The seminary asked if I would be willing to have my picture taken as part of their campaign to renew their brochures and website photos. I guess that would be OK. I am featured on one of the Concordia brochures and I wish to be an equal opportunity model. I believe I represent the "older white woman rejoining the workforce" contingency. Besides, its on my morning off, and its only an hour.
I show up at the designated time to discover that not everyone is able to make the exact time. They have coffee and doughnuts (Timmie's!), so I just hang around until a few others show up including the photographer. One by one bleary eyed students enter the classroom, and it turns out I know most of them.
Having begun with one Cohort, but being delayed due to health issues and squeezing in a few regular classes between core courses has exposed me to people in a variety of Cohorts from 19 to 24. It gets to be silly. As each person enters, I greet them and we hug and catch up on news. I am one of the few who knows people from other groups.
It works well though. As we casually chat, they pose us and the photographer snaps lots of natural shots of students interacting. Throw in a few faculty and we are good to go. Before I know it, an hour has stretched into two before we finally wind it up. New brochures are good. Mostly I am glad for a chance to see everyone and reconnect. Yeah!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
To the Doctors
Drew's cough is much worse. A number of people I know who have this cold are now dealing with bronchitis. In light of Drew's past encounter with chlorine gas that resulted in a bad case of pneumonia, I have no wish to let this get beyond help. I call the doctor to schedule an appointment. I am told there are no openings, and that if someone cancels, they will call me.
I wait. There is a call. We get cut off. By the time I get them back, the opening is taken. I guess tomorrow will work, but the receptionist suggests urgent care. OK. I call. We have a 2pm appointment. It is the same place Drew went when he sprained his ankle. They are pleasant. The wait is not too long, maybe a half hour. The doctor is obviously a pediatrician used to dealing with younger patients, but he is kind and understanding.
Its viral. BUT there are things we can do to make him more comfortable. Ever heard of cough pearls? Me either, but we get a prescription and head to the pharmacy. Unfortunately, since Drew is rarely sick, I have never had to fill a prescription for him, and they will need to contact the insurance company first. We go home to wait. Drew would rather be sleeping.
After several rounds of phone interaction, we finally sort out that Drew's birthdate information is incorrect. Once we get past that hurdle, we are finally able to fill the scripts. Without insurance, $69. With insurance, $55. Not a great savings, but at least something. And now if Drew ever needs medicine, he is good to go. At least until we change insurance next year.
Meanwhile, poor baby with his swollen red nose and watery eyes. He dutifully takes his cough pearls and inhaler and ibuprofen and sips hot honey tea and sucks a cough drop and blows his sore nose. Then he slips back to bed and into a restless sleep until the virus runs its course and lets him be. Aw.
I wait. There is a call. We get cut off. By the time I get them back, the opening is taken. I guess tomorrow will work, but the receptionist suggests urgent care. OK. I call. We have a 2pm appointment. It is the same place Drew went when he sprained his ankle. They are pleasant. The wait is not too long, maybe a half hour. The doctor is obviously a pediatrician used to dealing with younger patients, but he is kind and understanding.
Its viral. BUT there are things we can do to make him more comfortable. Ever heard of cough pearls? Me either, but we get a prescription and head to the pharmacy. Unfortunately, since Drew is rarely sick, I have never had to fill a prescription for him, and they will need to contact the insurance company first. We go home to wait. Drew would rather be sleeping.
After several rounds of phone interaction, we finally sort out that Drew's birthdate information is incorrect. Once we get past that hurdle, we are finally able to fill the scripts. Without insurance, $69. With insurance, $55. Not a great savings, but at least something. And now if Drew ever needs medicine, he is good to go. At least until we change insurance next year.
Meanwhile, poor baby with his swollen red nose and watery eyes. He dutifully takes his cough pearls and inhaler and ibuprofen and sips hot honey tea and sucks a cough drop and blows his sore nose. Then he slips back to bed and into a restless sleep until the virus runs its course and lets him be. Aw.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Finishing the Paper
One down. One to go. It takes about an hour a page, all told, not including the first reading of the materials, to complete a paper. Each paper is 5 to 6 pages. So there is at least 12 hours of just paper writing here. Not to mention the hours of reading, tracking quotes for the ministry file, and doing the spiritual formation exercises. Hear me whine?
You would think I hate doing this, but the truth is that I am finally beginning to understand some of the philosophies that have impacted my religious journey. Not my faith so much, just the ways in which that faith has found community and expression. It is fascinating to trace how the reactions I have had over time match the writings of the theologians. Nice to be able to articulate and turn over in your mind reasons for why you were uncomfortable with some iterations of Church and why others have so much appeal.
Today, I know I will finish my paper. I am not particularly relishing the work, but I am encouraged that the product of all this labor is well worth the effort. So I dig in once again, wishing it could all somehow magically flow from my head to the monitor screen in a straight forward fashion rather than helter skelter and then needing intervention.
Outside the day is gorgeous. The kids are planning a park expedition. The leaves are wonderful hues of gold, yellow, bronze, red, and every shade inbetween. The sky is alluring blue. I am thankful that I do not have an outside window in my office or the call of the outdoors might be too much to resist. Even the fully opened delicate pink rose by the front door chides me not to waste my time inside today. But I do resist. And if I work very hard, perhaps I can still manage some breath of fresh air before nightfall.
Work along steady and constant. Keep plugging away. Soon you will be done and free. Never mind that next week you will do the same thing again. Just concentrate on today. This is not forever. Only for a season. And like any seed planted, will bear good fruit on down the road when you need it most. And you DO know what those seasons can be like.
You would think I hate doing this, but the truth is that I am finally beginning to understand some of the philosophies that have impacted my religious journey. Not my faith so much, just the ways in which that faith has found community and expression. It is fascinating to trace how the reactions I have had over time match the writings of the theologians. Nice to be able to articulate and turn over in your mind reasons for why you were uncomfortable with some iterations of Church and why others have so much appeal.
Today, I know I will finish my paper. I am not particularly relishing the work, but I am encouraged that the product of all this labor is well worth the effort. So I dig in once again, wishing it could all somehow magically flow from my head to the monitor screen in a straight forward fashion rather than helter skelter and then needing intervention.
Outside the day is gorgeous. The kids are planning a park expedition. The leaves are wonderful hues of gold, yellow, bronze, red, and every shade inbetween. The sky is alluring blue. I am thankful that I do not have an outside window in my office or the call of the outdoors might be too much to resist. Even the fully opened delicate pink rose by the front door chides me not to waste my time inside today. But I do resist. And if I work very hard, perhaps I can still manage some breath of fresh air before nightfall.
Work along steady and constant. Keep plugging away. Soon you will be done and free. Never mind that next week you will do the same thing again. Just concentrate on today. This is not forever. Only for a season. And like any seed planted, will bear good fruit on down the road when you need it most. And you DO know what those seasons can be like.
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