it’s a small, small world

There, now I got a tune stuck in your head – you’re welcome.

A few weeks back, I was heading out of my office to go home and passed by a table outside the day care office. Often, when the day care staff comes across unopened items they can share with families who use the day care, they leave them on this table.  On this particular day, there were a few items and one caught my eye.

You know when your worlds collide and your brain slows and then warps as it tries to make sense of what it’s seeing?  Picture a slow-motion scene in a David Fincher (Fight Club, Se7en) movie.  Only, I dare say my worlds colliding didn’t look nearly as cool – I’m sure I looked as if I was in pain.

Because here I was, in (choose your favorite moniker): Upstate New York/the ‘cuse/Central New York staring at, of all things, a bar of soap from Idaho.  

And not only was it from Idaho, it was from the camp (Luther Heights) I used to work with in Idaho.

And not only was it from the camp I worked with in Idaho, it was soap that sat in my office in countless boxes as a generous fundraiser/donation by a supporter of the camp, Lisa Dean-Erlander.

What I mean to say is I had a relationship with this soap.  I carted it around southern Idaho, dropping it off at churches.  I hauled them to camp to sell in the camp store.  I got headaches from that much soap being in my office.  I learned.  I moved it.

The women in the day care office were looking at me with some concern, as I stood frozen, holding the soap and trying to rememer where I was and how this soap got here, and if I’d traveled in time Donnie Darko style.  They laughed as I tried to explain my obvious confusion.

The story ends with a real obvious, not exciting ending, really.  The assosciate pastor from Atonement had attended the Women of the ELCA gathering in Salt Lake City, Utah last summer where Lisa had been selling her goods.  There ya go.  That’s it.

Daniel Erlander did the artwork on the front of Luther in the tub.  He guessed that AD1525 was about the time Luther met Katie and would, perhaps, have been inspired to bathe.

I’m pretty proud of all the links I made in this post.  The Donnie Darko page is worth the hit, if you’ve got some time to waste.

going west to head east

elite passengers? anyone?

I am in the Reno airport (it’s an unholy 5am.  We departed the conference center at 3:30 to get here) and am waiting to fly to Los Angeles so I can then fly to Detroit, and then to Syracuse.  It’s gonna be a long day of sitting and waiting and flying.  I think I get home just before 8pm.  I felt my body adjust to the Pacific time zone yesterday, so the discombobulation will begin again tomorrow, I suppose, if it hasn’t already begun.  

It was so good to spend time with outdoor ministry people I’ve known for a long time, and to keep in the loop with that network.  We had a great event that ended with a celebratory graduation ceremony and great fellowship along with some flakes of snow.

Although I love the west, it will be nice to get back to Syracuse and the rhythm of life at Atonement.

Update from Tahoe

 

view out my hotel room window

We got to the retreat center (Zyphyr Point) late on election night, having huddled in the van outside the retreat center, listening to Obama’s acceptance speech. We were thankful for satellite radio.  I got to my room and tried to look out my window, but it was pitch black.  I wondered if perhaps my room faced the back side of a hill (or a mountain, as they are out here in the west).

So this view was quite a surprise in the morning!

The outdoor ministry learning event (essentially a school) is going well.  The schedule is slammed and we’re off and running by 7am and usually not to bed before 11, so it’s tiring but good.  It’s also important timing for me, as I still wonder about getting “back into” outdoor ministry in the future.  Who knows.  

I’ll post another picture or 2 not taken from my window, but actually from being outside.  I’ll be back in the ‘Cuse on Sunday.

 

I am getting to spend time with good friend, Brooke.