Monday Musings - If you build it, use it!

While it is not the healthiest thing in the world for me to eat, during the week when I have some time between work and a meeting I stop for fast food. I'm trying to be better about this, but sometimes it is just convenient.

Anyway, as I drive through some of these places, I find the following:

• A single window where you both pay and receive what you ordered.
• Two windows, one where you pay and the next window where you receive what you ordered.
• Two windows, one you drive by because it is being used for storage or just isn't used at all, and the second window where you both pay and receive what you ordered.

It is the last one that bothers me the most. Because seriously, if you have renovated your establishment and added a window somewhere, whether it is the first window or the second one, it was built for a purpose - to be used! Not to be a storage area. Not to be constantly closed. Not to be constantly passed by. It might help with long lines in a drive through. Maybe it won't. But seriously, the addition of these windows whenever they are done are probably paid for by someone within the business, be it a franchisee or corporate. I wonder what they say when they see the newly build window never used - or worse, being an area to just store supplies! 

And don't get me started on places that have 2 drive through lanes, 2 drive through orders being taken at once, to only be put into 1 lane to pay for said orders and then receive the food. I'm sure that is to aid with quicker orders being taken but more than once someone who just HAD to wait in line ahead of me even though I had clearly completed providing my order before they did had to specify what their order was because the person at the window thought it was my order they were getting.

Pondering the need for 2 drive through windows...

Merging is an Ongoing Journey - Not Yet!

I guess I have something else to write in this series. So maybe I'll keep it around but it may not be a weekly entry.

Pretty Tree in the PUMC Parking Lot 10/16/2022

So, yesterday I had an opportunity that I haven't had in a very long time. I got to work with the youth in the church. One of the adults who works with the youth was doing a day on music and asked if some of us from choir would assist.  It was a lot of fun - and there was a lot of hidden musical talent in the youth in both instrument and vocal forms!

It has been a number of years since I worked with a youth group - probably at least 10 years. But it was a great experience. And it was fun, not just because of the subject but because of the youth and the other adults who were there. There is a mix of time for fun and time for learning and stretch breaks which lead to fun, and of course, a snack!  And we were invited back, not to talk about music but to just be part of the fellowship.

While I can't make it back for the next week and I think the following week they were meeting early for the CROP Walk for those who wished to participate, so it may be a bit before I get back. But I'm definitely considering it!

Merging is an Ongoing Journey - Should I Let this Go?

The moon above the church 10/6/22

It is no secret that I have been struggling to blog the past couple months. Some days on Monday I just don't have anything new to contribute to the ongoing merging journey series. I mean, things are still going on. My journey continues. But I don't feel like it necessarily needs to contribute to its own blog entry. And then because I don't blog on Monday it leads to no thoughts on Thursday or a feeling like I shouldn't share thoughts on Thursday because I didn't post on Monday.

So here is where I'm at.

I'm not going to give up blogging.

But I'm thinking it may be time for this series to not be so frequent.  Maybe instead of a random thought on a Thursday, if something comes up related to the ongoing journey, I should post it on Thursday as my thought and just go from there.  Sometimes I feel like in the past I have almost duplicated efforts because my thought on Thursday would have been just as good as a journey post. Except that I didn't want to wait for a Monday.

I don't know.  It is just something I'm thinking about. So that I don't feel so remiss in my postings. 

Merging is an Ongoing Journey - Current Task Brought Back a Memory

 The other day I was talking with someone about the candles as I filled them with oil.  I've always had some affiliation with the candles in a church.  It now is one of my weekly behind-the-scenes tasks to fill the candles with oil.  This was something I had also done at Wappingers when my father wasn't able to take care of it any more.

But I was also reminded of the time before we had oil candles.

Candles on the altar, Easter 2012

The candles posted here are still the oil candles, but there was a time before this when they weren't.  They were white candles that looked very similar. 

But there was a trick.

At the end of the service, after the acolyte had extinguished the candles, after the postlude, when someone had to pull down on the top part of the candle while the wax was still warm and pliable. 

Again, a task my father had done until I learned how to do it and then I enjoyed doing it.

It is interesting how some memories come back at random times. Like this memory of the candles, from who knows how many years ago.

Merging is an Ongoing Journey - When Life Seems to be Repeating Itself

Thanks to apps on my phone like Timehop I am reminded of various photos and things I took in previous years. Today my phone reminded me that it was a year ago when our Pastor (and many others) were away on a trip. In an effort to not burden the lay servants in church, he was just looking for someone to take care of the service except for the sermon, which he pre-recorded. For reference, this was last year's blog entry about that event: My Pastor is Unique.

Well, yesterday I had a slightly similar experience. For a different reason all together. Our pastor needed to save his voice, so there were a couple of us lay servants who were asked to guide worship services, both our contemplative service and the regular service later in the morning. 

Life seems to be repeating itself.

What was also funny is that last year I had bought this gigantic bottle of water to help me get through the service, I guess because it was warm. While I don't have proof of it this year, I also bought a pretty large bottle of water to get through yesterday's service. I didn't drink as much this year as I did last year.

But life seems to be repeating itself.

Life does seem to do that from time to time. There are things that are familiar that happen around the same time every year.  At work we have a cycle of when things happen in the life of the college. At church it is the church year when things happen, days or seasons are celebrated, and there is familiarity and sometimes unfamiliarity.

Sometimes life repeats itself. It can be exactly how something was or with slight differences. It is just how we handle those things that makes the difference.

The sky from the parking lot at PUMC on 9/18/2022

Merging is an Ongoing Journey - The Only Thing I Wanted To Do

Yes, yes, it's been a few weeks. Sorry. Things are busy for me both personally and professionally and I didn't have the energy to write while I was off (went on a long hike) or during my lunch break while at work. But, you know, stuff happens from time to time. And I'll try to be better about getting back on schedule.

So yesterday was Sunday. Yesterday was also my birthday. And there was one thing I wanted to do yesterday. That was go to church.

Me in the car before I left to go to church

The last time I went to church on my birthday was when there was a hurricane coming through the area, so it was a very crazy day. A memorable one, but a crazy one. Yesterday was much less crazy. I got to go to church and take part in soaking prayer, which I am growing to love. And then we had our regular service, which had some really good hymns, a service led by one of our lay leaders (which I always enjoy), and a guest speaker who was great. Oh, and a great postlude.

The rest of the day was quiet for me. 

But I just loved being in the church environment on my birthday. I got so many birthday hugs and wishes. It was the place I wanted to be and needed to be. I love that church can have that effect on me, not just on special days but on every day that I am there.

Merging is an Ongoing Journey - VBS

A day late - sorry!

So last week was Vacation Bible School at church. And it wasn't just for kids - it was also for adults. Anastasia and I attended together (except for Friday when I had to make a trip to Cape Cod) which was really very cool. Every night we got to have dinner together and then we played games with our table, which ranged night to night with different adults and children.

Anastasia and Aunt Jenn on the first day of VBS

Anastasia really enjoyed herself, making friends, learning songs, doing arts and crafts, playing games, and learning different Bible stories.

For the adults we did scripture studies each night and then a talk on different subjects.

The night ended together with more music.

I have a few memories of Vacation Bible School when I was a kid. At different churches. Singing songs like This Little Light of Mine and King of Kings. Snack time. Getting a Bible. Some of the spaces we were in.

I am so glad Anastasia was able to have some of the same fun.

And I had fun too! I am truly glad they included adults as well. It gave me the opportunity to not only learn with people I have learned with before but with others that I know from other contexts but not necessarily studies or small groups.

I hope we can do it again next year!