7 months of....plenty.

Let me say this- after 7 months of not blogging, I realized that I miss it. And yet I have complete grace for myself for not blogging these past several months....here's why:

1. I've been pregnant (complete with 2.5 months of morning sickness)
2. I created curriculum for and taught 2 college courses
3. I maintained an invigorating full-time gig helping students succeed at Presentation College
4. I wrote liturgy and sermons for 10 Sunday mornings & one funeral
5. I organized a new home & accumulated baby things, quite inexpensively (therefore, tediously).
6. I maintained status as a member in discernment for ordination
7. I completed an online UCC polity and history course (and wrote a 24 pg. ordination paper)
8. I cooked, cleaned, maintained a garden, did laundry, hosted family and friends, invited a youth group into our home for two over-nights, and tried my best to be a good wife, friend, family member, and neighbor. In other words- I lived.

I am aware that each of those statements began with "I." This I recognize as the main reason for not finding time to blog- I felt overwhelmed with life. And when life overwhelms, I get self-focused.

Not intentionally, of course...it just happens.

So here I am- 36 weeks pregnant,  and I blog once again.  This is indeed a time of transition for me, a time to ask, "where do I go from here?"

The question I pose is mostly answered for me- I become a parent. That's the main answer. AJ & I invite a forever change into our lifestyle. We embark from the world of couples to engage the world of families. And we are excited.

Even so, many unknowns are still present in my life. Regarding ordination and ministry prospects, details are uncertain. I hope to maintain a part-time ministry position after maternity leave, but I must simply wait for tedious processes to unfold, praying that what is best for our family is also best for the church. And I felt a form of uncertainty when resigning from my position at Presentation College. No longer counting on 2 incomes, AJ & I find ourselves asking financially, where do we go from here? In an interesting twist of events- I began paying on my student loans the same month I resigned my full-time position.  Oh yes, what a strange and crazy question it is to ask each day, each week: where do I go from here?

And so I blog again, reminding myself and others that although life is uncertain, it's the search for answers that makes it worthwhile.  Here's to keeping the question alive...

From little bump to big bump