Quick and disjointed update:

These little dots I'm using to make this list? I learned this week you're not supposed to call them bullets because that's violent. Err. Whatever.

The divine miss m was spectacular on this trip. Slept on the plane, charmed my clergy pals, napped on her own for long stretches, you name it. She is one laid-back babe. Wonder what she'll be like at 14?

What a week of hither-and-yon. Sunday night I stayed with Professor/Mentor and her family. Monday morning I bummed around Crusty-ol Theological Seminary, then went to lunch with P/M at the place with the devilish cheese-puffs. (Think bisquik and cheese, rolled into balls and baked.)

Monday afternoon I met up with the RevGals. I was sitting in the fellowship hall while NotShyChiRev registered, when I saw this woman walking toward me with great purpose. (The baby gave me away.) Tall, cute pixie cut, stylish outfit, great glasses, and (I found out later) fresh pedicure and new earrings to celebrate meeting BBT. Cheesehead! Much hugging ensued.

Right before we were to go out, miss m needed a snack. I couldn't find a semi-private place to do this so I decided fine, I'd feed her in the relatively distraction-free car. When I hopped out, there stood a [description redacted for reasons of security]. She said, "I'm St. Casserole." I replied, "Of course you are!" Oh, the joy of knowing her. Living in the mid-Atlantic I miss being around such sassy southernism. (Just coined that phrase)

All right, I've gushed long enough. We went to dinner with reverend mommy, who even managed to sell one of the Ordinary Time books while we were sitting there! I also enjoyed meeting Chaplain Lydia and can't wait to add her to bloglines. And the always-lovely Songbird managed to arrive in time for dinner after some hellish travel, bless her heart.

Then I high-tailed it to a three-day gathering/retreat with my clergy cohort group. We are five "liberal" pastors and five "conservative" pastors who get together to discuss various contentious issues in the denomination in an attempt to learn and, when possible, to seek common ground. I put those words in quotes because they are broad enough to be unhelpful sometimes--not to mention that many of the liberal pastors are conservative on certain issues, such as worship, and vice versa.

I really love being with this group. We laugh, we argue, we rest, we pray for one another, we share the joys and challenges of ministry. We have a grant which pays for our expenses, which is nice. Our next project will be a series of pulpit exchanges with someone "across the aisle" from us. We drew names, and I drew the name of the pastor who has just been called to Big Midwestern City. I'm excited about that, since it's a nice big fluffy pulpit (ha), and because I have family in BMC and I'm all about the multi-tasking travel.

Then we're planning a trip to the Caribbean with the rest of the money for the fall of 2007. With spouses. Without kids. Yippee!

So yes, I am back now and spending the weekend with several family members, including all of my siblings. Although we saw each other before my aunt died and later at the service, we haven't been together for any long period of time in years. It's so great! Little she-who-is and her cousins are having a sleepover with MaDear as we speak.

Lots of poems and essays are circling the airport in my brain, trying to land, but there's just no time with all this fun stuff going on. Ah well.