Weekly post

Nov. 27, 2006

Dear friends,

Ah, technology, the two-sided coin. For the last three weeks, I have written an entry, but the blog site was unable to post it. It seems to be working now, so I can only hope that this one land where it is supposed to.

Term-paper season has wound down -- several term papers, the last due tomorrow, but completed -- and it's now final-exam season. We all want to do well, although it's hard sometimes to put into words why that's so important -- we just know that we do want to do well.

Thanksgiving was good -- several days off from school for all, although by Sunday the husband was grousing about when we were all going to get out of the house so he could get some work done. I think he's just jealous about having to share computer time, myself. We got to spend some time with my parents, which was nice. Love it when they can visit with the childrenses. My parents also surprised and touched me deeply with an early Christmas gift, a stole. It's my first one, and to receive a symbol of pastoral office from my own parents is incredibly affirming. The stole also happens to be beautiful, handwoven in Guatemala with bright, lovely colors. At the same time, the pastor overseeing my internship has suggested that it might be good for me to begin wearing a clerical shirt when performing pastoral duties such as making Communion visits and leading worship or preaching. Two such shirts will be Mark's Christmas gift to me, and I hope to be able to order them at the first of the month, so they can arrive by the 17th, when I will be preaching next.

This post, it seems, is less about schoolwork and more about a growing pastoral identity, but that seems right for this day and this time of the semester.

I must turn in my last term paper by trying to get it to post to the right spot on Blackboard, an academic Web site that the divinity school is using these days. It's a pain in the neck, honestly. I'd rather print it out and put it in the teacher's mailbox, but this is what they ask for. As I said, technology is a two-sided coin. If this posts, then I'll see you next week.

Grace and peace,
Beth

Weekly post

Nov. 6, 2006

Dear friends,

What a week. Election Day looms, two quizzes and an hour exam in Greek last week (yes, two quizzes and an exam in one week), and a term paper due Thursday that I will probably not finish until Wednesday. Whew!

Other courses are going well, and I apologize for the brevity of this post. I hope that I will have more time next week.

Keep me in your prayers, and know that you are in mine.

Grace and peace,
Beth