Getting Lost

The things that get lost or forgotten when you drop out for a while never cease to amaze me. Depending on how you want to count time, I was out with Bob's liver for, say, six months. My recovery has been much longer. I'm not eliciting any kind of pity because I am way over that, but just keep noticing stuff that got waylaid. For example, yesterday I discovered that my passport is a month expired. How can someone who works for an international agency have an expired passport? I wouldn't know except for that I lost my driver's license and so dug out the passport in case I get pulled over. I just had my driver's license ten days ago so where is it now?

So I need to figure this out before this weekend, when I get on a plane to go to Brooklyn, New York, to see Bob get ordained. Depending on how you want to count time this has been eleven years in coming. Eleven years since he started taking seminary classes at New York Theological Center. Eleven years since he figured out that he absolutely did not want me to type his papers because I tend to over-edit. A colleague told me how her husband learned how to type using the Mavis Beacon program. That's what I got for Bob and it worked. He's very handy with the keyboard now.

In other words, I really have to get on that plane and I really need to figure out my ID.

Amanda is watching the movie Selena, which we have watched together about 25 times. It still chokes me up. The kids are kind of in a movie marathon phase of things these days. Desperately seeking friends.

Anyway, this morning in church when people were invited to come up for prayers at the alter after communion I was transported to Christ Church on Capitol Hill in St. Paul, where I came forward for two years depending on how you count time, I came forward to a wonderful woman named Mertle who would lay her hands upon me and pray for Bob's call. After a while I started wondering exactly how long and hard to pray for this, and what exactly will "praying" do anyway. I still don't get praying, but I still go to the alter when possible and ask for someone else to put their hands on me and talk to God. And this morning it was quite amazing to think that we were here, at Bob's call. The lost have been found. So I prayed for thanks.

This church, St. John's Lutheran Church in Des Moines, is really quite amazing. I don't even know where to start. Should I join the digital photography group? Or the recreational reading group? How about the wine tasting ministry (I am not kidding). And then there's the ASAP, Afterschool Arts Program, whereby they are busing kids in from transitional neighborhoods so they can spend time in five art studios -- 2D, 3D, Dance, Instrumental, and Fabric -- all these studios in the church building, run by church members. Art and music, art and music, everything around here is art and music. Gotta go, our organist is giving her premier organ recital this afternoon. Since the organ is in the back of the church, they're projecting her image to the front so we can both hear and see her art and music.

Pray that I find my driver's licence.

Thanks SO MUCH for coming over to the charmer blog.

Love, T