In Rapid City!

My friend does not have broadband, but I managed to find an unsecured wireless connection. Tsk, tsk.

Yesterday I attended Emmauel, which has an interim rector. The man who was rector for 19 years retired last year. I love it that in the prayers of the people included was a prayer for the "ninth rector of Emmanuel", although no one has a clue who that man or woman might be. The Holy Spirit knows, though!

It was wonderful to see my old friends--lots of hugs all around. That is the church in which I've felt the most at home in my entire life. Since people know we are moving back, I already have been approached with "when can I put you back on the LEM schedule?" "Do you want to consider the new verger position?" Etc. I told everyone that I've already signed up for one thing (EFM mentor) and we need to move, get settled back in, and take a few trips so Taciturn can get reacquainted with my family (he hasn't seen my parents since fall 2005)--THEN I'll get back on the LEM schedule, consider the verger position, etc. But it is nice to be wanted!

Someone at coffee hour asked about my upcoming trips (after this one, I go home for a few days, then fly out to Missouri for Granddaughter's ballet recital, fly back, pack up my house and start the moving process). Someone else asked "What trips are you taking?" I told her the above, and she said, "Oh! You moved away! I wondered why I hadn't seen you for a while!" I said that yeah, I'd moved, I hadn't blown off church for two years, and one of the other ladies almost choked on her coffee trying not to laugh.

The time with my friend Pamela is, as always, so valuable. She has a way of asking the right questions, which I think is more important than having the right answers. We discuss things until I am hoarse. She is going to preach in a couple of weeks, something that as a trained lay person she does on rare occasion, and so we have been discussing that. I'm going to pull out my NT notes that are on my laptop to see if there is anything of value to her in them.

I did visit the poor, sad house yesterday. That is another post!