118 days until our wedding day!

Week one of fourteen down for the spring semester.

So many crazy things are happening.

Eric did a shopping spree with gift cards at Pearl Art Store where they had a storewide 75% off closing sale. Usually a frugal art major, Eric enjoyed being able to grab oil paints, markers, tape, frames, brushes, even an easle. He kindly bought me an art kit so I could dabble this summer which made me very pleased. Besides the crowd and a 90-minute line to check-out, it was a great once-in-our-lifetime experience.

For being an overcommitted couple, we're holding in there pretty well. We try to see each other every night and often work on wedding plans. It's probably the worst time we could have chosen to work multiple jobs/internships/classes while planning a wedding, but we're already dreaming about gaining freedom this summer.

Last Day of Break

I'm back in the races again tomorrow. I'm sure you don't want to read my To Do List so I'll try to avoid sharing it. While I'm sad to see personal time disappear for a few months, I'm looking forward to learning, growing and developing more appropriate ministerial responses. Hopefully I can use my time wisely, eat healthy, exercise and see Eric this semester. Yeah, those are my general goals. :-)

H

I haven't been able to write recently because of so many thoughts about Haiti. This semester, I'm going to be focused on the topics of loss, grief and dying as I work as a hospital chaplain, research abortion/reproductive health and take two classes about pastoral care for the grieving and dying. At this moment before I study these topics, I'm confused about God's role in Haiti's natural disaster and how to rationalize it theologically. Even from a distance, I'm grieving the traumatic loss that the Haitians are experiencing as they grieve the death of family members and friends, the pain that the wounded are enduring, the fear of the another seemingly random quake, the dislocation of families and the lack of basic necessities. Part of me wants to angerly accuse God of hurting those we knew were most in need on this side of the world because I can't seem to blame an earthquake on a person. Why am I wanting to blame? Perhaps if we had done a better job of caring for Haiti before the quake, the buildings wouldn't have fallen so easily and clean water would have been more readily accessible. One of my dreams is to help run an orphanage but I can't even imagine the pain of lacking formula for two hundred babies, a story that I heard on the news this morning. I don't understand why I'm comfortable and so many aren't. If anyone's reading this and thinking, "Girl, stop thinking and get up and do something!" I've done what I can from where I am. I hope that as Haiti is rebuilt this spring while I'm learning about death theologically and practically, I can have better responses to these questions.

Another great moment, not perfect though

After a productive day of running errands and babysitting for a great little guy (our ringbearer!), I'm wrapping up the day with a couple online responsibilities, Eric's painting the design for our invitations at his easel and we're listening to jazz music. I even exercised today so I'm feeling the good burn. Life could only be better if all people were also warm, fed, safe and loved.