differing schedules, and it has been wonderful to be able to see him so often. We have already made plans for next year to not have to go so long without seeing each other as we did this past semester.
I have been getting ready for the new semester as well. My book list is out, and my mom and I have made plans to get me and George back to Ohio. I'll finish CPE, and then have one week to get back and settled before classes start again. It's a quick turn-around. I'm looking forward to next semester, though. I think my classes will be great and I am really looking forward to being one of the sacristans. I'm looking forward to being back into the routine I'm used to, even though I'm finally getting used to the routine of CPE.
Tomorrow I'm on call again, followed by two more weeks of work with two more on call shifts, and one week of mostly finishing things up. I can't believe it's all going so fast. Yesterday was a day of poetry for my CPE class as well as the class at UT Southwestern, who we do classes with, and it was an absolutely fantastic day. We were taught about poetry as medicine and I wrote two poems during the day. I was surprised at what came out of me, but it was wonderful to put some of my experience into the words of poetry. Tonight I'm going to sew a bit more, and tomorrow after work I'm heading up to Oklahoma City, and then to Tulsa for my grandma's birthday. It should be a good weekend.
These are the poems I wrote:
Cold Calls
Nobody likes feet, right?
Here we cover them with yellow socks.
Here I must wear closed-toed shoes
(there is a code, after all).
Here it might be unsafe for bare feet
to touch the ground.
I hate shoes.
I hate my closed-toed shoes
And your yellow socks, a sign of sickness.
I want to feel connected.
I want my bare feet and yours
to be on the earth.
I want to tread carefully in your room,
Feel firmly placed where I am.
But I don’t know how in these shoes,
looking at your yellow socks.
Can you help me?
Can I listen here,
firmly planted on the ground,
next to you?
Can I step out of my closed-toed shoes,
tread near with my bare feet,
and slip into your yellow socks?
To God
Hello again, it’s me, here I am,
I am busy, tired, happy … hungry,
I am going on a visit.
You know,
I don’t always believe you.
But it’s not just you.
I don’t always believe anyone who says
“I love you”
Instead I ask:
“What did I do to deserve this?”
But
I love fully and firmly.
And I know that won’t change.
Will you?
I am surrounded by goodness;
by signs and words of love.
Sometimes I feel alone when I’m surrounded.
Am I hiding successfully?
Or am I just hiding from myself?
Maybe I will believe you today.
Maybe I will believe everybody.
Maybe she will to.
Amen
Monday, June 9, 2014
Beginning of the Summer
I have had a busy beginning of the summer, with a couple of bumps in the road and a few nice surprises.
My mom came up to Columbus after I finished my classes, and we had a good time while I helped sacristan for the commencement worship. It was great to go to commencement, since I had several friends who were graduating, and altogether Saturday was a lovely day. Then my mom and I packed up and got ready for a long drive on Sunday.
Sunday morning we were packing up and taking things to my car, and George noticed and wanted to make sure he would not be left behind. He ran out the door and down a flight of stairs. He may have regretted that wish later, but he was actually a wonderful traveler. He sat quietly in his crate all day, and enjoyed exploring the pet friendly hotel room we stayed in for the night. The next morning he was a little less excited about getting into his crate, knowing what would come next, but he never uttered a peep, and the drive home was easy enough. It was nice to be able to share the driving with my Mom, and we had a great time.
Once I was home, I went and got poked and prodded to ensure my health to work at Parkland. I did my first drug screening and got fitted for a face mask, in case I need one, which was rather entertaining. Good news, I don't have TB. I also don't have a Hepatitis B immunity, despite having the vaccine, so I get to get it again! Yay! Unfortunately, I got all of this testing done too late to start on my official first day of CPE, so instead I got an extra week off. This was a bit annoying, but I chose to take the opportunity to go to Tulsa with my mom and see my Grandma and help go through the house we're getting ready to sell.
We decided to take George with us to Tulsa, and he was once again a good traveler. It was nice to have him around so we could take George Breaks from clearing out the house and petting a cat is the best kind of break. Going through the house was hard work, but it was interesting. I went through all of my Grandpa's theological books, and took basically all of them. It makes me happy that a large chunk of my early theological library comes from him, and my Grandma said he would be so pleased I had them. I also took boatloads of thread from my Grandma's sewing stash, and I won't have to buy colored thread for years. I love that I'll have some of her things, including beautiful fabric bought in China, to work with and create out of. I like that she and I have that in common. Altogether, it was a busy, but worthwhile week, and a good way to spend my accidental week off.
We came home on Thursday, so that I could jump on a plane to Orlando the next morning. I went to Orlando to attend Silas' sister's wedding. It was the first time I saw Silas since early this Feburary, so I was thoroughly excited about the trip. I had a bit of a confusing time getting out of the Orlando airport, but I made it. Silas and I, as well as his family, had a good but full weekend. We had a large rehersal dinner the night I got in, full of people I didn't know. They were all nice, though, and it was an enjoyable evening. The day of the Wedding, Silas and I went out on a trip to pick up the flowers, which was some nice time together, and then the wedding was in a garden in the afternoon. It was quite hot, and I did not envy the men in suits, but the wedding was beautiful. The reception was also lovely, and there were a couple of songs Silas and I could dance to. After the whirlwind two days, we got up the next morning and Silas' parents took me to one airport and Silas to another to head to our respective homes. It was a great visit, but I'll be heading to Oklahoma City for a less rushed visit as soon as I can.
Finally today, I began my summer of CPE. Today was just general orientation, so it was actually a bit boring, but there was another student who had to start late, so we sat together and got to know each other, and we had lunch with the whole group and Leo, our supervisor. My CPE class is made up of five women, and I am the youngest one. We got along together well at lunch, and I think it'll be a good group to work with over the summer. I'm especially looking forward to tomorrow, when I'll find out more about what I'm going to be doing specifically.
Tonight I made sure to take care of myself by taking myself to a yoga class at the studio I have a membership at for the summer. It was wonderful, and I have a feeling I'll really appreciate those as I get more into the fullness of CPE. It's nice to have a studio to practice at so I actually do it, and so I have good teachers to correct my form.
After some interesting trips, my summer is finally really starting, and I think it will be wonderful and full of learning. I'll probably be more sporadic here than I am in the school year, but I'll keep writing when I can.
My mom came up to Columbus after I finished my classes, and we had a good time while I helped sacristan for the commencement worship. It was great to go to commencement, since I had several friends who were graduating, and altogether Saturday was a lovely day. Then my mom and I packed up and got ready for a long drive on Sunday.
Sunday morning we were packing up and taking things to my car, and George noticed and wanted to make sure he would not be left behind. He ran out the door and down a flight of stairs. He may have regretted that wish later, but he was actually a wonderful traveler. He sat quietly in his crate all day, and enjoyed exploring the pet friendly hotel room we stayed in for the night. The next morning he was a little less excited about getting into his crate, knowing what would come next, but he never uttered a peep, and the drive home was easy enough. It was nice to be able to share the driving with my Mom, and we had a great time.
Once I was home, I went and got poked and prodded to ensure my health to work at Parkland. I did my first drug screening and got fitted for a face mask, in case I need one, which was rather entertaining. Good news, I don't have TB. I also don't have a Hepatitis B immunity, despite having the vaccine, so I get to get it again! Yay! Unfortunately, I got all of this testing done too late to start on my official first day of CPE, so instead I got an extra week off. This was a bit annoying, but I chose to take the opportunity to go to Tulsa with my mom and see my Grandma and help go through the house we're getting ready to sell.
We decided to take George with us to Tulsa, and he was once again a good traveler. It was nice to have him around so we could take George Breaks from clearing out the house and petting a cat is the best kind of break. Going through the house was hard work, but it was interesting. I went through all of my Grandpa's theological books, and took basically all of them. It makes me happy that a large chunk of my early theological library comes from him, and my Grandma said he would be so pleased I had them. I also took boatloads of thread from my Grandma's sewing stash, and I won't have to buy colored thread for years. I love that I'll have some of her things, including beautiful fabric bought in China, to work with and create out of. I like that she and I have that in common. Altogether, it was a busy, but worthwhile week, and a good way to spend my accidental week off.
We came home on Thursday, so that I could jump on a plane to Orlando the next morning. I went to Orlando to attend Silas' sister's wedding. It was the first time I saw Silas since early this Feburary, so I was thoroughly excited about the trip. I had a bit of a confusing time getting out of the Orlando airport, but I made it. Silas and I, as well as his family, had a good but full weekend. We had a large rehersal dinner the night I got in, full of people I didn't know. They were all nice, though, and it was an enjoyable evening. The day of the Wedding, Silas and I went out on a trip to pick up the flowers, which was some nice time together, and then the wedding was in a garden in the afternoon. It was quite hot, and I did not envy the men in suits, but the wedding was beautiful. The reception was also lovely, and there were a couple of songs Silas and I could dance to. After the whirlwind two days, we got up the next morning and Silas' parents took me to one airport and Silas to another to head to our respective homes. It was a great visit, but I'll be heading to Oklahoma City for a less rushed visit as soon as I can.
Finally today, I began my summer of CPE. Today was just general orientation, so it was actually a bit boring, but there was another student who had to start late, so we sat together and got to know each other, and we had lunch with the whole group and Leo, our supervisor. My CPE class is made up of five women, and I am the youngest one. We got along together well at lunch, and I think it'll be a good group to work with over the summer. I'm especially looking forward to tomorrow, when I'll find out more about what I'm going to be doing specifically.
Tonight I made sure to take care of myself by taking myself to a yoga class at the studio I have a membership at for the summer. It was wonderful, and I have a feeling I'll really appreciate those as I get more into the fullness of CPE. It's nice to have a studio to practice at so I actually do it, and so I have good teachers to correct my form.
After some interesting trips, my summer is finally really starting, and I think it will be wonderful and full of learning. I'll probably be more sporadic here than I am in the school year, but I'll keep writing when I can.
Monday, May 19, 2014
Half Here Half There
It is almost the very end of the semester today. I have two classes left to attend and two finals to take. One is two 3-page papers and the other is a test with a few short answers on it, so it should be pretty doable, and I expect I'll be done tomorrow afternoon.
It is exciting to be nearly done, as I'm looking forward to a break from academia. I love school, but there's a reason we get two weeks off every semester here, and it's so we don't go crazy. I'm really looking forward to this summer with all that being home and doing CPE will bring me. I know it will be hard at times, but I will be encountering different challenges there than I do here, and I am sure I will grow in new ways and new directions. And it will be really great to get to spend some time at home. I love Ohio, especially our winters here, but I will always love Texas as my home and I'm looking forward to being back.
This week has been full of finishing things up and getting ready for commencement. It's kind of funny to be as involved in commencement as I am, since I'm only finishing my first year, but I am excited to be a part of it. I made a practice loaf of gluten free bread, which is what we'll use at commencement worship, and it turned out great. I love baking, and it's interesting to see what goes into baking gluten free. I'll be making the bread for actual commencement later this week and I'll be helping to lead a worship walk-through on Friday. I'm really looking forward to that, as this will be the beginning of my job as sacristan. I'm still really excited about doing that next year full-time.
I assisted at my last service for this semester at All Saints yesterday, and it was a really great service. I'm really feeling settled in there and I'm looking forward to being a little more involved over the whole school year next year. I'm starting to get to know people there and they're starting to recognize me as their MIC student as they see me assisting more often. I'm glad I ended up there, even if my first month or so was a bit difficult since things kept happening to keep me away or make me late for church (crashing my car was definitely one of those things)
Last Thursday, Kaeleigh, Ben, and I drove down to Cincinnati (Ben drove, which is good, because I slept) and we watched our friend Paul profess his vows and become a professed member of his monastic order. It was really great to be able to be there for that and to see Paul take this big step in his own spiritual life. We had dinner with them before heading back home, and it was a really great time. We also spent the drive down there listening to themes from Bond movies and the way back listening to ABBA, so it was certainly an interesting car trip.
Now that I am so close to going home, I'm getting everything ready to go as well as finishing my finals. I bought a crate for George and it's sitting out in my bedroom so he can get used to it. He's already spent a bit of time inside it, which is a good sign. I'm hoping he's a good travel passenger. I'm still working on packing, mostly in my head, and hopefully I'll get everything together in the next couple of days. I might still be packing a bit when my mom gets here on Thursday.
I'm definitely looking forward to having my mom here for the weekend and driving back with her. I'm going to take her to common meal, which is a weird food potluck this week, and then she'll have to hang around with me while I work on commencement stuff. Then we'll pack up and ship out on Sunday and take two days to get home. It will be a fun drive, even if it is long, because my mom and I get on well together and make road trips fun.
Now I am off to finish my finals while I'm working at the library, so I can finish packing while I'm home. To all my Abiding Grace family - I'll see you soon.
Kathryn
It is exciting to be nearly done, as I'm looking forward to a break from academia. I love school, but there's a reason we get two weeks off every semester here, and it's so we don't go crazy. I'm really looking forward to this summer with all that being home and doing CPE will bring me. I know it will be hard at times, but I will be encountering different challenges there than I do here, and I am sure I will grow in new ways and new directions. And it will be really great to get to spend some time at home. I love Ohio, especially our winters here, but I will always love Texas as my home and I'm looking forward to being back.
This week has been full of finishing things up and getting ready for commencement. It's kind of funny to be as involved in commencement as I am, since I'm only finishing my first year, but I am excited to be a part of it. I made a practice loaf of gluten free bread, which is what we'll use at commencement worship, and it turned out great. I love baking, and it's interesting to see what goes into baking gluten free. I'll be making the bread for actual commencement later this week and I'll be helping to lead a worship walk-through on Friday. I'm really looking forward to that, as this will be the beginning of my job as sacristan. I'm still really excited about doing that next year full-time.
I assisted at my last service for this semester at All Saints yesterday, and it was a really great service. I'm really feeling settled in there and I'm looking forward to being a little more involved over the whole school year next year. I'm starting to get to know people there and they're starting to recognize me as their MIC student as they see me assisting more often. I'm glad I ended up there, even if my first month or so was a bit difficult since things kept happening to keep me away or make me late for church (crashing my car was definitely one of those things)
Last Thursday, Kaeleigh, Ben, and I drove down to Cincinnati (Ben drove, which is good, because I slept) and we watched our friend Paul profess his vows and become a professed member of his monastic order. It was really great to be able to be there for that and to see Paul take this big step in his own spiritual life. We had dinner with them before heading back home, and it was a really great time. We also spent the drive down there listening to themes from Bond movies and the way back listening to ABBA, so it was certainly an interesting car trip.
Now that I am so close to going home, I'm getting everything ready to go as well as finishing my finals. I bought a crate for George and it's sitting out in my bedroom so he can get used to it. He's already spent a bit of time inside it, which is a good sign. I'm hoping he's a good travel passenger. I'm still working on packing, mostly in my head, and hopefully I'll get everything together in the next couple of days. I might still be packing a bit when my mom gets here on Thursday.
I'm definitely looking forward to having my mom here for the weekend and driving back with her. I'm going to take her to common meal, which is a weird food potluck this week, and then she'll have to hang around with me while I work on commencement stuff. Then we'll pack up and ship out on Sunday and take two days to get home. It will be a fun drive, even if it is long, because my mom and I get on well together and make road trips fun.
Now I am off to finish my finals while I'm working at the library, so I can finish packing while I'm home. To all my Abiding Grace family - I'll see you soon.
Kathryn
Monday, May 12, 2014
Finals and Fun
I am moving swiftly into the end of this semester, and the end of my first year here, and I am keeping pretty busy as I finish up.
Last week was a good week filled with interesting lunches and keeping quite busy. On Monday we had a seminary lunch in which we discussed a book of stories about sexism in the church and talked about how it affects our lives too. It was a really powerful discussion, and it is interesting to consider the sexism that is still evident in the church in various forms as well as in our society as a whole. It also made for an interesting time for me just to watch and listen to everybody, because people encounter a subject like this in so many different ways.
Monday night I spent four hours researching four words in Psalms 121:3-4 for my Hebrew verse project. I loved every minute of it. It really is fascinating to see what a word in another language really means in ours and how idioms from the ancient world compare to ours. That was the prep work for one of my finals, and I also got all the research done for my Church History final last week. There I'll be writing about Quakers, Pentecostalism, and the Second Great Awakening in one paper, and John Bunyan, Reactions to Evolutionism in the church, and Vatican II in another. There are so many interesting subjects in my Church History class, so I am looking forward to writing about all of these, and I imagine I won't find it difficult.
My other two finals this semester are tests, and I took one on Tuesday. After that test, I was basically done with my Introduction to Worship class, which was a great feeling, since now I have one less thing I have to spend a lot of time on. My last test is my Old Testament final, and it won't be available until the last day of classes next week, so I'm studying, but not terribly worried. This week is for finishing up my Hebrew and Church History papers, and therefore being almost completely done with the semester.
My other insetting lunches this week included lunch with friends twice - once with Paul and once with Mary Ann. It's great to get to spend time with my friends outside of classes, where we see each other all the time but then never have a chance to chat. Then on Wednesday, my I-group did a lunch/creek clean-up for our service project for the semester. Alum Creek is just next to the seminary, and like many creeks in cities can experience a lot of litter. We had fantastic pizza out there and then went around cleaning up what we could find. We found quite a bit of trash, but the most interesting things were a very worn tent, and a Kroger shopping cart half buried in the creek. It was pretty gross when we got it out, but we rolled it back to Kroger across the street to dump or clean up as they wished. I felt a little gross as I went directly to my next class, but nobody said I smelled too bad!
It's been a good week, and I am definitely feeling the end of the semester coming up soon. I've had a meeting about the commencement worship, since I am one of two sacristans for that worship, and I am learning how to bake gluten free bread for communion. I had a fantastic counseling appointment last Friday, and with just two left before I leave for the summer, I think I'm going to be in a reasonably good place to go into the rigors of CPE. That will be a learning experience for me in so many ways! I start CPE in three weeks, and I get to see Silas in person for the first time since the beginning of this semester in just four. I'm looking forward to what the summer has in store for me. Except for the heat - I already miss Ohio winter.
This week I also started a really nice little sewing project, but I can't say anything more about it for a bit - it's a Mother's day gift, and I don't see mom until a week from Thursday. I will add pictures then, though - I am really excited about it!
Now I'm off for one more full week, and finishing all my finals.
Kathryn
Last week was a good week filled with interesting lunches and keeping quite busy. On Monday we had a seminary lunch in which we discussed a book of stories about sexism in the church and talked about how it affects our lives too. It was a really powerful discussion, and it is interesting to consider the sexism that is still evident in the church in various forms as well as in our society as a whole. It also made for an interesting time for me just to watch and listen to everybody, because people encounter a subject like this in so many different ways.
Monday night I spent four hours researching four words in Psalms 121:3-4 for my Hebrew verse project. I loved every minute of it. It really is fascinating to see what a word in another language really means in ours and how idioms from the ancient world compare to ours. That was the prep work for one of my finals, and I also got all the research done for my Church History final last week. There I'll be writing about Quakers, Pentecostalism, and the Second Great Awakening in one paper, and John Bunyan, Reactions to Evolutionism in the church, and Vatican II in another. There are so many interesting subjects in my Church History class, so I am looking forward to writing about all of these, and I imagine I won't find it difficult.
My other two finals this semester are tests, and I took one on Tuesday. After that test, I was basically done with my Introduction to Worship class, which was a great feeling, since now I have one less thing I have to spend a lot of time on. My last test is my Old Testament final, and it won't be available until the last day of classes next week, so I'm studying, but not terribly worried. This week is for finishing up my Hebrew and Church History papers, and therefore being almost completely done with the semester.
My other insetting lunches this week included lunch with friends twice - once with Paul and once with Mary Ann. It's great to get to spend time with my friends outside of classes, where we see each other all the time but then never have a chance to chat. Then on Wednesday, my I-group did a lunch/creek clean-up for our service project for the semester. Alum Creek is just next to the seminary, and like many creeks in cities can experience a lot of litter. We had fantastic pizza out there and then went around cleaning up what we could find. We found quite a bit of trash, but the most interesting things were a very worn tent, and a Kroger shopping cart half buried in the creek. It was pretty gross when we got it out, but we rolled it back to Kroger across the street to dump or clean up as they wished. I felt a little gross as I went directly to my next class, but nobody said I smelled too bad!
It's been a good week, and I am definitely feeling the end of the semester coming up soon. I've had a meeting about the commencement worship, since I am one of two sacristans for that worship, and I am learning how to bake gluten free bread for communion. I had a fantastic counseling appointment last Friday, and with just two left before I leave for the summer, I think I'm going to be in a reasonably good place to go into the rigors of CPE. That will be a learning experience for me in so many ways! I start CPE in three weeks, and I get to see Silas in person for the first time since the beginning of this semester in just four. I'm looking forward to what the summer has in store for me. Except for the heat - I already miss Ohio winter.
This week I also started a really nice little sewing project, but I can't say anything more about it for a bit - it's a Mother's day gift, and I don't see mom until a week from Thursday. I will add pictures then, though - I am really excited about it!
Now I'm off for one more full week, and finishing all my finals.
Kathryn
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Crafts and Cleaning
Another busy week, but I'm having quite a productive weekend, which is making me feel like my last few weeks here before the summer will go smoothly.
This week was my i-group's worship week, and it went very well. We had to move our Wednesday eucharist service inside - we had been planning on having it outdoors - because of some pretty heavy rains, but it was still a lovely service. On Thursday I helped to lead a service of healing that I and one of my classmates had planned. It was nice to be able to plan and put on a service for the seminary community. Working on worship did make for another busy week, though, I'm kind of looking forward to an almost normal schedule this next week.
This weekend I have been doing many things. I have been cleaning, because my kitchen has been in quite a state. And yesterday Sarah, Kaeleigh, and I had an adventure in yarn dyeing with Easter egg dye. It was a fun thing to try out, and I was pleased with how the yarn turned out. I ended up with some nice vibrant spring colors.
This week was my i-group's worship week, and it went very well. We had to move our Wednesday eucharist service inside - we had been planning on having it outdoors - because of some pretty heavy rains, but it was still a lovely service. On Thursday I helped to lead a service of healing that I and one of my classmates had planned. It was nice to be able to plan and put on a service for the seminary community. Working on worship did make for another busy week, though, I'm kind of looking forward to an almost normal schedule this next week.
This weekend I have been doing many things. I have been cleaning, because my kitchen has been in quite a state. And yesterday Sarah, Kaeleigh, and I had an adventure in yarn dyeing with Easter egg dye. It was a fun thing to try out, and I was pleased with how the yarn turned out. I ended up with some nice vibrant spring colors.
It was actually easier than I expected it to be, and it might be a thing I try again from time to time. It's easy enough to use Easter egg dye or kool-aid to dye yarn, and then you don't have to worry about using special dishes, because they are edible and therefore not going to poison me. I love playing with color, and after starting out with simple, undyed yarn, and turning it into this I just started thinking of all the other things I could potentially do.
I also promised a picture of my finished Luther quilt, and I finally got around to finishing it. I am surprised how much I was able to do in just two weeks, when I was determined to get it done. I'm hoping I'll be able to work on several crafts this summer, when I'm not doing CPE. I love making things and finishing them. I am happy with how my Luther quilt turned out, and I might figure out a way to hang it up in my apartment.
I am beginning to think about getting myself and George home for the summer, since it's coming so soon. My mom is going to fly up to drive back with me, and we will have a good time. My biggest concerns are making sure George takes to the drive well enough, and figuring out how to bring the crafts I want home along with clothes - the crafts are taking precedence over clothes in my mind. I'm hoping to have time to make things this summer, since I won't be doing schoolwork, and I am planning on using my crafting as a self-care tool during the vigors of CPE, so I want to have plenty to work with. We will see, once I start packing, what will actually fit in my car for the drive.
For now I am off to continue cleaning and doing my laundry - an exciting Sunday afternoon!
Monday, April 28, 2014
A Week of Learning, Cooking, and Crafting
It has been a busy week and weekend, which is why I'm so late writing this, but it has certainly been a good one.
Last week was my week of Sacristan training, beginning Monday morning. It went fantastically, and despite the frequent busy-ness of the job, I absolutely loved it. For instance, when I was running from one end of the seminary to another to get a stole out of a locked cabinet three minutes before the service, I was happy as a clam. I am so much looking forward to doing this all the time next year, now that I've experienced a week of it here. My next step in sacristan training is to help with the commencement worship, so those who are graduating won't have to be sacristans for that worship. That process should start next week.
Last week I also helped with Russ and Sarah to cook Common Meal on Thursday. We had made scones in advance, and on Thursday we were making breakfast casseroles, fruit salad, and bacon. My job was the bacon, which meant spending a couple of hours cooking seven pounds of it! And of course, every bit of that bacon was gone by the end of the night. It was really fun, if a bit exhausting, to do common meal and it made me happy to be able to serve it for once, since I eat it every week.
But after Thursday I wasn't quite done cooking. I also worked a retreat this weekend, which meant cooking dinner on Friday night and breakfast on Saturday morning for a group of kids and their chaperons. It was fun work, and I got to eat too, which was definitely nice. One of the best things about working on the retreat team is that you're paid in food as well as money.
I finished and showed my Luther quilt in class last Wednesday, and I will have pictures to post up here next week, hopefully on Instagram and Facebook sooner. It was a fair bit of work, but I'm impressed with how much I was able to create in just a couple of weeks while I was at school. I probably won't expect to do a project of that scale in that short of a time here again, but it definitely inspired me to keep working on my projects when I can. I'm still making granny squares in classes, which will come together as something in the future, potentially a pretty stole. This weekend I worked on a scarf/wrap that I started awhile ago and got to the halfway point on it on Saturday. On Sunday I cleaned my house and cooked for the week, which may not seem exciting, but it is amazing how nice it is to wake up to a clean house every day. I keep trying to keep it up during the week, and maybe one day I'll get there.
This weekend was pretty exciting for several reasons beyond cleaning and cooking as well. On Saturday evening I came to the realization that I had left my phone in my locker here at the seminary, which was closed and locked until this morning. So I had to make do without for the weekend, but I had enough other ways of connecting with the people I love that it wasn't too bad. On Saturday evening, my mom as well as several other people from Abiding Grace were attending a dinner at the NT-NL Mission Assembly, and my mom accepted a pretty fantastic scholarship for me. I was nominated for a Fund for Leaders scholarship for my synod by my candidacy committee. I feel very honored to be thought of, and it was wonderful to see pictures of my church family back home cheering me on.
The other exciting thing this weekend was working at All Saints. I assisted at the earliest service and read at the late service, which was also the confirmation service. I wore a clerical collar for the first time this Sunday, and it was a certainly interesting experience. For one, everybody at All Saints recognized me as the MIC student more easily - it's a big church so there are lots of faces. Also, I went out to Starbucks between services, because I hadn't had time to eat breakfast, and it was interesting to see how people out and about responded to the collar. I'm going to continue wearing it for the time being and see how it fits with my own forming pastoral identity.
The end of the semester is only a month away, which is just crazy. I have a few projects left to get done, but my end of semester isn't too bad this year. I'm getting ready to do my CPE this summer, and I am excited for it, even though I know it will be a tough experience. I've grown a lot over this first year of seminary, and I think that growth will be helpful to me come this summer. For now though, I just need to get ready for my Old Testament class tomorrow - we're learning about the Judges!
Peace,
Kathryn
Last week was my week of Sacristan training, beginning Monday morning. It went fantastically, and despite the frequent busy-ness of the job, I absolutely loved it. For instance, when I was running from one end of the seminary to another to get a stole out of a locked cabinet three minutes before the service, I was happy as a clam. I am so much looking forward to doing this all the time next year, now that I've experienced a week of it here. My next step in sacristan training is to help with the commencement worship, so those who are graduating won't have to be sacristans for that worship. That process should start next week.
Last week I also helped with Russ and Sarah to cook Common Meal on Thursday. We had made scones in advance, and on Thursday we were making breakfast casseroles, fruit salad, and bacon. My job was the bacon, which meant spending a couple of hours cooking seven pounds of it! And of course, every bit of that bacon was gone by the end of the night. It was really fun, if a bit exhausting, to do common meal and it made me happy to be able to serve it for once, since I eat it every week.
But after Thursday I wasn't quite done cooking. I also worked a retreat this weekend, which meant cooking dinner on Friday night and breakfast on Saturday morning for a group of kids and their chaperons. It was fun work, and I got to eat too, which was definitely nice. One of the best things about working on the retreat team is that you're paid in food as well as money.
I finished and showed my Luther quilt in class last Wednesday, and I will have pictures to post up here next week, hopefully on Instagram and Facebook sooner. It was a fair bit of work, but I'm impressed with how much I was able to create in just a couple of weeks while I was at school. I probably won't expect to do a project of that scale in that short of a time here again, but it definitely inspired me to keep working on my projects when I can. I'm still making granny squares in classes, which will come together as something in the future, potentially a pretty stole. This weekend I worked on a scarf/wrap that I started awhile ago and got to the halfway point on it on Saturday. On Sunday I cleaned my house and cooked for the week, which may not seem exciting, but it is amazing how nice it is to wake up to a clean house every day. I keep trying to keep it up during the week, and maybe one day I'll get there.
This weekend was pretty exciting for several reasons beyond cleaning and cooking as well. On Saturday evening I came to the realization that I had left my phone in my locker here at the seminary, which was closed and locked until this morning. So I had to make do without for the weekend, but I had enough other ways of connecting with the people I love that it wasn't too bad. On Saturday evening, my mom as well as several other people from Abiding Grace were attending a dinner at the NT-NL Mission Assembly, and my mom accepted a pretty fantastic scholarship for me. I was nominated for a Fund for Leaders scholarship for my synod by my candidacy committee. I feel very honored to be thought of, and it was wonderful to see pictures of my church family back home cheering me on.
The other exciting thing this weekend was working at All Saints. I assisted at the earliest service and read at the late service, which was also the confirmation service. I wore a clerical collar for the first time this Sunday, and it was a certainly interesting experience. For one, everybody at All Saints recognized me as the MIC student more easily - it's a big church so there are lots of faces. Also, I went out to Starbucks between services, because I hadn't had time to eat breakfast, and it was interesting to see how people out and about responded to the collar. I'm going to continue wearing it for the time being and see how it fits with my own forming pastoral identity.
The end of the semester is only a month away, which is just crazy. I have a few projects left to get done, but my end of semester isn't too bad this year. I'm getting ready to do my CPE this summer, and I am excited for it, even though I know it will be a tough experience. I've grown a lot over this first year of seminary, and I think that growth will be helpful to me come this summer. For now though, I just need to get ready for my Old Testament class tomorrow - we're learning about the Judges!
Peace,
Kathryn
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Going Full Steam
Three weeks into the semester, and I have finally attended a full week of classes!
It's been a busy week, but I'm beginning to feel like I have a handle on things for the semester. On Tuesday, when I walked into Hebrew and realized I was a lesson behind I got a bit worried, but as I sat through that class I began to realize that I still love languages and Biblical Hebrew is no exception. I really feel like I'm learning it well now, and I'm looking forward to finishing a semester of it.
All my other classes are fantastic as well, I am truly enjoying them all. I am taking Church History 2 which covers the time of the Reformation to the present. I always love learning about the Reformation and Luther, and I'm going to enjoy the rest of the history as well. Then I'm taking Introduction to Worship as well as Music in the Contemporary Church. They are both fantastic classes about Christian worship, and they are making me so much happier to be involved in worship and think about ways to create it and lead it. I'm also taking Old Testament 1, and I always enjoy studying the Old Testament. Finally, I'm taking Spanish for Ministry.
I started Spanish along with everyone else last week. Since it was a week later to start than the other classes, I didn't miss anything. I began in the Spanish 2 class and I was a bit worried that it would be too far advanced for me. However, the first class was fantastic and I'm enjoying getting back into my Spanish, which I gave up at the end of high school. At the time I was burnt out on Spanish, but now that I've discovered my love of languages I'm excited to be back into it again. I am also attending a liturgical Spanish workshop, which will hopefully come in handy. When I'm working at Parkland hospital this summer, I am hoping that when I encounter someone whose first language is Spanish, I will at least be able to make an effort to pray for them in their native language. I'd hope that would be comforting to someone needing the kind of comfort they will need in that place.
Tuesdays are a long crazy day, and I'm exhausted by the time I get home, but the things I am learning are worth it. The rest of my days are easier, still working in the library, and spending most of my time at home learning how to read and write papers with George between me and whatever I'm doing. He's doing well, and he got a few new toys this weekend. Hopefully they'll help to distract him if he's distracting me too much.
It's just a week and a half until Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. I've been struggling with my spirituality on occasion over the past year, but I am eager to move into this and the Easter season, as I rediscover the beauty of worship and my place in it. I feel like it is going to be a wonderful semester.
Peace and love,
Kathryn
By the way: Did you know that the Alb (the white robe worn by worship leaders) is supposed to signify the purity and cleansing from sin we receive in baptism, and those wearing them are representing the baptism of all the assembly? Neat! More people should know that.
It's been a busy week, but I'm beginning to feel like I have a handle on things for the semester. On Tuesday, when I walked into Hebrew and realized I was a lesson behind I got a bit worried, but as I sat through that class I began to realize that I still love languages and Biblical Hebrew is no exception. I really feel like I'm learning it well now, and I'm looking forward to finishing a semester of it.
All my other classes are fantastic as well, I am truly enjoying them all. I am taking Church History 2 which covers the time of the Reformation to the present. I always love learning about the Reformation and Luther, and I'm going to enjoy the rest of the history as well. Then I'm taking Introduction to Worship as well as Music in the Contemporary Church. They are both fantastic classes about Christian worship, and they are making me so much happier to be involved in worship and think about ways to create it and lead it. I'm also taking Old Testament 1, and I always enjoy studying the Old Testament. Finally, I'm taking Spanish for Ministry.
I started Spanish along with everyone else last week. Since it was a week later to start than the other classes, I didn't miss anything. I began in the Spanish 2 class and I was a bit worried that it would be too far advanced for me. However, the first class was fantastic and I'm enjoying getting back into my Spanish, which I gave up at the end of high school. At the time I was burnt out on Spanish, but now that I've discovered my love of languages I'm excited to be back into it again. I am also attending a liturgical Spanish workshop, which will hopefully come in handy. When I'm working at Parkland hospital this summer, I am hoping that when I encounter someone whose first language is Spanish, I will at least be able to make an effort to pray for them in their native language. I'd hope that would be comforting to someone needing the kind of comfort they will need in that place.
Tuesdays are a long crazy day, and I'm exhausted by the time I get home, but the things I am learning are worth it. The rest of my days are easier, still working in the library, and spending most of my time at home learning how to read and write papers with George between me and whatever I'm doing. He's doing well, and he got a few new toys this weekend. Hopefully they'll help to distract him if he's distracting me too much.
It's just a week and a half until Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. I've been struggling with my spirituality on occasion over the past year, but I am eager to move into this and the Easter season, as I rediscover the beauty of worship and my place in it. I feel like it is going to be a wonderful semester.
Peace and love,
Kathryn
By the way: Did you know that the Alb (the white robe worn by worship leaders) is supposed to signify the purity and cleansing from sin we receive in baptism, and those wearing them are representing the baptism of all the assembly? Neat! More people should know that.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Christmas Break
So I was right about being sporadic in my blog writing over Christmas break. I've been quite busy, and I've had a cold, so I spent a solid week mainly laying on my couch feeling like a lazy bum.
It's been a busy Christmas with much traveling and family. I went with my parents to visit all of my family on my mom's side in Tulsa the weekend before Christmas. Tulsa had had an ice storm, but the roads were fine. It was actually fascinating to look at the trees and all the icicles. I know it's bad for the trees, but they were beautiful encased in ice. I had a very good time with my family. We exchanged small gifts and had a big Christmas dinner. It was nice to see cousins that I don't see very often and catch up with them. I also hand washed all the dishes from the sixteen person dinner, which I actually enjoyed doing and catching up with my aunts and cousins while I did it. I was also able to read on the way there and back by listening to a book on tape, since I can't actually read a book in the car without getting nauseous.
When we got back I celebrated my parents 32nd anniversary with them. I've always loved that their anniversary is two days before Christmas, so it's always been part of my Christmas celebration. Unfortunately, right after that is when I came down with my cold. It hit me pretty quickly and pretty hard, and I was sad that it happened just before Christmas Eve when my mom and I were planning on some Christmas cooking. I was basically kicked out of the kitchen, so I just had to talk with my mom while she baked cookies and got Christmas breakfast ready.
On Christmas Eve we went to church for a service at 6, and I was sad that I wasn't able to sing along with all the hymns. But it was still a lovely service, and I managed to sing Silent Night at about a tenor to finish the service. Then my brother came in and we decorated Christmas cookies. I had my own plate of cookies that I decorated and ate over the next few days in an attempt to not get my family sick.
Christmas was fantastic. I got up first and came downstairs and sat on the couch by the lit Christmas tree and read for awhile before everyone else woke up. Then as my family got up and came out to the living room, we ate our traditional breakfast and Kevin and I opened our stockings. Santa brought me a duck shaped tea infuser this year, which floats on top of my teacup while it makes tea. It is adorable, and I can't wait to use it on cold Ohio nights.
I have always sat by the tree on Christmas and passed out gifts, and this year was no exception, despite my cold. Usually I also reorganize the gifts under the tree leading up to Christmas so there will be a nice order to passing out gifts. I hadn't done that this year, but I was still trying to be even in passing out gifts to my parents, Kevin, and myself. But then I quickly realized that Kevin had many more gifts than me. Of course, that was because he didn't want anything big and I had asked for a tablet this year. I finally got to open a Samsung Galaxy Note, which I really enjoy and I'll use a lot while I'm in grad school. We spent the rest of the day playing a couple of board games that Kevin had gotten and then going to my Aunt's house for Christmas dinner. Then we sent Kevin back, because he had to work, and I went to bed shortly afterward.
Last Sunday, the Sunday after Christmas I preached my second sermon ever, to my home church. I was nervous, but I also felt more prepared than before, and when it came to actually delivering the sermon, I felt really good about it. I'm pleased that I've been able to improve over my last sermon and I'm looking forward to getting even more practice this next year.
I have also interviewed at both Children's hospital and Parkland hospital here in Dallas for my summer of Clinical Pastoral Education this summer. I will be working as a hospital chaplain for ten weeks this summer, and I'm sure it'll be an experience. Especially at one of these hospitals. The interviews went great, though, and I am actually looking forward to what I'll learn over the summer.
Other than that, I've been running around with my mom and having a good time in Grapevine, and now I am getting ready to head back to Ohio. I'll fly back tomorrow, and then leave on Sunday for a class in Iowa. It should be a great class, all about parish ministry, which I think I will love. Then I'll have a couple of weeks off in Ohio before I start my second full semester at Trinity!
Wish me luck.
It's been a busy Christmas with much traveling and family. I went with my parents to visit all of my family on my mom's side in Tulsa the weekend before Christmas. Tulsa had had an ice storm, but the roads were fine. It was actually fascinating to look at the trees and all the icicles. I know it's bad for the trees, but they were beautiful encased in ice. I had a very good time with my family. We exchanged small gifts and had a big Christmas dinner. It was nice to see cousins that I don't see very often and catch up with them. I also hand washed all the dishes from the sixteen person dinner, which I actually enjoyed doing and catching up with my aunts and cousins while I did it. I was also able to read on the way there and back by listening to a book on tape, since I can't actually read a book in the car without getting nauseous.
When we got back I celebrated my parents 32nd anniversary with them. I've always loved that their anniversary is two days before Christmas, so it's always been part of my Christmas celebration. Unfortunately, right after that is when I came down with my cold. It hit me pretty quickly and pretty hard, and I was sad that it happened just before Christmas Eve when my mom and I were planning on some Christmas cooking. I was basically kicked out of the kitchen, so I just had to talk with my mom while she baked cookies and got Christmas breakfast ready.
On Christmas Eve we went to church for a service at 6, and I was sad that I wasn't able to sing along with all the hymns. But it was still a lovely service, and I managed to sing Silent Night at about a tenor to finish the service. Then my brother came in and we decorated Christmas cookies. I had my own plate of cookies that I decorated and ate over the next few days in an attempt to not get my family sick.
Christmas was fantastic. I got up first and came downstairs and sat on the couch by the lit Christmas tree and read for awhile before everyone else woke up. Then as my family got up and came out to the living room, we ate our traditional breakfast and Kevin and I opened our stockings. Santa brought me a duck shaped tea infuser this year, which floats on top of my teacup while it makes tea. It is adorable, and I can't wait to use it on cold Ohio nights.
I have always sat by the tree on Christmas and passed out gifts, and this year was no exception, despite my cold. Usually I also reorganize the gifts under the tree leading up to Christmas so there will be a nice order to passing out gifts. I hadn't done that this year, but I was still trying to be even in passing out gifts to my parents, Kevin, and myself. But then I quickly realized that Kevin had many more gifts than me. Of course, that was because he didn't want anything big and I had asked for a tablet this year. I finally got to open a Samsung Galaxy Note, which I really enjoy and I'll use a lot while I'm in grad school. We spent the rest of the day playing a couple of board games that Kevin had gotten and then going to my Aunt's house for Christmas dinner. Then we sent Kevin back, because he had to work, and I went to bed shortly afterward.
Last Sunday, the Sunday after Christmas I preached my second sermon ever, to my home church. I was nervous, but I also felt more prepared than before, and when it came to actually delivering the sermon, I felt really good about it. I'm pleased that I've been able to improve over my last sermon and I'm looking forward to getting even more practice this next year.
I have also interviewed at both Children's hospital and Parkland hospital here in Dallas for my summer of Clinical Pastoral Education this summer. I will be working as a hospital chaplain for ten weeks this summer, and I'm sure it'll be an experience. Especially at one of these hospitals. The interviews went great, though, and I am actually looking forward to what I'll learn over the summer.
Other than that, I've been running around with my mom and having a good time in Grapevine, and now I am getting ready to head back to Ohio. I'll fly back tomorrow, and then leave on Sunday for a class in Iowa. It should be a great class, all about parish ministry, which I think I will love. Then I'll have a couple of weeks off in Ohio before I start my second full semester at Trinity!
Wish me luck.
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Has a week gone by already?
It feels like this whole week has been a catch up week. There are several times I've gotten up in the morning and said to myself, "what is due today? I guess I'll work on that." However, all told, it was another good week.
Monday was CPE day, which meant that I spent some time talking with various CPE supervisors from around here about what my experience this summer might be like. While I knew going in that I would not be at any of these sites, since I'm applying in Texas, it was really interesting to talk to the supervisors about what i would encounter in CPE and what my concerns and fears about it are. I've been working on my application, which includes a reasonably long essay, and I think I'll actually be able to get them in the mail on Monday. While I'm certain that I will have a difficult time doing CPE this summer, I also think it will be a wonderful experience and I'll be learning a lot. I'm glad I'll be going home where I have a lot of social support while I go though it.
I registered for classes for next semester this week, and I am excited about it. I will be taking a class about the life of a parish in my J-term, and then I will be taking a few interesting classes in the spring, including Intro to Worship. I'm looking forward to that because after I love worship and after I take it, I'll be able to take a larger part in worship services here. I also decided I'll be taking Spanish for Ministry next semester. I'm actually really excited about it, now that Greek has reminded me that I like languages. Given my past background in Spanish and how much comes back when I spend a little time with it, I'll probably be in Spanish 2. This will also give me a good footing for doing CPE in Texas, where I very well may meet people who speak Spanish as a first language. Hopefully this will help me connect better.
On Wednesday, I turned in my context assignment about Abiding Grace. I actually really enjoyed it and enjoyed going over everything the church has gone through in such a short time. I made a big poster-board with a map and demographics on it and it was interesting to see where the church was situated. I love that I've been a part of Abiding Grace, and it's nice to still have a home church back in Texas, especially since I still don't have one here.
On Thursday, I taught for the first time in my Teaching Adults class. I decided to teach about spirituality, and I led the class through a guided meditation to begin with. I love doing meditations, and I think I did this one really well. I still had a few things to work on in the whole lesson, but it was nice to begin to pracitce. Now I am trying to find a place to teach at later this semester (which is unfortunately only a few weeks) so that I can complete this class as a Teaching option. I think I've found a place at the church just down the street, so we'll see how that works out.
The other exciting thing this Thursday was putting together Ikea furniture. We had unloaded my car on Tuesday, and we wanted everything put together by Friday so our board of directors could use it. For the first while, there were several of us putting together the many chairs, but we did not finish, and I went back after common meal to finish off. I actually enjoyed the work, because it was quiet and didn't require much thinking. I finished all the chairs by 10 p.m., when the building closes, and I had the other girls put the room together the next morning. I loved how it turned out, and I am very excited that the room is coming together. I'm glad I've had a chance to be a part of it.
Yesterday I went thrift shopping with Lecia again, and managed to find several lovely things. I've been stocking up on sweaters, which are beginning to come in handy, and I'm loving going to thrift stores so that I can update my wardrobe without actually spending a ton of money.
My other exciting thing on Friday was going to see Alton Brown live. Silas had asked me if I'd like to go earlier in the week, and he bought me a ticket. It was a really fun and funny show, and I thoroughly enjoyed going. It was also a sweet gift from Silas, even though he could not go with me. I had a blast, and now I am excited about cooking for the next week - I'm going to be trying out something new.
Definitely a full week, but now it's only two weeks until I come home for Thanksgiving break!
Monday was CPE day, which meant that I spent some time talking with various CPE supervisors from around here about what my experience this summer might be like. While I knew going in that I would not be at any of these sites, since I'm applying in Texas, it was really interesting to talk to the supervisors about what i would encounter in CPE and what my concerns and fears about it are. I've been working on my application, which includes a reasonably long essay, and I think I'll actually be able to get them in the mail on Monday. While I'm certain that I will have a difficult time doing CPE this summer, I also think it will be a wonderful experience and I'll be learning a lot. I'm glad I'll be going home where I have a lot of social support while I go though it.
I registered for classes for next semester this week, and I am excited about it. I will be taking a class about the life of a parish in my J-term, and then I will be taking a few interesting classes in the spring, including Intro to Worship. I'm looking forward to that because after I love worship and after I take it, I'll be able to take a larger part in worship services here. I also decided I'll be taking Spanish for Ministry next semester. I'm actually really excited about it, now that Greek has reminded me that I like languages. Given my past background in Spanish and how much comes back when I spend a little time with it, I'll probably be in Spanish 2. This will also give me a good footing for doing CPE in Texas, where I very well may meet people who speak Spanish as a first language. Hopefully this will help me connect better.
On Wednesday, I turned in my context assignment about Abiding Grace. I actually really enjoyed it and enjoyed going over everything the church has gone through in such a short time. I made a big poster-board with a map and demographics on it and it was interesting to see where the church was situated. I love that I've been a part of Abiding Grace, and it's nice to still have a home church back in Texas, especially since I still don't have one here.
On Thursday, I taught for the first time in my Teaching Adults class. I decided to teach about spirituality, and I led the class through a guided meditation to begin with. I love doing meditations, and I think I did this one really well. I still had a few things to work on in the whole lesson, but it was nice to begin to pracitce. Now I am trying to find a place to teach at later this semester (which is unfortunately only a few weeks) so that I can complete this class as a Teaching option. I think I've found a place at the church just down the street, so we'll see how that works out.
The other exciting thing this Thursday was putting together Ikea furniture. We had unloaded my car on Tuesday, and we wanted everything put together by Friday so our board of directors could use it. For the first while, there were several of us putting together the many chairs, but we did not finish, and I went back after common meal to finish off. I actually enjoyed the work, because it was quiet and didn't require much thinking. I finished all the chairs by 10 p.m., when the building closes, and I had the other girls put the room together the next morning. I loved how it turned out, and I am very excited that the room is coming together. I'm glad I've had a chance to be a part of it.
Yesterday I went thrift shopping with Lecia again, and managed to find several lovely things. I've been stocking up on sweaters, which are beginning to come in handy, and I'm loving going to thrift stores so that I can update my wardrobe without actually spending a ton of money.
My other exciting thing on Friday was going to see Alton Brown live. Silas had asked me if I'd like to go earlier in the week, and he bought me a ticket. It was a really fun and funny show, and I thoroughly enjoyed going. It was also a sweet gift from Silas, even though he could not go with me. I had a blast, and now I am excited about cooking for the next week - I'm going to be trying out something new.
Definitely a full week, but now it's only two weeks until I come home for Thanksgiving break!
Monday, November 4, 2013
Busy, But With a Puppy!
It's been another busy week, and I am working hard to keep up with everything, but Thanksgiving break will be here before I know it. Eighteen days, to be exact, but whose counting?
Still, despite my busy-ness, I am enjoying my time here and everything I'm learning. This week I went to an orthodox synagogue down the street with one of my classes and it was a very interesting experience. I've had some experience with synagogues before at OSU, but this was the first orthodox one I'd been to and it was interesting to learn about what was different and important to them. It was also interesting to hear the rabbi talk about "why we aren't Christians" because it was a chance to see Christianity from an entirely different point of view.
I've already covered two gospels in my New Testament class since fall break, and we're moving on to medieval Christianity in Church History. This is actually one of the parts of Church History I'm more interested in, simply because I haven't learned much about it before. I think it should continue to be fascinating for me through the rest of the semester.
Outside of classes I have been plenty busy with other things. Last Friday was our Choral Evensong, which is an evensong service in which I sang a mass by Mozart with my choir. It made for a long Friday, but it was a beautiful service and I was happy to be a part of it. I love having a chance to sing in a choir here, because I love to sing and I don't know how many opportunities for singing in a choir I'll have after I graduate.
Also on Friday (besides working five hours) I went to my first financial counseling appointment, which went really well. It's nice to be able to talk with someone about my finances, since I am brand new to being in charge of all my money. Apparently I really am turning into an adult.
On Saturday I had a bit of an adventure, as Erica and I drove down to Cincinnati to go to Ikea. We were buying furniture for a room in the seminary which we are helping to redecorate and make more used. I also brought a puppy along, because I was dog-sitting for someone who was going to LutherBowl, and I didn't want to leave her crated the whole morning and early afternoon. Having the puppy, Susie, was fine on the drive down because she just ran around in my backseat and had a great time. However, we ended up buying more than I expected at Ikea, and my car was absolutely stuffed full. So, Susie had to sit up front with us, and she ended up curled up in the crook of my left arm and slept most of the drive. And that means I had to drive all the way from Cincinnati to Columbus one-handed. We made it just fine though, and now we have a ton of furniture to put into this room. It should be lovely when it is done.
I have had a bit of time for rest, with my regular craft afternoon yesterday. On Sundays a few people in the seminary who like to craft get together and just spend some time not working. It's our way of making sure we actually do take some rest time. Yesterday I began a pink teddy bear as a gift for Silas' niece who will be born in January. I am hoping she will like it.
Now I am starting a new week, and today we have CPE day, in which we talk to different CPE supervisors and get a feel for what we'll be doing this summer. I am nearly done with my applications and should be sending them in by the end of the week, and if all goes well I'll be coming home for the summer! I'm looking forward to being there and having the support of all my family and friends back home as I go through this potentially difficult learning process.
Keep me in your prayers this week,
Kathryn
Still, despite my busy-ness, I am enjoying my time here and everything I'm learning. This week I went to an orthodox synagogue down the street with one of my classes and it was a very interesting experience. I've had some experience with synagogues before at OSU, but this was the first orthodox one I'd been to and it was interesting to learn about what was different and important to them. It was also interesting to hear the rabbi talk about "why we aren't Christians" because it was a chance to see Christianity from an entirely different point of view.
I've already covered two gospels in my New Testament class since fall break, and we're moving on to medieval Christianity in Church History. This is actually one of the parts of Church History I'm more interested in, simply because I haven't learned much about it before. I think it should continue to be fascinating for me through the rest of the semester.
Outside of classes I have been plenty busy with other things. Last Friday was our Choral Evensong, which is an evensong service in which I sang a mass by Mozart with my choir. It made for a long Friday, but it was a beautiful service and I was happy to be a part of it. I love having a chance to sing in a choir here, because I love to sing and I don't know how many opportunities for singing in a choir I'll have after I graduate.
Also on Friday (besides working five hours) I went to my first financial counseling appointment, which went really well. It's nice to be able to talk with someone about my finances, since I am brand new to being in charge of all my money. Apparently I really am turning into an adult.
On Saturday I had a bit of an adventure, as Erica and I drove down to Cincinnati to go to Ikea. We were buying furniture for a room in the seminary which we are helping to redecorate and make more used. I also brought a puppy along, because I was dog-sitting for someone who was going to LutherBowl, and I didn't want to leave her crated the whole morning and early afternoon. Having the puppy, Susie, was fine on the drive down because she just ran around in my backseat and had a great time. However, we ended up buying more than I expected at Ikea, and my car was absolutely stuffed full. So, Susie had to sit up front with us, and she ended up curled up in the crook of my left arm and slept most of the drive. And that means I had to drive all the way from Cincinnati to Columbus one-handed. We made it just fine though, and now we have a ton of furniture to put into this room. It should be lovely when it is done.
I have had a bit of time for rest, with my regular craft afternoon yesterday. On Sundays a few people in the seminary who like to craft get together and just spend some time not working. It's our way of making sure we actually do take some rest time. Yesterday I began a pink teddy bear as a gift for Silas' niece who will be born in January. I am hoping she will like it.
Now I am starting a new week, and today we have CPE day, in which we talk to different CPE supervisors and get a feel for what we'll be doing this summer. I am nearly done with my applications and should be sending them in by the end of the week, and if all goes well I'll be coming home for the summer! I'm looking forward to being there and having the support of all my family and friends back home as I go through this potentially difficult learning process.
Keep me in your prayers this week,
Kathryn
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)