School begins tomorrow (well, actually, it was supposed to begin today but then Hurricane Irene happened), and I can't wait! I LOVE school- I always have. The first day of school, or classes, is always so exciting. I love getting my syllabi, and meeting my teachers, and seeing old friends. This first week of school will be a little bittersweet for me though, because for most of my friends and classmates it marks the first of "lasts". Their last fall semester. Their last year at seminary. For some, their last year in New Jersey before moving away. I have chosen for this to NOT be my last year, and I am still very happy about this. This decision, to stay an extra year, is something that I want to do, and am actually doing.
If you know me at all, there are about a gazillion hundred things that I want to do, but I often never get around to doing any of them.
I am also, once again, at that point where I am trying to figure out what I want to DO with the rest of my life. I'm not saying that I no longer feel called to serve as a pastor (or a pastoress, as some call me :) There are just so many other things that I want to do as well!
And so, if you would indulge me for just a few lines...
I want:
-to stay in school forever (!)
-to have pants that are just the right length (believe it or not, this is a challenge)
-to own a farm, with cows and goats and chickens, and a HUGE vegetable garden
-to make cheese from scratch with milk from the afore-mentioned cows and goats
-to continue baking bread and goodies for all sorts of people
-to FEED people, with vegetables from my garden, and bread from my hands, to give people a warm, home-cooked meal that they wouldn't otherwise have
-to teach Biblical studies, particularly the gospels- forget about Paul and the epistles, someone else can teach that, lol
-to learn how to weave
That's all for now. Thanks for listening.
One other things I want: a glass of wine.
And THAT is something I can have right now. : )
Peace!
Oh Amanda, your ideas and hopes are refreshing and fun. I hope you get to do many if not all of them!
ReplyDeleteI just saw the email about making Communion bread and it reminded me of you and your talents. I've never made bread before. Would you be willing to take on an apprentice? You can even simultaneously teach me the Gospels if you like. ;)
Also, I totally understand the pants issue (that goes for shoes too). I'm attempting to learn a thing or two about sewing clothing and such. I wonder how involved a process it is to make pants?
ALSO, have you heard about St. Lydia's dinner church? The founders are alumnae of my undergrad and I heard about them from a prof. I think a farm ministry could be a beautiful rural counterpart to the urban St. Lydia's. Check out Emily Scott's blog about it here: http://sitandeat.typepad.com/blog/
I love St. Lydia's! I haven't been yet, but I stalk their blog (the one for the church) and wish I had heard about it in time to do supervised ministry there last year (even though working with Tanya was awesome). I hope to go and visit soon. Maybe we should take a group of Drew peeps. Also, you MUST MUST MUST read Take this Bread by Sarah Miles, Amanda!
ReplyDeleteAs for wanting to do a million things, I do too. My only problem is that I want to do a million things before I'm 30. I want to be with Aaron, travel and live abroad, get a PhD, have babies, get arrested a few times, write a book (or two), have a farm like you, learn Bosnian Spanish Arabic Hebrew and Greek, and learn to be crafty (i.e. quilt, make clothes, etc. etc.). I don't know why I feel that I have to do all these before I'm 30 but I do. It's frustrating. But I also want to make flourless chocolate cake with you and we did and it was excellent! Yeay!