Five Things I Have Enjoyed This Week

1. Dinner Friday night. We had a “porcetta,” a rolled pork roast seasoned with dried sweet red peppers, dill, and a couple of other spices/herbs I couldn’t identify. Our friends from the Yellow House, who are in the midst of home renovation, brought some wine. We had rice and steamed carrots with a brown sugar glaze with the porcetta, and ate everything til it was gone except the rice, which I mixed with the sauce from the carrots and put in the frig for our lunch today. It was a change from our recent dinners which have been a steady procession of ground beef in various dishes and chicken. And best of all was the company. It was a spur of the moment, hey-they’re-in-the-dust-of-renovation dinner invitation, and in the manner of spontaneous invitations, was heartily enjoyed!

2. My network of friends and acquaintances here in Windsor. There was a “media event” for a local community group on Friday morning, to which I was invited. While the speakers were doing their thing, I was looking at the group assembled there, and realizing how many connections I have made here in less than two years. Many of the folks I knew there were friends—people I could call and say, “Hey, we’re getting together tomorrow night, come on over.” Others were more what I would call connections—folks from the various groups that I work with, who are doing projects that synergize with some of ours, that sort of thing. But it made me feel warm inside to see how many people smiled and greeted me when I entered.

3. I have a habit to confess to. I get up earlier than I have to in the morning, just to have a half-hour or so to read my devotional, read a good book, and sip a cup of coffee before I face the busy-ness of daily life. When I can’t do that, when I have to get up and jump in the shower, and dash off to meetings or appointments, I feel grumpy all day. Some days that’s the only solitude I have, and I need a certain amount in order to function properly. So, yes, it’s gotten to be a habit. But a pleasurable one…although I suppose all habits are pleasurable in the beginning!

4. The pool party on Sunday. Friends of ours who live nearby had a “end of summer” pool party last Sunday afternoon. DP and I went over after church, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. It was too cool to swim, but nice enough to sit on the deck and chat, drink wine, and eat potstickers until we were stuffed. These are friends to whom, like our friends of Friday night in the Yellow House, we are just RP and DP; not “the pastor” and “pastor’s spouse.” It’s refreshing, not least because we talk about things besides the church! They don’t hold us to a higher standard, so we can be ourselves. Someone once told me to be sure I had friends who weren’t members of the church, so that I could be myself somewhere; they were so right! It’s not that I wear a mask at church. It’s more that my being human sometimes surprises the members; although they say they’re fine with it, the reality is somewhat different.

5. Sitting on my front porch enjoying the wonderful weather! It’s been in the 70s all week, with low humidity, and some rain at night. Yesterday I sat on the porch for a couple of hours, reading The New Yorker and working on thoughts and ideas for the sermon. Life is good.