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Monday, July 10, 2006


Reflections after the First Week 

Last Wednesday I began the rest of my life. Mostly move into my new place (a house!) in Tampa, I carted a few boxes across the yard to the Office, St. Mark's Episcopal Church. Now, I've been there for a few days and one Sunday and it's been and promises to be a great place to work, worship, and live. I've spent a lot of my time settling into my office and talking with the boss man. We've done quite a bit of pastoral visiting, and I've even been sent out to do some on my own. The highlight of those experiences had to be on Saturday night, around 8:30pm when my phone rang. It was the boss man asking, "Can you go do an ER run?" Now, his initial thought upon hearing the news of a parishioner in the ER was to put on his clericals, grad his BCP, and head out the door. Then he stepped back a bit, laughed, and thought, I have an assistant now, an assistant who lives twice as close to that particular hospital as I do! There was a moment of joy as he picked up the phone to call me. Now, my first thought when I heard him was, in the middle of the ballgame?! My second, quick second, thought though hit closer to the mark - I'm not a field ed seminarian any more. I don't get to pick and choose what I want to do or experience. The boss man calls; I'm on the road. So it was that I was the one donning my clericals and heading out the door, thankful for my new fangled DVR device. I just put the game on pause! See, settling in means more than getting comfortable in a new home and new office. As many of my colleagues can probably tell you just as well, it means getting comfortable with a whole new identity. But the people here at St. Mark's are making that settling in process easy, for which I am thankful. I visited a woman today who injured herself in a fall and she was elated the "good looking new priest" (well, deacon really, but soon enough...) was her pastoral visitor. So, I'd say it's going very well. I know I'm being kept busy, as I am exhausted at the end of every day, and the end of the day seems to be coming a lot sooner. No more 1am nights for me! It's 11 now and I'm pooped! All that is to say that so far, so good. And many more good things to come I hope. I'm preaching for the first time here this coming Sunday, so pray for me, faithful reader.

-R

4 Comments:

The first time I read "boss man," I just assumed Jesus was talking to you directly now... :-)

- Sherriff

By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:02 AM  


"The good-looking priest" ... I had someone say something similar, except that I was at the nursing home, and she wasn't a member of the staff.

Glad to hear things are going well as you get settled in.

BTW ... Your Weather Underground icon covers up a portion of your post on my computer. I wonder if it's me or if you need to check your layout?

By Blogger Reverend Ref +, at 10:38 AM  


Ha!! DVR is a wonderful invention for any good sports-loving priest. Mine is more active from Sept-Nov of course, but man I love that technology :)

And yeah.. what Rev. Ref said about the weather thing.

By Blogger Susie/Nueva Cantora, at 1:37 PM  


I want an assistant. I WANNA WANNA WANNA ONE! Good looking or not....
Sounds like you are settling in well. Keep that good energy going. It's a great ride.
And Ref - cracked me up about the nursing home!

By Blogger David, at 10:38 AM  


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