Into the Wild Wood and Home Again

Winter's back again. Sixteen degrees. March does this, though. But the ice is epic; yesterday, we hit around 50 degrees, and the melting/flooding was in full swing. Thus, my front walk was a luge run. G sanded it this morning when he took the trash barrels out to the curb-- I appreciate it. The last thing I need is to fall (again).  And it's Friday. Amen. Sometimes, you just need a reset.  I wish we could hit pause/reset on the country. Fear has set in at just about every level, and that's disheartening. What can we say/ not say, teach/ not teach, have on our walls, shelves, etc. And who among our students will we be unintentionally hurting?  I didn't sign up to hurt kids. I'll figure it out, but the air is getting pretty thin and it's hard to breathe.  Have a good day.  C

It rained yesterday, it rained all night-- maybe this is it for the snowpack? I'm worried about icy spots, but that's part of the process, I guess. The physical world is not the only slippery bits I'm worried about. I spent almost all day yesterday not engaging in the news cycle, and it was helpful. I peeked at the news this morning, and it's all dismay, dismantle, disagreement... I'm fighting despair, and I know many of you are as well. I am struggling to find a bright spot, to be honest. This cold rain is a living metaphor. I hope your day is a good one. I will try my best to make mine a good one, as well.  Pray for our nation, our world, and each other. C

Full disclosure: I did not watch the SOU speech. I will not engage too deeply with reading responses. It's all political theatre; a theatre of the absurd, a tragedy, a failed play that, God willing, will fold soon. My heart hurts at all the damage done, the cruelty and haphazard wreckage, the chaos and confusion.  Today is Ash Wednesday, and we are asked to give up the things of this world that get in the way of our own introspection, repentance, and personal conversion. Conversion is not a one-time thing; it is a turning and returning to the source of what and who we are.  I've let the world's problems dictate my life far too much for far too long, and while I will still be disturbed and concerned, and I will dedicate myself to being one of the helpers, I can't let it consume me. See, getting too invested in the muck of it is a form of toxic gluttony, and it leads to despair (which is not traditionally one of the seven deadly sins, but it's often included.) Despair...

With the upcoming tariffs, I am getting more than a little nervous about car repairs. I was going to wait until April break to get the second round of brakes fixed, but now... it's already estimated at just under 600.00, and I don't even want to imagine what it would cost if I wait.  Such is the life of the average person right now.  It seems so discordant to see ads for concerts and trips and so on right smack up against photos of protests and the skyrocketing egg prices. Is half the country fiddling while the rest of us burn?  The news cycle is toxic. It's necessary to see what is coming, what has been done every single hour, it seems, because to put our heads in the sand will not help us make prudent decisions. But it's insanely painful to see the hurt and harm that is part of the plan. It's evil. Gather your loved ones close, stock up on food and toilet paper-- this is another sort of pandemic, and there is no cure in sight. C

Well, here we are... entering the "long stretch" of the school year. March and April roll on without a break until the very last of April, and then it's a sprint to the end of the school year. I don't really mind the unbroken schedule-- although it will be punctuated  by assemblies and other things-- because there's a lot to get done before the seniors depart. They graduate about a week before the rest of the kids can leave, so it's a hurry and a dash to get things done. And once April break happens, they mentally check out. So this is the time to accomplish just about all we (I?) want to get done. Seniors are a funny lot; they are both so grown up and so young. I know that I sound like I'm spouting platitudes, but it is really true. Of course, since I've seen the kids grow up literally from birth, some of them anyhow, it's hard to see them as burgeoning young adults. But they are. They'll make the same discoveries we all did, and for them, it...

From today's second reading: "Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, steadfast, always fully devoted to the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:58). I'll try. I'll try really hard. And I'm sure you will, too. There is a lot to do, and a lot pushing back against our best efforts, but we need to take a few deep breaths, maybe a cry or two, and then get back in there and do what needs to be done. Have a good day, and stay warm.  C