7 Quick Takes Friday #57

See more 7 Quick Takes Friday contributions at Jennifer Fulwiler's Conversion Diary.

I missed posting last Friday. I was spending posting time in the emergency room. Friday morning I provided considerable entertainment for colleagues enroute to a required meeting when I fell and did some damage to my right hand in the process of donating my blood to the sidewalk at work. So, below are some highlights from the past two weeks.

1. Friday evenings Old Mission has been having soup dinners, followed by stations of the cross. This is a traditional Lenten activity for us. It is a great time to sit together with friends at the end of the week, share a simple meal, and spend time together with our parish staff and the priest who is filling in for our priest who is on administrative leave. (That story, for those who have been following, has had little progress other than a judge deciding that the accuser could remain anonymous, which makes it difficult for the defense to do its job.) I know that I have added a few pounds (almost ten, which I am really trying to lose again) because it takes several hours for me to recover from all the up-and-down motions. At ten pounds lighter, it was easier. Good motivation to go back to doing what my doctor wants me to do! (I am not my doctor's favorite patient!)

2. The Diocese held two listening sessions for our parish last week related to the administrative leave of our priest, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by a young man from another parish. They had promised information followed by discussion. However, they started out by wanting people to "work through their grief" in small groups. Our parish is quite a united place. Everyone refused to do this, insisting on being given the promised information and explaining that we have been sharing our grief for weeks, know how to be grown-ups and take turns in a large group, and did not need support but information. Ultimately, the Diocesan representatives did what we requested, not what they had planned. It truly is remarkable how bonded our community is. Unfortunately, though, in spite of being called a "listening session," no one from the Diocese was doing much listening. Sigh!

3. We moved in to our new house over the past couple of weeks with help of Doah and others. Once in, we had the water and electricity turned on. The house had belonged to HSBC Bank, and the bank had refused to pay for electricity and water for an unoccupied building, so we had no idea that we would find some unhappy news (although the bank had misled us on several counts so we were not surprised). We found dripping faucets, a dripping and non-functioning water filtering system, no working appliances work, no working toilets (electricity and water not on), and a big hole in the deck that was left when the VA required the bank to remove mold. So, bit by bit, we are fixing those problems, beginning, of course, with the toilets!

4. St. Francis Retreat Center, which is located on a hill outside my home town of San Ignatio, holds Days of Recollection every Wednesday during Lent. I can rarely make them because I have to work. However, last Wednesday I was able to take a day of annual leave. A full day of worship in the middle of the week made the whole week pass quickly.

5. I co-lead a prayer group that meets at Old Mission every Tuesday evening. Once a month, we gather together at my house to watch a spiritual movie. Knowing that we would have company spurred Donnie and me into turning our modern American cardboard decor into something a little more guest-friendly. We are still unpacking, but at least the kitchen, dining room, and living room areas are habitable both by us and visitors. Our movie? Gospel Road, an oldie but goodie and appropriate for the Lenten season. We had good news, too, because one family that attends our group nearly lost their home due to a bank agent scam. We had all been praying for them, and this week their lawyer exposed the scam and, even better, they got all their money back.

6. Difficulties cropped up at work the instant I returned from Qatar: my computer network forgot who I am. My computer has clearly been suffering from disaffection. Sheesh! I wasn't gone that long! I was threatened with a new computer, and then that threat was acted upon. I got a new computer, but it did not want to remember me, either. Sheesh again! A tech worked over the phone with me for more than an hour yesterday, but no dice, just another hour lost.

7. We did receive one really good piece of news in the midst of all the bad news about unanticipated problems with the house. Our accountant had turned in our income tax forms right before I went to Qatar so that we would be sure to make the deadline, and the refund ($6,000!) came back just in time to buy all the toilets, faucets, and appliances we needed. It helped, too, that all but one of the appliances was on sale for as much as 50% off, as well as free delivery and installation and no interest for the first year. There it goes again -- God taking care of us! It is such a comforting feeling knowing that we can rely on that and don't have to worry about anything, even unpleasant surprises.

And that's it for a full week and more. Today, with more than 600 pending emails, a day of back-to-back meetings, and at least three hours of work still to be done were I to work late, I looked around my office at the normal quitting time, gave about ten seconds of thought to finishing that horrifying work load, then, quietly walked out and closed the door. There is always next week... Now, I wish you a peaceful weekend. Palm Sunday!