My wonderful vicar is away in the States for 10 days, celebrating his son's wedding...so naturally, people have begun dying all over the parish with dogged determination. It always happens, the moment one of us is away...the funeral directors have a hotline direct to the parish office and I've now funerals Thursday, Friday and Tuesday.
No problem with this, except for the fact that Procrastinators RUs (aka Revd Good in Parts) has a 3000 word reflection on the Diaconate to post to the Bishop by Friday...Not to worry, though, it's my day off tomorrow, so I should catch up then. Meanwhile, this evening featured a confirmation class in which my youngest dissolved into floods, after his heartless mother read the riot act over his incessant interruptions and general domination of the group...Poor J eventually managed to point out that we never have any time for Big Questions these days, so if he doesn't hold centre-stage in the confirmation group then he'll never get a chance. Racked with guilt, I'm booking Mummy and J slots in the diary henceforth and even for ever more.
After this, did a funeral visit....the husband was weepy but determined. The dog, a rather beautiful Sheltie, was equally determined...that no other woman would be allowed into her mum's sitting room. Why couldn't she have bitten a hole in my sadder pair of jeans??...these ones had been OK till then...but I had to pretend that nothing much had happened, as the poor man was in such a state anyway. Toothmarks on my leg, but no blood shed, so presumably I'm unlikely to be more rabid than usual in the morning!
Finally, got home just after 9.00 to discover that darling husband, who was due to depart for London at sparrow tweet tomorrow, had somehow managed to fill his petrol driven Volvo with diesel...so was having to siphon it all out and then start again...
If I included this evening in the "Reflections..." essay, I think I might think twice about priesting me. Discretion is the better part of valour, so they say.
I'll be praying for you, Kathryn!
ReplyDeleteHmmm... what an interesting concept of "day off" you seem to have .... and how lucky you are that your husband realised what he'd done immediately and didn't have to be rescued halfway to London (the incredulity on the face of the repair man can only be imagined.....)
ReplyDeleteAs to sons, I shall tell mine to be grateful that at least he is safe from confirmation classes conducted by his mother (having been Done last year)- his response would have been embarrassed silence! But I'm in the doghouse anyway, having taken him to the last night of The History Boys yesterday,which he enjoyed (I had forgotten quite how rude it was, but probably nothing new there) but this morning he's tired and Its My Fault (when he stays up until midnight watching tv it's different apparently)
Do enjoy your day off,Kathryn,and try not to be too distracted by the hordes of sympathetic comments your post will uncoudtedly attract!
aha, so HS gets to see my hero Jack before I do huh? Do pass on my righteous indignation. I shall expect two gins when I next see young jack. And a very heavy conversation about the 'big Things' during whihc I shall endeavour to convince him that liquorice and chocolate cake are Gods greatest gifts to us (sod his Son)and were definitley wrongly recorded as frankincense and gold in the stable scene, where mary infact gave birth to jaffa cakes.
ReplyDeleteDon't you just hate days when it seems like tumbling dominos, one incident colliding with another. Praise the Lord the dominos don't go on for ever. Prayers for your upcoming week Kathryn.
ReplyDelete{{{hugs}}}
ReplyDeleteYou poor thing. :( Hope J-and-Mummy time goes well. :)
ReplyDeleteI could imagine the tension of being biten by the dog while trying to maintin a pastoral concern - it made me smile. It did make wonder about telling the bishop that the dog ate the 3000 word reflection!!
ReplyDeleteI hope all went well and you are getting through the week.
I think you should include it ALL in your essay. SOunds like you've totally qualified... the life of a priest, eh??
ReplyDeleteLife in a parish is full of these sorts of days, as the Bishop must well know.
ReplyDeleteI sympathize on the maternal front. I've taught one of mine in Confirmation and have two to go.