Christmas Surprise

I went home to see my family this Christmas. Almost as soon as I walked in the door my parents insisted that I sit down and close my eyes. I could not figure out what was so important. I had not even taken off my coat or given them a hug. They were very insistent and urgent about the whole matter. I obliged and closed my eyes. Soon I felt something warm and furry in my lap. I knew immediately it was an animal of some sort, but I was puzzled as to why my parents would get a new pet at this point in their lives – they are retired and traveling. But when I opened my eyes I thought I was having a very strange dream.

It was my cat who disappeard a year and a half ago. We had assumed he was dead because he was old and his health was failing when he went missing. It was very surreal to see him. He is older and even more frail. When they found him under one of their bushes a week ago he could not even walk. We don’t know where he was or what happened to him. But he came back and has picked up like nothing ever happened. He sleeps in the same spots in the house and has the same habits. Bizzare.

I keep looking for some deeper meaning, some message from God in all this because it is so out of the ordinary. I haven’t found it yet, except to say that home is always home no matter where you go – it is always good to come back. My cat recognized it and I do too.

Dreaming of Equatorial Life

All I'm saying is that walking to work with -5 degree windchill is one way to get you going on Monday morning . . . .

Thinking of moving to the equator . . .

Young Adult?

So, I'm in the process of becoming a United Methodist. This is a very big step considering my strong Baptist identity. However, I realized in seminary that I agree as much with the Baptist church as I do with the United Methodist and since it is a UM church where I have found my home here in the Big Apple, I am going to make the switch.

I say all this to explain what I was doing at a "charge conference". It's one of those Methodist things where the district superintendent sits over what I would call the "annual meeting". (Baptist typically handle this with no outside authority - autonomy of the local church and all that . . .) So, I was sitting at the charge conference as the slate of names for nomination was being read for this committee and that committee when the district superintendent notes that we need at least one young adult on certain committees. I thought, "that's cool." Then he defined what is considered a young adult by the UMC: 18-30 years old. ugh. So, now I am in mourning over my lost young adult-hood. I am no longer apart of an exciting demographic. I am just a plain vanilla adult. I don't know if I can handle this or not. I may have to take up sky diving or something . . .