Monday, November 17, 2008

Smatterings

'You know why I think there should be ten children in The Family?' said E (let's give her a name, shall we? Even though most all of you know her name. Let's call her Elfine, as from Cold Comfort Farm) just now.
'No, why?'
'Because it would be a lot faster to clean up if there were ten children' she said.

I guess, but it would be a lot of work to have, as in give birth to, ten whole children. Elfine has been obsessing about The Family-how many of us are in it, what we're going to do next, the rules under which we all operate.

I've been obsessing about everything else, most particularly the future. This, combined with the absence of a reasonable computer, has inhibited my blogging abilities, or rather, completely hobbled them.

Much as I know I ought not be anxious about anything because my Heavenly Father cares for me so that I lack nothing etc. etc. bla bla bla, it is a trial and struggle to live every day as if that were true. I achieve it by moments, fleeting smattering moments interrupted by long periods of anxious worry.

The fact of the matter is, I don't want to put all of this in cyber space-'THIS' being the subject that concerns us day by day.
'THIS'
Are bishops good or bad?
Does God like bishops?
Will we Win? or will the bishop Win? (accompanied by pictures of sword wheeling bishops in front of castles with dragons and churches and black clouds)
If the bishop wins, what will happen next?

I could relate all of the questions, and their possible answers, and all the conversations and pictures drawn...but...I don't want to.

As we struggle along day by day in school, dining room table scattered with books and timeline cards and paper and crayons, and tea, honey, cinnamon rolls, oatmeal cookies, toast, bananas (what is it with the FOOD that has be consumed while studying-one vast tea break lasting from the end of breakfast to the beginning of supper), crumbs, blocks, knights and princess scattered far and wide over the floor, R (let's give him a name too, shall we? How about Romulus. These, of course, are subject to change as my whimsy takes me.) lying full length on the dining room table as we try to work, marker in hand, waiting to write and read and speak.
'What's that?' he points to my book
'A Book'
'Book?'
'Yes.'
'What's that?' he points to my hair.
'Hair.'
'Hair?'
'Yes.'
'What's that?' He holds up a cookie.
'A Cookie.'
'Cookie?'
'Yes.'
And so the long day wears on.
And the laundry piles up and the snot rolls out of all their noses and we wait and wonder what will happen next.

In the meantime, we'll probably go out into the snow and wind to buy milk, eggs, butter and juice. And later I will get to that tag (sorry I'm being to slow). And after that I will start making Christmas presents. And this evening I will start trying to butter Matt up into letter us go with him to this

(h/t Matt, Anglican TV, the whole world who woke up and got there before me)
And then I want to get to that question from long ago, about what we do for prayer in school. I've been trying to get my wretched machine to spit out the nice little cards I worked up to help us with this. I intend to post them and talk about our very nice Morning Payer routine. But right now I'm going to go look for a sweater because the snow has come upon me Too Early.

6 comments:

Geri said...

I am in the process of making Christmas gifts too. Right now I am knitting a ruana for my daughter. She is always cold amd will really enjoy this wrap. I made her a black cape two years ago that she lives in during the winter. I also need to knit some socks and make oodles of doll clothes for Nellie and Bitty Baby (the girls' dolls). Of course I have to clean up the sewing room before I start making the doll clothes.

I know your situation must be making you crazy. You know that your bishop was willing to make the transition fairly until 815 took over. I hope everything works out for you, your family, and your parish.

I wish I could send you a brand new laptop so that you could post easily. I miss reading your thoughts when you are gone for a week at a time.

Isn't it marvelous news about the establishment of the new province? Our diocese joined the SC Saturday and the new North American Province is in the process of becoming a reality. God really does provide.

Anonymous said...

Living faith is so much harder than talking faith. Thanks for your honesty, Anne. It is refreshing and, in a strange sort of way, inspiring.

God already knows what will happen in the situation with the bishop and the diocese. It will be revealed to you, as you continue to pray for an end to all of this - which may just be a new beginning in disguise.

Know that you are being lifted up in prayer by a great cloud of witnesses.

At A Hen's Pace said...

Any chance you're going to go on Dec. 3? If so, let me know! We'll be there...

Jeanne

Anonymous said...

If you mail it to us I'm sure we could scrub it clean for you. (The laptop, not the house. ;P). They tend to run much faster then. Or we could put Linux on it, and then it'll really fly!

I like the new names.

Miss you all!

~R

eulogos said...

I like Emma's idea of ten children. But I dont' think it would make cleaning up any easier in the short run.

It would make cooking Thanksgiving dinner easier in the very long run, say 25 or 30 years hence. (My kids came and did almost all the work of cooking and cleaning up.)

Despite the energy drain, don't be afraid to have more. I found the time when I had four, with the oldest in kindergarden, the most difficult. Later when some were older, it got easier. Not easy, but easier than that.

Susan Peterson

eulogos said...

I like Emma's idea of ten children. But I dont' think it would make cleaning up any easier in the short run.

It would make cooking Thanksgiving dinner easier in the very long run, say 25 or 30 years hence. (My kids came and did almost all the work of cooking and cleaning up.)

Despite the energy drain, don't be afraid to have more. I found the time when I had four, with the oldest in kindergarden, the most difficult. Later when some were older, it got easier. Not easy, but easier than that.

Susan Peterson