rose-colored sunglasses

-Going to the office (and admittedly being a bit grumpy about having to work on my day off) and discovering that red roses have mysteriously appeared on my desk. Fitzroy people do this from time to time and it is such a lovely thing to do.

-A blissfully blinding, clear, spring-hinting, sunny day. The warmth on my back as I walked made me want to skip.

-At the 4S Club (Soup, Sandwiches and Something Special) for the older folk at Fitzroy, Dorothy announced to them all that she had used the spa treatment they bought her for Christmas and had a facial and her nails done. They all ooh'd and ahh'd. Later at the table, Pamela showed off nails that she decided on a whim to get painted cobalt blue while Dorothy went for a dusty rose. They commented on mine (raspberry-ish) and I explained that on a particularly cold, rainy day recently I just needed to create some spring and so painted my nails a cheery color.

better and safer

-I had an amazing dinner at Andrea and Tilmann's last night. His family was visiting from Germany and we had the most delicious food: red snapper, cod and tuna with an amazing dill cream sauce and potatoes and vegetables. The conversation was entertaining and on the way out, it was all topped off by spotting this Celtic (I assume) writing on a table that speaks so much to my time of discernment right now. How profound and hopeful.

-The McNeills at church have adopted a new dog named Molly and they brought her to a lunch today and the Trinders and we all doted on the adorably scruffy salt-and-pepper colored pooch. She just reveled in the attention and you could tell that Sheila just adores her.

-My dear friend Rob writing a facebook note about "beating the late-winter funk" and saying to be on the lookout for the grace that abounds and mentioning my blog, which of course was a glimpse of grace in itself for me.

know thy wizard, too

-Teaching the primary school assembly this morning and telling them the story of the Good Samaritan and getting kids to act it out with me, including a cute little boy named Samuel, who of course got to be the Good Samaritan "Sam".

-A terribly rainy, cold day that somehow didn't bother me too much. Walking back home, I actually enjoyed the vacant, drenched park and the rhythmic plink-plunk on my umbrella so much that I took a winding path I've never taken before just to see something different.

-Taking about 20 Fitzroy young people to the movies to see a slightly-cheesy romantic comedy called "Leap Year" and realizing how amazing it is that this is my job. What fun!

-I've decided to re-read all of the Harry Potter books and am having so much fun getting caught up in the story again, so much so that I steal little moments to read it, like whilst drinking my morning coffee.

-Hearing from my sister's blog that she's had a really great day. Love you, Sista!

know thy elf

-The "young at heart" ladies in Bible study (they're mostly in their eighties) deciding that after my having taught the last couple of Bible studies that I should just continue and teach them all "while they have me." I love engaging in the Word with them because they have such devout faith and poignant questions, and am so honored that they've embraced me so heartily. It's amazing how women who have never before worked with a female minister and who certainly would be accustomed to a traditional one have been some of the most devout supporters of my sense of calling. Plus, the homemade scones and earl grey tea aren't too shabby. After having a guy my age at a Presbyterian Church in Ireland full-time youth workers' day today say "so are you seriously ordained? No offense, but I don't see you as a minister...you look so young!" it's nice to know these more mature ladies have my back. I replied to this guy that I get that whole "you don't look like a minister thing" a lot, and that I consider it part of my calling to break the mold, to show young women that this is an option for them too.

-Seeing an elf tree on my walk home through the park and having something childlike stirred within me. Have I told you that as a child I used to think that these smoothed-over parts of trees were doors for the elves who lived inside? Occasionally, I could be seen talking to trees for this reason. Yeah for child's imaginations. Maybe here it's a leprechaun tree...

-Running into my friend Tura while walking and both of us popping our headphones out of our ears to engage in actual communication (as opposed to the sometimes-blissful, but always individualistic, iPod world).

{Feeling bored? Or maybe Lentish? Or just want to hear me speaking with an ever-so-slight Norn Iron lilt? You can have a listen to a recent sermon I preached at Fitzroy based on Luke 4:1-13, Jesus' temptation in the wilderness, called "Le(n)t it be." It's here.}

(be)autiful

I had a day-and-a-half at my favorite place on this whole wee island, Craigantlet, on Saturday. The cottage we all stay in is owned by friends of Jonee who open it up when they're away on holiday for Jonee to come and bring friends. True Irish hospitality, there's nothing like it! So generous and kind. It was way too short, but a lovely time. It gave me space to cook, read, discern, sleep, walk, hang out with good friends and just be.

-Waking up to find snow floating down and everything covered in fluffy white. Oh how I dreamed of getting snowed in at this wonderful place, but sadly it didn't happen.

-I made pancakes with homemade blueberry syrup for breakfast and, as you can see, they didn't even last long enough to photograph! Very yummy.

-It was an absolutely beautiful afternoon and I walked along the beach with Jonee and Andrea, skipped stones in the Irish Sea, collected weathered glass and seashells and even had a nice little sit atop a hill by the sea to sit, think and reflect while listening to waters rushing in and out around me. Scripture mentions the voice of God like the sound of rushing waters...I think it's right.

-Playing with the wonderfully affectionate Casey (who didn't stay still long enough to take a normal picture!). She reminds me of the dog in Neverending Story in this picture.

-The fabulous Sheena made us all a birthday cake (several of us had January birthdays, so this was a late celebration of them all). Chocolate with orange marmalade and extravagant, rich icing. After our beach walk we came in to warm up with a cup of tea and a huge slice of this each. Oh, wow.

gianna's grace

I spent a blissful afternoon and night at my favorite wee cottage in Craigantlet with good friends, so grace from that will be shared soon (including pictures! camera's up n' running again!), but the biggest grace today is that my precious niece Gianna was baptized at St. Anthony's in Bryan, Texas. I really wish I could have been there, but was glad to get pictures from it. What a holy and happy day. In Evolve (youth Bible study), we looked at PCUSA's Brief Statement of Faith again and particularly poignant was the part where it says the Spirit "claims us in the waters of baptism." You are claimed, dear Gianna. You belong to God and to us.
Love you, Aunt Whit

re-lenting

-Going with Catherine to the Ash Wednesday service at the Catholic Chaplaincy of Queen's University. I walked in and saw Father Gary, who I've had several meetings with helping to network in student ministry, and after showing a bit of surprise that I was there, he said that over their 3 Ash Wednesday services, they had seen nearly 3,000 students. How remarkable! He wished us a season of fasting, prayer and penitence and we shuffled into a pew at the back. The place was absolutely packed with college students and I was so impressed by their faith at being there. Father Gary began with his usual humor, saying "cead mile failte" (which means "a hundred thousand welcomes" in Irish) and then quipping, "That's a little Latin for you." I sat taking it all in, the rhythmic canting, the familiar liturgy ("the Lord be with you, and also with you..."), the ashes put on my forehead as a sign both of my sin and of my forgiveness from God. I came home wishing I had some material to guide me through Lent daily, making it as prayerful and discerning a time as it can be, only to find...

-...a package from Jessi waiting for me! Her Presbyterian Women at her church decided to support my mission work by sending me an amazing care package which included a Lenten devotional by Frederick Buechner (my favorite!). Also included were gorgeous earrings made by Jessi, lots of snacks, cooking magazines, a made-for-me CD called "Whitney's Winter Mix", valentine's socks and Burts Bees! Oh joy! It was overwhelmingly thoughtful and kind and I felt so intensely the connectional church: where I can be thousands of miles away and know that people are with me in Spirit and ministry. Thanks to Jessi and the ladies of First Presbyterian Fayetteville, TN!

-Trees and hills shrouded in mist, little icy puddles that crunch as I walk over them and seagulls swooping in unison overhead.

wizards, friends and pancakes

-Sipping a mug of tea while reading Harry Potter. I don't know why I feel closer to Hogwarts here (maybe it's kids wearing 'prefect' badges and school scarves) but it's so fun to read all of the books again.

-A deep, vocational, whimsical, amusing, reminiscing, theological, loving conversation with Rob and Karen. It really was all of those things at once. They're awesome. Plus, they've informed me that I absolutely must come visit my "dog niece" Abby when I can. :)

-Getting really into the shrove Tuesday thing and eating blueberry pancakes for breakfast and dinner. They're so good! I'm really looking forward to Lent being a time of renewed vision and discernment, and am going to mass with Catherine tonight for Ash Wednesday (most Protestant churches don't do Ash Wed here).

two of a kind

-This picture of Natalie and Gianna, the gorgeous nieces. It's my new background for my laptop (which is almost functioning like normal again).

-A little girl with brown cascading curls and a giddy grin waving happily at me from her car window.

-A big warm scarf and my favorite warm socks on a blustery day. The socks are made to mismatch and look like little hand-knitted sweaters for your toes. Perfect for days like this.

amore

-Celebrating Denise's birthday with the dance girls by going to the Garrick, where they cleverly had Amelie showing on a big screen in the back. We spent several minutes watching it, saying "Oh, I love this movie."

-Waking up from a nap to see raindrops glistening on the window with a sunset behind them, making them look like diamonds.

-The adrenaline rush and deep joy that comes with leading worship and feeling so blessed to do something I love.

out of the blue

A guest post from my friend Jessi (and her friend):

"A good friend of mine saw a glimpse this morning.
She said she saw a car stop in the middle of a school zone,
a kid jump out, run over and give the traffic cop a valentine.
She then said "This is why I love life." Thought of you."

Apologies for not blogging as often as I'd like: my computer is
sick with a virus and is trying its best to recover, but it means
I have limited use of it.  I also had a cold but am doing much
better now. :) Also, the charger I bought did not work for my
camera battery like I'd hoped, so back to square one on pictures!
Will get it all sorted out soon.  In the meantime, glimpses of
grace include:

-Sunshine: lots of it!  What a crisp, tiffany blue, glowing week it's
been!

-Cappuccinos (without sugar!  success!) and apricot croissants
(with a lot of wonderful sugar!) with Roberta at Avoca.  We also
spotted a cheery, warm Fitzroy older couple sitting at another
table and had a nice little catch-up.

-Dinner with Dorothy, Pamela and Mark.  Dorothy's just so fun.
 Her computer needed a bit of updating (my words were "Dorothy,
you're far too stylish a lady to have a blank screen on your
computer!") and so we googled her favorite place (Cyprus)
and now she has a lovely beach sunset to look at.

-Watching an amazing documentary on wildlife in the Great Rift
Valley in Africa.  The intricacies and relationships of creatures in
that cradle of humanity was just mesmerizing, and the dramatic
music playing in the background just made it profound.

-Sermonating on Lent: oh joy!  I love it.

-Awaiting a much-anticipated package.

we

-Tee and Toast gal at St. George's saying, "Hey! I found your blog! So I'm Tee and Toast Gal, huh?"

-Talking to Hazelnut Latte Creator about Texas and how he's always dreamed of going to Austin and about the awesome South by Southwest music festival there and how the city works hard to support local business above big business.

-Heading for the bus home and running into (not literally, but nearly) Dave driving. He offered me a lift home, and I offered him the carrot cake I had bought to bring to his house later for dinner.

-Enjoying dinner and wine with friends and all that comes with it: silly music, stimulating conversation, food and more food and hilarious stories.

-Talking to my niece on the phone and my mom saying, "Oh, she's beaming!"

-Speaking to the young people about my take on the Gospel: that we belong to God and we belong to each other. We looked at an illustration from theologian Roberta Bondi: "Suppose we were to take a compass and insert the point and draw the outline of a circle… Let us suppose that this circle is the world and the center is God: the straight lines drawn from the circumference to the center are lives of human beings. So to move towards God, each individual must move towards the center… and the closer they are to one another, the closer each is to God." We also looked at scripture, my stories and A Brief Statement of Faith, which I just love. At the end, I had them close their eyes and picture someone who really annoyed them or who was mean to them and then they opened their eyes and I said with a smile, "You belong to that person, and they belong to you. Sorry, it's not easy, but it's the truth. We're all made in the image of God to be one family."

-Planning the evening service I'm doing next Sunday (yay!), which is Valentine's Day. I thought about a cheesy love-y theme but then realized that Lent begins the next Wednesday, so I'll be focusing on that. In true form, I've come up with a ridiculously nerdy title: Le(n)t it be. Oh, how I amuse myself. :)

-Having a bit of a cold and enjoying that deep, dreamless sleep that comes with being a little sick and really needing it.

-Three words: caramel roobois tea. Oh, wow. Find it! I've stopped (my family with be shocked to know) taking sugar in my tea and coffee for this past week in an effort to just be a little healthier and this caramel tea might be cheating, but it's sooooo good.

(on another note: hopefully my camera battery charger arrives tomorrow and these boring words can be joined with pictures again!)

for everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under [and including] heaven

-Walking through the park on a particularly cold, grey day and feeling a little grumpy about it all. As I walked, trying to shake off my tiredness, I thought I should just try the whole "St. Anna" prayer to cheer me up. Well, I began in my mind: "Thanks be to God for this day. (sigh) For all that is above me (lots of grey sky), for all that is below me (cold, dark, wet ground...)" and quickly realized that this was not really helping. Remembering that God would much more prefer an honest prayer to a cheery one when I just wasn't all that cheery, I was comforted. And so I grumbled to God, knowing that God is gracious enough to accept even my grumblings. And that is grace.

-Incredible timing, and feeling Someone bigger than me at work.

-Copious amounts of hot, cinnamon-infused coffee to keep me warm and alert and wishing for a sandwich, but not having the conviction to go out in the rain to seek it. Roberta texted saying she was on her way to the office. I replied that I'd just made fresh coffee and she said that sandwiches were on the way.

-A little boy in Religious Education at the primary school saying that his news was that he was very sad (but didn't say why). At the end of the lesson, sort of out of nowhere he said, "I've been told that when someone you love dies, they can still see you from Heaven. Is this true?" Chris and I replied that we really did think this was true, and he smiled to himself.

radical hospitality

(I'm catching up a wee bit...)

-Going solo to St. G's for the first time in a while and being greeted so warmly as "a regular" by several stall holders. The woman who sells the smoked garlic I love gave me a friendly wave as I walked by, Hazelnut Latte Creator (really must get his name) and I had a friendly chat about my work (he remembered that I'm a minister) and Tee and Toast Gal even had me help her convince Fresh Pasta Man to bring her lunch. Then, I ran into Marie, an older woman who runs a great cross-community, international house the church uses and walked around with her. Solo never really is solo when you're at St. George's!

-After going to the cinema with Andrea, Tilmann & Pete, I ended up just staying over at Hotel Kuhla (A+T's place) and having an old-fashioned slumber party. It really felt like a little holiday to stay in a different place with good friends and to have fresh coffee with eggs and toast in the morning before church was just lovely.

-Hearing Ken and Clare speak at church tonight about their amazingly incarnational work in the Lower Ormeau in Belfast and being in awe of their conviction, courage and passion. Speaking of living, working and raising a family in an area that is working-class (for lack of a better term) Catholic, as one from a middle-class Protestant background, he said, "I have no enemies. I only have people I don't know yet, and once I know them, they are not enemies." They are both truly prophetic people.

behind and before

-Having a bit of time to kill before a meeting and hanging out at Common Grounds reading my book. Grace found there was twofold: 1) the plinky-swoosh of fresh coffee beans being poured into the massive grinder thing, and 2) seeing the lovely Blakes there as they were excitedly making plans for an Italian holiday they'd just booked, and then (in Blake style) being invited for dinner before my meeting.

-A man laughing so hard that he bent backwards, arms raised in mirth.

-Walking through the park this morning and praying my "St. Anna" prayer: one my preaching professor used to start class with in seminary (minus the movements -- oh yes, there were movements).

Thanks be to God for this day

For all that is above me (stretching trees and the sky)

For all that is below me (wet ground reflecting light and leaves)

For all that is behind me (a winding path)

For all that is before me (an elderly gent walking his dog)

For all that is around me (rain-drenched trees, bright morning sky, fluffy green grass)

For all that is beyond me (oh, there's lots there...)

For all that is within me (lots there too...)

Thanks be to God for this day.

i ♥ Burt

-I have something to confess before all of blogworld: I, Whitney, am a chapstick/lipbalm addict. Oh yes, I love the stuff, but last night I left it in my purse and didn't bother to put any one before going to bed. I woke up this morning in need of a fix and might've just let out a sigh of pleasure as I slathered it on. Oh, and in case you're wondering, my drug of choice is Burt's Bees. Heavenly.

-Being presented with half of an amazing homemade chocolate cake with orange marmalade after a meeting. Church people can just be so nice, especially one Sheena Trinder. Cheers!

-My dreams have been funny lately, and I almost always remember them in their entirety. Last night was definitely interesting: I was on a plane with a lot of friends, but we were using it as a boat on the ocean and laughing as waves tossed us up and down until the pilot announced we were somehow in the middle of a hurricane along the Gulf Stream current and needed to sail into harbor (in our plane, as it were). We safely made it ashore and all unloaded into a lovely sunny meadow with glistening grass and golden insects flying in the light. We were marooned there in this beautiful place until it was safe to sail our plane back across the ocean. Gonna try to not overanalyze it. :) Random, oh yes, but altogether an enjoyable experience.

-Doing something a wee bit courageous (and having the wonderful Catherine to prod me in that direction).

recycle with style

-Making a necklace out of an old broken earring and a bit of ribbon.

-Finding the ideal card for who I was sending it to.

-Going to dance class for the first time since before Christmas and feeling as if I'd never been away (although my body begged to differ).

come together

-A very encouraging phone call.

-A quirky evening in church led by Steve that included several different bands playing Beatles songs while he looked for theological significance in them. It was a bit surreal to be tapping my feet to Come Together, Blackbird and others in worship and, while I'm not going to be calling them a Christian band anytime soon (though I do appreciate their social & political commentary), it was thoroughly enjoyable.

-A cup of tea in the mug Jessi gave me.

buffalo bill's birthday!

Today's my Dad's birthday! Happy Birthday! Hope it's perfect.

Love you,

Whit

four (not so little) words

-Andrea and Tilmann giving me an amazing gift from their recent trip to Italy: a journal from the Vatican with God touching Adam from the Sistine Chapel on the cover. Even more remarkable was the incredibly thoughful inscription inside describing that it was so I could "get my typy fingers to do exercise in the real writing again..." They ended it by thanking me for our friendship (which I am SO grateful for), saying "thanks so much for being our friend, for spreading fun and joy, for eating whatever we cook, for loving salted popcorn...for loving coffee and beautiful things, for being vintage and alternative, liturgical and sacramental! We do love you!" What a gift they are to me. And being called vintage, alternative, liturgical and sacramental might just be the highest compliment I've received!

-Rushing in to dinner at the Blake's after a serious wrestling match with a table tennis table for youth club and finding my plate waiting for me, piled high with mouth-watering beef tagine, brown rice and cumin couscous...plus a whole table of wonderful people to eat it with.

-Being cold in youth club and having Joanna donate her sweatshirt she wasn't using to warm up this wimpy Texan.

take that, Hogwarts!

It's not every weekend that you get to hang out in a castle, and it's definitely not every weekend that you get to serve communion in a castle! Our church retreat was at a magical place called Castlewellan, and it was just heavenly. It was all very full-circle for me, because I had been on this church retreat five years ago, and here I was, back again. Steve had me serve communion, which was something I'll not soon forget. To break bread with people who have become so significant to me means more that I can really express.

I brought a book expecting lots of down time to read and wound up spending nearly every spare minute talking to people because they're just so great. We chatted around fireplaces, chatted while playing guitars, chatted while eating, chatted about the great talks on creation and heaven, chatted on long walks around the lake, chatted an afternoon away at the fancy Slieve Donard hotel in Newcastle, chatted during the hilarious talent show and even chatted into the wee hours of the morning when we should've been sleeping. It was refreshing, but not in the way I expected it to be. It was refreshing to have so much contact time with Fitzroy folks and to leave the weekend more exhausted than I'd arrived, but that good kind of exhaustion, like that which comes after a long journey. And to top it all off, it wasn't that cold.
*A big, big thanks to Jo for sharing her beautiful pictures! My camera battery's dead and I think the charger is in America!

"Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time: the need for [humanity] to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. [Humanity] must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love."

-Martin Luther King Jr.

Happy MLK Day, everybody. Let's all take a bit of time to reflect on the great work he did and how we are helping or hindering that effort today.

(Also, glimpses of grace from the weekend coming soon...there are some BIG ones!)

your castle or mine?

I'm off to a castle for the weekend! We have our church retreat at Castlewellan...lovely, ancient and freezing. It's going to be wonderful. :) Have a great weekend, everybody!

something is coming that is meant to be

-Going to see my dance friend Brenda perform her amazing electronic/movement piece for her Masters of Sonic Arts at Queen's. It was something that's very hard to describe, but I'll try. She had created a program on her computer to take the sounds she made and distort them in amazing ways and she controlled all this while singing and dancing through little buttons attached to her outfit. Amazing. It was all about the quality and power of a voice, and she ended it by saying, "Something is coming that is meant to be." It was phenomenal.

-Sitting in a coffee shop with eight or so teenagers from the church and catching up and talking (all at once!) and thinking of how close I've become to them.

-Finding a Walter Brueggemann book among the proliferous self-righteous, pop-prosperity, Christian drivel (can you tell how I feel about it? ha) at a Christian bookstore and feeling like it was a needle in a haystack. It was 50% off, so it's mine. It's called Texts That Linger, Words That Explode and is all about prophetic writings in scripture.

a prayer for Haiti

We pray for Haiti.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As the eyes of the world turn to Haiti,
let us join our hearts in prayer:

God of compassion
Please watch over the people of Haiti,
And weave out of these terrible happenings
wonders of goodness and grace.
Surround those who have been affected by tragedy
With a sense of your present love,
And hold them in faith.
Though they are lost in grief,
May they find you and be comforted;
Guide us as a church
To find ways of providing assistance
that heals wounds and provides hope
Help us to remember that when one of your children suffer
We all suffer
Through Jesus Christ who was dead, but lives
and rules this world with you.
Amen.

(Adapted from Book of Common Worship)

-Bruce Reyes-Chow, Gradye Parsons and Linda Valentine

partake, receive and pray

-Simplicity: Intending to make delicious rosemary-roasted butternut squash risotto with shaved parmesan, I came home after working later than intended and decided to just have a bowl of cereal and toast for dinner. It was divine.

-Receiving very thoughtful birthday gifts of a shiny new colorful diary and notebook. It makes planning for work more fashionable and fun.

-The warmth that a down-filled vest & coat bring.

(Today, let's all pray for the people of Haiti in the wake of such a disaster, that they would find healing, relief and comfort. PCUSA is taking donations to support them through Presbyterian Disaster Assistance here: https://www.pcusa.org/give/online/projectSelectAction.do?numberString=DR000148)

simply spectacular

-A guest glimpse of grace from Jo: "I have a spectacular glimpse of grace for today: Getting into bed to find a hot water bottle you weren't expecting...I love mummies."

-Taking my terribly wine-stained library book back to the Linenhall Library expecting at the least a sharp reprimand and potentially a fine and receiving instead a smile and an "it could happen to anyone."

-Absently saying on facebook that I "want cake" and receiving in response great wit. Rob said, "and I suppose you want to eat it too?? Geez...so demanding!" and John responded with an amazing Eddie Izzard clip called "Cake or Death." Both made me laugh out loud, which is a spectacular way to end the day.

isn't it?

-Deciding that, as much as I love my ol' trusty Annie Oakley perfume I've used since I was 12, it's time for something more grown up. Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker is it. There's something so elegant about a little spritz on my way out the door that lasts all day.

-A text from Sandra saying she loved my prayer this morning. I told her it wasn't actually mine, but a wonderful one by Walter Brueggemann with a wee bit of tweaking.

-The way Jack, Fitzroy's oldest member, always lets out a resounding "Alleluia!" after the benediction at every service.

snow and then

-Snow! Snow makes the cold somehow gratifying, and seems to warm it up a bit, too.

-Meeting Catherine at St. George's with the other die-hard-market-goers who didn't let the snow stop them and catching up with Mr. Hazelnut Latte Creator at Javaman, talking about our Christmases and the cold weather, until he threw in a "the usual, then?" and made my coffee. Delicious, as always. I bought the last tiny butternut squash from Bespeckled Produce Man and he took my 90p and then said, "See you next week."

-A great walk through the market, to the city centre and even to TK Maxx with Catherine spent snapping photos and catching up along the way. What a wonderful friend.

-Speaking of wonderful friends, a great conversation (nearly 2 hours!) with my dear friend Jessi last night. New Year's resolution: get better at keeping in touch.

baby, it's cold outside

Well, it's freezing (literally). I seem to have some rare seasonal condition called "Winter Amnesia" because when January rolls around and it inevitably gets colder than it has been, I become indignant like it's some bizarre fluke of nature. Sadly, it is not, it's simply winter in Belfast. So, last night, after a catch-up with the Kuhlas and a brave (I think) jaunt into the snowy cold to catch my two buses home, I came into my house determined to create some warmth. Andrea had loaned me her amazing microwaveable-aromatic-houseshoes while she's away on holiday, so I warmed em' up, put 'em on and then got a hot water bottle and nice big cup of chamomile tea in the awesome mug Jessi sent me and curled into bed with a copy of Vogue (also a gift from Jessi). So, my glimpses of grace from yesterday are:

-Combatting the cold with the following: warm slippers, tea in a thoughtful mug (it somehow tastes better when there's love in it coming to you), a hot water bottle, several blankets and dark chocolate (helps everything).

-The crunch of snow under my feet and the way it somehow makes the world quieter, stiller.

-Teaching Andrea & Tilmann my very limited knowledge of Italian for their trip to Italy and reveling in saying all those "rrrr's." "Buon giorrrrrrrrrrrno!"

Wishing you warmth today!

birthday bliss (and blunders)

Oh, what a birthday. I decided that it's a rare thing to be flying on one's birthday and that I should just push my luck and ask about possibly getting a free upgrade on my international flight. Now, this isn't my normal style, and I was actually a little nervous doing it. But as I came into the airport, I noticed that "Moon River" was playing over the speakers (always a good sign), and so I took a deep breath and apologetically said to the check-in woman at British Airways, "Um, I'm sure it probably can't happen, but it's my birthday and I was wondering if there's any possibility of an upgrade. (dramatic pause) It's just me travelling." Now, I'm someone who doesn't mind a bit travelling on my own, in fact it's some of my best reading & people watching time. But, I figured being solo certainly helped my chances. The very friendly woman at check-in stopped smiling, said very seriously, "Wait here a minute." and left me trying to look normal while wishing with everything that this would work. She came back, tagged my bag and smiled saying, "Well, we have you in business class. You have a 6 foot bed! Be sure to enjoy the executive lounge near your gate before you fly. Now that's a birthday present!" It sure was! I told her thank you (I think my exact words were, "You're amazing!") and off I went feeling like I'd just won the lottery. I enjoyed a lovely posh Pellegrino with cheese and crackers in the lounge while I read and the same woman came in asking if I was enjoying myself. So nice.

On the plane, they offered us champagne immediately, which I declined, because I was going to have a nice red wine later. I sat back in my reclining chair with a footstool, curled up with a cloth-covered pillow and quilted blanket and thought I could really get used to this. They brought me a menu, I had my choice of 6 wines, and sat back watching Harry Potter and enjoying that first sip of quality red wine. And then the ol' Wilkinson Coordination Curse set in. You see, my family's having some issues lately in this area. A few days ago, my niece poured an entire mug of hot coffee all over our antique coffee table. Then, my Dad managed to (no joke) accidentally pour boiling water on his foot while carrying a pot and then later got hit in the face with a backseat in the car when it was released, hurting his nose and knocking off a piece of his glasses. Then, on my last day for lunch, my sister had freezing ice water spilled all over her jeans. So, it really was only a matter of time until my number was up. After that first decadent sip of wine, it somehow leapt out of my hands and all over my jeans, blanket and (gulp) library book. You can take the girl out of coach, but you can't take coach out of the girl. :) The attendants were all too friendly though, and brought me towels, a new blanket and even pajamas from first class I could wear while they hung up my jeans to dry. Oh, and they very carefully handed me a fresh glass of wine. At one point the attendant was walking through with a bottle of wine offering people refills and she asked if I wanted one and wasn't even able to keep a straight face. I laughed and shook my head. The rest of the flight was amazing: 3 course meal with china, linen napkins and actual cutlery. I had this amazing seared peppered tuna, followed by mahi mahi with potatoes and then a trifle that was a dead ringer for strawberry shortcake. Then I layed my seat all the way flat into a bed and slept soundly (for the first time ever on a flight) for a blissful 5 hours. It was wonderful. Once in London, I had lots of time to kill, so I even treated myself to a little birthday gift of an on-sale top. It looks just like stained glass windows to me, a fitting and chic little thing for a minister to wear!

All in all, maybe the best birthday ever. I even met a fascinating Hindu man on the bus to Belfast who invited me to visit his temple and whose wife is a women's community worker I'd like to get in touch with.

Today's my mom's birthday and so I wish you a "first class" day, Momma! Hope it's perfect. Love you :)

So, that's my birthday story friends. Lessons learned: never underestimate the power of Moon River and a question, show respect for red wine and always talk to people you wind up next to.

Whitney

oh happy day

"Let us celebrate the occasion with wine and sweet words."
-Plautus

Well, dear blog friends, it's my 28th birthday (which means according to my parents that I've already had 28 years, which is of course, true)!

Yesterday was celebration time, because today's my day to travel those 6000 miles back across the pond. What a great day: I preached at First Pres in their double service marathon, where I preached at the progressive service with Marie and Ted and then rushed into a robe and into the simultaneous traditional service to preach there too. I served communion and even had a fun Yoda moment, where I said "When we eat this bread and drink this wine, we proclaim the Lord's death until he comes again, and come again he will!" It was great. I saw lots of friendly faces, including the wonderful Bob Leslie, who baptized me, helped with my ordination service and was smiling at me as I walked down the aisle at the end of the service in his jaunty Irishy green tweed coat and Book of Kells tie. He and his wife Candace are the epitome of wisdom and grace. I had amazing Mexican food with family and my good friend Angelina. I caught up with my dear friend Pierce enjoying her wonderful encouragement and energy. And, yes, I did celebrate the occasion with wine and sweet words with my family.

auld lang syne

Well, I had a lovely morning at home. We woke up early...

let the sun pour in...

read the paper...

drank some coffee, and thought over the fun glimpses of grace in the past few days:

Lighting my great-grandmother's votives...

ringing in 2010 with champagne...

taking pretty Christmas pictures...

...and lots more: curling up in my dad's big leather recliner with a cuppa chamomile tea and a book, reading until my head starts to droop, the energy and excitement that comes with imagining the future, more of those amazing pancakes, good conversations and, yes, still that coffee. It's been a whirlwind two weeks at home, and I can't believe it's almost over. I'm off to see my First Pres Bryan family tomorrow to be with them in worship, and am really looking forward to it. So far, 2010, you're not too shabby!