Easter fun and Florida freunden

I had the most joyful Easter at Cameron. Words can't really describe the power in gathering with other community clergy and worshippers and celebrating the resurrection in the town cemetery with sunlight rising over crosses. Words also fail to convey the profound hope found around a Table as we remembered together that Christ is risen, and we are risen with him. I was included in a family gathering for lunch and again felt so embraced and nourished by this community.

The afternoon brought an unexpected vet visit that was thankfully manageable and then hurried packing to meet up with my favorite Germans - Andrea and Tilmann in Florida, where they are staying while they catch up with old friends. Hayden was safely tucked away in a wonderful place that is more farm than kennel (with another bichon for a neighbor!) and I hopped on a quick flight to Tampa. It's been a delightful, recharging time and amazing to meet my friends' baby Jannis. Many many more pictures will appear here soon.

Praying that Easter has brought with it new life and joy for you!

Peace,
Whitney

on the mend

It's been a week, y'all!  My sleepy scruffy fella was not feeling so good, and had to go to the vet (again) for fluid treatment and more medicine.  He's feeling better though, it's just old age and tired kidneys.  I'm maintaining things so he feels good and those little kidneys keep going.  And I'm spoiling him rotten, grateful for each day with such a sweet dog.

This week also brought several pastoral visits.  It still astounds me that sitting on a back porch chatting with folks while sipping ice-cold sweet tea and watching light dance in the trees is somehow my job.  I'm so grateful.  We also had a very moving Maundy Thursday service last night, where I talked about how food conveys love more than just about any other thing, and linked the chocolate chip cookies my Nana always made me to Jesus feeding his followers that last night.  We ended the service with a "stripping of the sanctuary", which I actually modeled after what had been done at Eastminster Pres in Stone Mountain, GA when I was there in seminary.  The service concluded with font, table and pulpit all draped in black fabric, with only a light on the cross.  We walked out in silence, experiencing poignantly the sorrow of that moment.  And then as we gathered outside the doors, cool air and light rain brought us back into conversation again.  Again, I love my job that's so much more than just a job.

My sista's had a week of it too — with sick kiddos and stressful work commitments.  But somehow, in the middle of all that, she's managed to share some seriously adorable pictures of my nieces on her blog.  It's high-time we had a little Niece Special here at GoG...especially because sweet Natalie had her 4th birthday this week!  So, prepare yourselves for color and cuteness, y'all.

 The prancing birthday girl.

 Olivia hanging out in high fashion.

 (This picture is my background on my laptop. 

 It makes me smile every time I turn on my computer.)

 Lots of kisses!

 Gigi making the most of rainy weather.

Pretty in purple.

well, howdy.

-This interesting moth waiting to greet me as I came to the church yesterday morning.  He looks like he's wearing a furry white cape.

-Treating myself to a steak dinner to energize me for Holy Week.  I hardly ever cook steak for myself and this Texan needed a little red meat!  It was divine, and served with creamy baked sweet potatoes.  Yum.

-The silhouette of stretching trees against a dusk-grey sky.

color, calm and cheer

-Getting fun pillows from Pier 1 to go with my whimsical loveseats and not having to pay a dime for them.  They sent me a bunch of rewards gift certificates in the mail.  (The white fluffy ball is not a Pier 1 pillow, but it's my favorite.)

-The first plink-plunk drops of rain against my window as I go to sleep, assuring me of a great night's rest.

-A nurse who's warmth and joy shows her love for people and her job.

it's golden

-A vanity plate that is anything but vain.  It was a great reminder, as I imagine it is for lots of people.

-Hearing the good news that, after a full day of fluid iv treatment, my dog's a lot healthier.  His kidneys still need special food and medicine, but he acts like he feels wonderful.  I'm so relieved.

-Having youth from the church over for a Harry Potter marathon last Sunday afternoon.  We had a great time, enjoyed the adventures of a young Harry and ate a substantial amount of food (3 large pizzas, 4 bags of popcorn, 6 liters of coke and 36 cookies for 11 of us).  Hayden also loved it — wandering from person to person as they each fawned over him.  I can't wait to have them over again.

-Getting exciting mail: tea from Ruth in Belfast, a thoughtful card and book from my friend Kelly in Georgia and The Hunger Games soundtrack from my parents in Texas.  You just can't beat snail mail.

lean on me

-Hayden coming  to work with me and propping his fluffy head on my foot during a meeting.  He loves to prop his head up on anything, but this was amusing and comforting all at the same time.  (Say a little prayer for my pooch, y'all.  He's having kidney trouble.)

-Sitting on a bench in the shade reading a book (two guesses what book it was!) while sipping a frosty raspberry smoothie and watching butter yellow butterfly playfully dance around.

-Refreshing rain.  We've been enduring a pollen plague, where every surface is dusted with the yellow stuff, and while it's been flirting with rain, it hasn't rained enough to wash it away.  Last night, when I took Hayden outside, I was delighted to see a steady rain falling.  I even pulled my car out of the garage for the night to give it a natural car wash.

moving in spirals

-This whimsical wheatish twirling plant in the yard of some church folks I went to visit.  I have a thing for swirls and think God does, too.  (Mom and Grandmother: what type of plant is this?)

-My little ritual this week of taking a mug of coffee, along with cinnamon raisin toast, to work and having a little breakfast picnic at my desk.  I could, of course, just eat it at home, but it's somehow more fun this way.

-The sound of thunder growling away in the distance, making me feel extra cozy in my bed.  I wish that thunder had let to rain but, alas, not today.

well fed

(Thanks to Ed for the lovely pic!)

-A delightful Sunday where I got to preach about grace in the morning and then walk 4 miles in the afternoon with church folk for the Crop Walk.  THANK YOU to everyone who supported me in this effort!  The weather was overcast but not too warm or rainy, and though my feet were a bit sore afterwards, I really enjoyed it.

 -Making a (belated) Irish supper of bangers and champ.  You know, it didn't taste too far from the real thing!

-Becoming completely infatuated with the phenomenon that is The Hunger Games.  I started the first book on Friday afternoon just to have it read before I see the movie.  Well, I've since read all of that book and the next one, and will be picking up the final book in the series soon.  It's quick reading, an original and yet hauntingly subversive storyline and it just pulls you in.  It's wonderful to be caught up in a book you can't put down.  And I'm taking a couple of teenagers from the church to the midnight showing of the movie this week.  Yep, I've reached a whole new level of obsession.  Ha.  (And, no, I'm not counting that as professional expenses or a pastoral visit!)

-Having my little helper with me at work today.  Mondays I tend to run on about 75% energy coming off of a Sunday (especially with those 4 miles yesterday) and so having Hayden to keep me company as I got next Sunday's service lined up and other odds and ends taken care of was great fun.  He seemed a bit sleepy, too.

butter on your chin

-A woman from church stopping by to get my input on fabric for a quilt she wants to make me.  So thoughtful.


-Going to an area clergy breakfast and enjoying feeling immediately a part of the group, as folks swapped banter and quips, showing affection for one another.  It felt a bit like being back in Belfast.  Also, the biscuits were divine!


-Taking a woman communion and appreciating the intimacy of it.  As Frederick Buechner says, "To eat any meal together is to meet at the level of our most basic need. It is hard to preserve your dignity with butter on your chin, or keep your distance when asking for the ketchup.  To eat this particular meal together is to meet at the level of our most basic humanness, which involves not just our need for food but our need for each other.   I need you to help fill my emptiness and you need me to help fill yours.  As for the emptiness that's still left over, well, we're in it together, or it in us.  Maybe it's most of what makes us human and makes us brothers and sisters.”  There certainly is no way keeping distance when partaking in communion as just two people, and that makes it even more meaningful.


**Remember that you can still donate to support my Crop Walk for those without enough food.  Any little donation makes a big difference.  Thank you!    http://www.churchworldservice.org/goto/revwhit

"I was hungry and you gave me food"

Mornin' y'all!

Did you have a good breakfast this morning?  Are you perhaps sipping a nice hot cup of joe?  I'd like you to take a moment and think about those for whom this day will not bring anything to eat, or any clean water to drink.  Remembering those who have so little makes us grateful for all that we have...but it can't end there.

We have to share a little of what we have, so that no child will go to bed hungry and wake up the same.  Here's how you can help!  I am walking in the Crop Walk this Sunday with my church and we are raising money for Church World Service, a compassionate, ethical organization that provides food, agricultural skills and employment for those in areas of the world most struggling with hunger.  CWS also helps people in our own community, knowing that hunger affects many here at home, too.

Would you please take just one minute and consider donating the cost of your morning cup of coffee, or your breakfast, or what you spend on food in one day or one week to this important cause?  You can go to my Crop Walk page here and make a donation.  I appreciate your help, and more importantly so do those facing hunger this day.  Thank you.

Peace,
Whitney

see Whit sit

-Sitting on my quirky new loveseats and enjoying being able to stretch out my legs (ha, I have short legs!) and watch a movie.  (My first furniture purchase over a $5 Goodwill find.)  It was an adventure one night this week after a committee meeting driving with Tyler and Cat to Raleigh in Ed's massive truck to pick them up.  We made it a real "event" by celebrating the completion of the mission with pad thai.  I'll be getting a lot of free gift cards in the mail for my purchase, so I'm gonna jazz 'em up even more with fun pillows.

-Going Contra dancing with folks from church and enjoying the dizzy delirium of trying to keep up amidst all the twirls and spins while laughing giddily the whole time.  It was a delightfully diverse community, with many generations represented.  The Irish music made it near-perfect.

-My little old dog getting frisky at the sight of his toy and sticking his tail in the air and then running in laps around me to get it.

happy birthday, ash!

a fierce calling

It's beginning to look more like Spring, y'all!  The mornings are still crisp and chilly, but in the afternoon the sun becomes boisterous and replaces the cold with warmth.  I'm not sure I had any time to hibernate this winter, but nonetheless, Spring brings with it newness all around.  My parents, grandmother and dear friend Pierce came this past week to celebrate my installation as Pastor at Cameron Presbyterian Church and explore a bit of this wee village I've already grown to love.

 We toured antique stores (there are nine in Cameron!), and here's the old jail.

 We enjoyed an unseasonably warm day perusing the goodies of Southern Pines.

We visited a nursery with plants nearly ready to be sold and given an earthy home for Spring.

 And we toured one of my favorite things in this area: those vibrant, brilliant barns.

 I had to show them around Cameron Pres.

 We ate tons of good food (which was consumed too quickly to be photographed).  My folks did help me get my fun chandelier hung up and we gathered beneath it at the dining table to devour homemade enchiladas, Spanish rice and beans.  Tex-Mex perfection.

And then, of course, was the main event.  After going before Presbytery Saturday to be approved (and yes I did greet them all with, "Howdy, y'all!"), I stood in front of those fabulous folks promising to serve them with energy, intelligence, imagination and love and meant every word.  My seminary buddy Kevin preached and was both eloquent and hilarious (and far too nice to me).  My dear friend Pierce charged me with wisdom and poise.  And as I gave the benediction, I explained to the church (choking back tears), that I had searched for them for a while.  I told them how I would, every night, take my little fluffy dog outside, gaze at the Texas stars and pray that God would just place me where I was really called to be.  I said that now, I take my little dog outside and gaze up at the Carolina stars through pine trees and just say, "Thank you, God."  I'm so grateful to be here, and have no doubt that I am exactly where God wants me to be.  Having friends and family here just confirmed that for me.  What a fantastic week it was!

Le(n)t it be

-Getting my North Carolina driver's license far easier than I expected. I was in and out in about 30 minutes.

-A gorgeous spring-like day where I could drive with the windows down. I love that spring smell in the air.

-The powerful act of putting ashes on a forehead, reminding us all of our limited time and how precious it is. It was a holy moment. I found myself really caught up in the ritual, even getting a little choked up during the benediction. The choir was rehearsing afterwards and so I stopped and just sat a moment, soaking it all in. I love Lent.

baked Carolina

-Baking cookies for a gathering of area pastors at the church.  Ecumenism is delicious!

-Being invited to relax with Jane and watch a good ol' chick flick (and have my first Carolina pulled pork sandwich with slaw — yum!).  We laughed at the cheesiness of the movie and just had a great time.

-Pirouetting on the lovely reclaimed barn wood floors of my house.

one and not quite the same

-Raindrops on my window, with each one looking like its own little world as it reflected things differently.

-The sermon fairy (okay, Holy Spirit) visiting yet again and helping me write a sermon in the window of time I had to do it in.  Because she came, my day off is actually a Sabbath day!

-Inspiring resilience.

count your blessings

-A perfect serene moment in my office with clear winter light shining in and a coke in a glass bottle to sip.

-Having Cat the clerk of session over for dinner. We had the church's annual statistical report to tackle, but with roasted asparagus balsamic pasta and tiramisu (bought at an amazing local market) for dessert, we might've just managed to make statistics fun!

-Putting lotion on my hands before bedtime and noticing that it decided to wish me a Happy Valentine's Day.  This happened totally by accident.

follow the light

-A gloriously vibrant winter's morning with fuzzy buds stretching towards the sun, preparing for spring.

-Presiding at the Table and looking out at all the faces that have already become familiar.

-Going to a presbytery education event and seeing my good friend Jeremy, who led us in a workshop on finding our creativity.  We played fun creative games, watched an amazing video by National Geographic photographer Dewitt Jones, and worked at overcoming the obstacles to creativity.  It was great fun.

-Hanging out with Mary the Music Director and shopping around for various home decor items.  I discovered a discounted bedside lamp with a burlap shade stamped with whimsical teacups and a sea glass teal large candle pedestal.

-Giving myself a recharge day (to make up for having worked all day Saturday) and  realizing how important and refreshing these days are in the middle of all of the joys and demands of ministry.