Happy Things+

No, I have not fallen off the planet. It's been that busy time of year called EQUIP training. It messes with my "personal" life. (Do I have a personal life?) I've had to put thank you notes, bill paying, room organizing, blogging, etc., on hold for about two months. The weeks following training are often not much more open, because it takes a while to catch up on things.

I honestly do have a list of happy things from EQUIP training--jotted on a piece of paper that I kept on my desk at the back of the 13th floor classroom. That piece of paper is sitting on my desk in Indianapolis, and I am at home in Dublin. So today you all get to hear happy things from my last 27 hours or so at home.

• Spinning around a dining hall pole with Alicia B. and Ethan M., at Alicia's insistence
• Hearing Rick F. tell about how God is giving him chances to reach out to people these days, on his construction job. Just hearing his voice again brought back so many memories of sitting under his ministry and learning about how real and personal God is.
• Catching up with bunches of friends yesterday, from Ron and Katina M. to Brian and Lisa M. to Warren and Teresa A. to . . . Our reason for being together--Paige's memorial service--was far from happy, but the richness of having dear friends is happy.
• Seeing and hugging Anna
• Seeing Mrs. Forsten, my 3rd and 4th grade teacher, at church this morning!
• Waking up from a nap on the couch to Craig playing piano
• Sleeping in
• Chilly fall weather
• Chad picking me up at the airport (his "taxi service" phone call confirming my arrival time the night before) and inviting me to go with him to Manchester's Turkey Bowl on Thursday
• Helping the Bible School students set up for and clean up from today's church luncheon
• The Thanksgiving tablecloths and paperware that Lori and Jimmy M. donated to Fairwood
• Trying to get Ian and Jamie P. to smile at me
• Seeing Tim and Carrie Anne's beautiful little girls
• Just being home