On Friendship

Friendships are built on a lot of things. 

There are the big things: shared joys, shared sorrows, having each other's backs in hard times. There are long conversations about the challenges of life and about learning and growth.

There are the little things: shared jokes, laughter, books, stories, adventures. There are long conversations about mundane things and long car rides and ice cream and quiet times just being together.

While friendships are generally build on come commonalities, there are also differences and those are good too. We don't have to like the all the same things or have the same lives. The differences may be enough to surprise people, but they work.

There are friendships for a short time and friendships for a long time. I had friends in university who were for that time and then we drifted apart. That was okay too. We had been friends and had shared a time and it was good, it was fun, and then it was time for all of us to move on to another life.

I used to think that I didn't know how to make friends. My friend group was very small and I often felt on the edge of it. That eventually changed and now I have so many people, and I understand what was going on in my early years. When I was younger, I was at a small school and I was different. I didn't fit in, and I thought it was my fault, that something was wrong with me, but I didn't know how to change. As I got older, I people who were my sort of different, and others who are not but who are okay with my kind of different. I didn't need to learn how to make friends and I didn't need to change; I just needed to find my people.

I still only have a small circle of very close friends, and I like it that way. I also have a huge circle of good friends, people I like to be with. I look back at my younger years and I understand and I want to tell the children who don't quite fit in with their peers: Be patient. Your time is coming. You will find your people.

“The typical expression of opening Friendship would be something like, "What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”...[I]t is there that Friendship is born. And instantly they stand together in an immense solitude."

― C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

So Very Tired

I haven't been sleeping well this week. I'm blaming the weather; it's been constantly changing this week with hot, cooler, windy, rainy, humid, pressure up and down....it's been a mess!

Last night was the worst. Along with the regular challenges, yesterday was Sunday School registration and there were way too many children registered. Once upon a time, I had 3 classes and around 45 students to oversee. Now I have 7 classes, 100 students, and several on the wait list for this fall. We're out of room and I have squeezed in every child possible. So last night my brain wouldn't shut off about the students and how to tell some parents that they have to be on the wait list and disappointing children. It did not make for a good sleep. 

Although I did sleep very well... for about 2 hours in the early morning! The rest was a bit of dozing and a lot of awake.

Today is a rest day. I've been watching animal documentaries and lounging on the couch with books. I'm really, really hoping that I fall asleep for a while.

Sleep is good. I miss sleep. Maybe tonight will be better.

Just Bits of Stuff

Four years ago I offered my first Church History class with 6 high school students. It was a wild time and so much fun teaching them. Yesterday, it was announced that one of the kids is now engaged, which means that of the original group, 5 of them are either engaged, married, or in a serious relationship. I suggested that we needed to get the sixth one married off, but his mom objected!

Wednesday will be Sunday School registration. It opens at 10:00 and I've already arranged for it to be closed at 2:00. Previous experience has shown that the classes will be full by then; most of them are full by 11:00 (and some by 10:20). Anyone who waits later then that will have to contact me and then get on the wait list. I am looking forward to the day when we have enough room for all the kids and a junior high class again.

Pastor Mark preached yesterday. He doesn't preach often, and I enjoy it when he does. 

I was at church camp one afternoon last week. I've been able to not go for all the years (maybe 14 or so?) that camp has been a thing, but I finally agreed to spend one afternoon there since I had friends going out anyway. I was rainy and muddy and there were so many kids! That said, it was okay. Several people have campers and I was able to visit with some families. Also, it was the talent show and that was fun.

That said, it was very busy and there were so many people and I have no idea how people do it for the entire week! 

This week is pretty quiet. I really, really need to get more Sunday School lessons written and ready to go. My goal is 12 weeks (10 lessons and 2 review weeks); so far, I have 7 lessons and 1 review week completed. If I can get through the rest by the end of August, I'll feel ready to start.

Work is starting up again. I have the initial list of students and some of the program plans are done and ready to check. There are still people who need to register, so I don't know what my final numbers will be for this year.

Overall, things are going along well right now. The sun is shining, my garden is growing, I have many flowers and some tomatoes on my tomato plants, and I just realized that I need to go and water them!

Balance

I'm working on finding balance in my life this summer. My schedule is a bit up and down during the year. September starts to get busy. October and November are wildly busy; December is somewhat busy but starting to wind down; January and February are quieter; March and April and most of May are wildly busy; the rest of may and June are somewhat busy; July and August are quieter. 

That makes July and August (and to a lesser extent January and February) time to rest and recover from being surrounded by people all the time. It is also time to prepare for the next time of wildly busy.

The balance is in rest and prepare. What do I need to do to be ready for the next onslaught? What do I need to take care of that gets neglected during the busy times? And at the same time, how do I rest and recover from the very busy times? Is it okay to just stop for a while? How do I best rest?

I don't really have answers. I have lists of things that I want (and need) to accomplish this summer. I have looming deadlines (Sunday School starts in 5 weeks and 3 days). 

I also know that this is my off time, my time to rest and recharge. I don't yet know the best way to do this. I'm considering a few days of "staycation" where I shut off electronics and just stop for a while. Just me and my books, a new puzzle that's waiting to be built, some nice walks outside, the occasional nap, and time to reflect. And somehow without thinking about the things that I still need to accomplish this summer.

Balance. Between the things that I need and the things I need to do. Maybe this will be the summer that I find it.

Sunday Stuff

Pastor James is back from vacation and back in the pulpit. I really like it when the other elders preach, but James is still my favourite. He preached about discipleship yesterday, and had a lot of good things to say about what it was, how it happens, and what our responsibility as disciples is.

I think I have all my Sunday School teachers, helpers, and substitutes ready to go. I'm hoping for one more young man whom I think will be a great teacher, but that's not quite settled yet; I may have to wait until Christmas to get him. I can be patient. For now, we have enough to start the year strong. There are several new young people joining our ranks, from the 18-25 year old range. I love having the younger ones as not only are they enthusiastic and full of energy, and if we start training the now, we can have a new generation of teachers in place when I'm ready to retire (a long time from now).

I held a wee baby girl yesterday. She's only about three weeks old and so tiny and adorable!

The library computer is being annoying, It refuses to stay connected to the internet, and often can't find any wifi networks. Yesterday I gave up on it and took all the "check out" forms and a list of returned books home to deal with here. I did a bit of tidying up, but the young girls did the biggest part: straightening up and organizing the children's books. It probably stayed tidy at least until the end of first service!

Someone approached me with an idea for the Christmas concert. She would like to have a small choir to do some special music, including the angel chorus and Simeon's song.

Sunday afternoon was quiet. I phoned my parents later in the afternoon (it's our regular Sunday call) and caught up on the news. 

Overall, it was quite a nice Sunday.

Summer Blahs

It is August and it is usually hot and always humid. I just feel tired and worn and blah-ish. It is based entirely on it being either too hot or too humid or both, and the often messed up sleep that comes with it. 

I know: It's just for a little while. When I can force myself to get going on some project, I can keep going and feel better. It's okay to have rest days when I haven't slept well. It's summer and this is my time to rest before the new school/ministry year (September is already getting full).

Even though I know all the things, it's still tiring. It's still hard to get going.

This morning I have accomplished only a few things. I spent time in prayer; today was a day for a thank you prayer where I remembered all the ways I've been blessed and take time to thank God for the life He has given me and for my people. I spent time in the Word (I'm in Galatians 6). I made a lovely smoothie for breakfast. I went for a walk through my building, up and down the stairs and up and down the hallways, even doing a double round, and using the time to practice my summer memory work (the woman's ministry is memorizing 1 Corinthians 13 this summer). I checked my work email and was happy that there was nothing to deal with!

So it hasn't been entirely unproductive. I'll try for more work after lunch; my goal for today is to at least work on the new Sunday School curriculum and do some summer reading.

Oh...and I accomplished my goal of writing another blog post!

Summer Reading

This year I decided to set up a summer reading plan which includes books that I've owned for a while by have yet to read. Each month gets three books: one deeper one (often a Puritan Paperback); one for learning; and one biography of sorts. It was an attempt to finish some books and spend time on deeper reading while I have the free time. As long as there's nothing else going on, Monday-Friday (and sometimes Saturdays) starting around 3:30 will find me on the couch with my books for some focused reading time. It's been a nice bit of routine and I've been getting though some books.

In June I read: 

Dear Titus, a series of letters written by various pastors offering advice to an imaginary church planter named Titus. My own Pastor James wrote a chapter (which I edited in exchange for a copy of the book). 

Humble Roots Hannah Anderson. I've read it before, so maybe it shouldn't have made it into my reading plan, but it's been a while and I had been planning to reread it in January and never did! 

A Man Called Intrepid by William Stevenson, a book about spies and espionage, mostly during WWII.

In July I read:

An Ark for All God's Noahs by Thomas Brooks. This was a more challenging read (the Puritans tend to be), but very good.

Unmet Expectations by Lisa Hughes. We're going to read it eventually in my discipleship class and I wanted to read through it early on; I'll read it again even more carefully when we get to it in class.

Spy Dust by Antonio and Jonna Mendez: more spies, this time during the cold war.

My August Plan (I did a bit in the first book last week, but I am really starting it today):

Personal Declension and Revival of Religion in the Soul by Octavius Winslow, another one of the Puritans and one that needs to be read rather slowly.

The Conversation by Leigh Bortins, the third in her classical education series and one that I started so very long ago and then got distracted.

From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya by Ruth Tucker: Christian missions told through biographies.

I've also been reading other books as well, of course: some memoirs, some novels, whatever caught my fancy. These were the most important and planned ones, though. 

I'm enjoying my reading times and finding it a nice bit of routine in the more relaxed days of summer. I may keep the "summer reading" plan through September, although possibly with only 2 "must reads" as things will be getting busier.

By October my reading habits will change as I'll be traveling more. Then I switch to bus reading (lighter books, more novels and such). I'll try to pick it up in December again, on the modified schedule, and then for January/February as a "winter reading" plan when I'm not travelling. It seems like a good way to ensure that I'm reading good books regularly.