reverendjaneausten

  AFC Champions!   Our eldest, Erik, was 5 the last time we watched the Cincinnati Bengals do this.  Gosh, I have lots of memories from watching my  former  (he was too old by then for such a moniker,) Baby Tiger cheer on that team.  We were living with my Mom, and as luck would have it, the family room carpet was orange.   This was 1988, but anyone who ever had orange carpet knows that they were impervious to carpet-replacing damage.  (https://flashbak.com/a-clockwork-carpet-when-floor-coverings-went-orange-374501/)    Besides, with a 2 year old (also happily cheering on “the Bengoes”) and a 5 year old— and a puppy, what was the point of choosing something new? We have lots of happy memories of heading toward the Super Bowl. Erik’s birthday was always close to the date of the Big Game, and in our Kentucky years, that meant tacos or chili or some other fun meal with our dear friends Kit and Gerald.   (They were colleagues, Graff’s Godparents and stood up for us at our wedding.   We nev

 I am talking to you about flexibility. Not Yoga....that's a lifetime goal too, and it is not pretty in my case.   But I am thinking of the way in which other people's actions impact our responses.  this happens a lot to me on the liturgical plane-- and this is not a complaint.  People have learned at different times under different rectors, or they have been away from it for a while or--the tough one: Covid has changed protocols.  We need each other, and adapting to make everyone look good is a team sport.  If you had asked me before Covid, I would have assured you that I was flexible.  And I really was, by pre-pandemic measures. But these months have changed all of us, catapulting us through change, and sometimes making us turn on a dime, We are on repeat,  frequently having to learn something new at the same time we are making it happen.  I had hoped that we would move away from this pattern of anxiety, but we are not there yet.   Yep,  that's a lot.  So it turns out thi

  Snow days bring forth an amazing childhood feeling that we never outgrow.   They provide a chance to stop everything and embrace the moment, and often to celebrate it in the way that we choose right in the middle of days that are rigidly planned.    Suddenly, this chance to switch gears elicits joyful abandon and a sense of freedom.   I am old enough to compare this to the long stretch of summer between Memorial Day and Labor Day, or Christmas Break in college.   My Kentucky years provided snow days, but my upper midwest life included no such luxury.   And of course, life teaches us as we grow that snow days are a delight to those receiving  them, but for those who must make the decision?— every angle can be stressful.    Closing church, which we have already done far too often for the emotional and spiritual health of the community, has to be carefully considered and researched. I took several days to make the decision (with help!) And still waited for the 24 hour mark.    Communica

  January 9, 2022 Taking Christmas down is always sad for me.   Part of that is because it goes up so late for us.   (Vocational impediments.) This year, it was just the two of us, and I was a fairly fussy about not having a tree.   My husband was utterly reasonable in his pondering that we skip it this year, particularly as no one was visiting.   And then, my dear knight in shining armor was utterly chivalric when my response to that pondering was over the top.   He rode his trusty steed right out and brought home a bare flocked tree, beautifully suited to the space.   We somehow had two strings of fairy lights awaiting the perfect home—and we stopped there.   Apparently, (with loving understanding on Shannon’s part,) we have achieved a high level of compromising after 28 years together.   Christmas may come down, but this little tree will stand in for the star all through Epiphany. We need extra light in these darkest days.   And the Crèche has a few more days. The Kings missed their