"It's Spring. By the end of the day you should smell like dirt." Margaret Atwood

 Ahhhhh...yes, Spring. I love when it's time to dig in the dirt. There is something deeply satisfying when I pull weeds, prepare beds, and plant. It wouldn't be a day in the garden if I didn't have to get the dirt from under my fingernails. How does that happen? I wear gloves.        

Half the fun is wandering around the Garden Center imagining what I need, what new plant would be fun to try this year and getting excited about upcoming season of tending the garden. This is my second Spring and Summer in Texas, I didn't get to garden last summer so I have no idea how my garden will grow. Somehow, it doesn't matter. What does matter is that I get to nurture the flowers, watch them grow and enjoy them. As the season goes along, I'll post some pictures.

I heard a sermon many years ago about the spiritual practice of weeding. I still remember the essence of the message, hmmm, maybe that's when it all started. Weeding is one of the few activites we are fully present to when we do it. When we weed a garden we are thinking about the weed, need to pull it, how to pull it, did we get all of the root? And, oooh, there's another one, I need to pull it too. And so it goes.

When we are fully present to God like we are when weeding a garden, we can see the next thing God is showing us, we can hear the next thing God is telling us.  When we stand back and see a bed  free of weeds, we can see the beauty and say "it is good" because it is. It is all part of God's beautiful and bountiful creation and for that I give thanks.

For Joy in God's Creation
O heavenly Father, who hast filled the world with beauty:
Open our eyes to behold thy gracious hand in all thy works;
that, rejoicing in thy whole creation, we may learn to serve
thee with gladness; for the sake of him through whom all
things were made, thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

                                                                                                                  Book Of Common Prayer page 814

Spring has sprung and the birds are tweeting...

...and so am I! So, this twitter business is kind of fun. I'm not sure what to tweet but, one veteran tweeter told me, if it means something to you, tell it, someone else will find it worth reading. I've come across some really interesting people so far, it's amazing how much 140 characters can say.

Since I've been away for six months let me give you a twittle-bit of what has been going on. I've now preached five times, learned about virtues, telos, and natural law. Thomas Aquinas, at least I can read you with some intelligence and get what you are talking about. I'm caught in the vortex of the hermeneutical circle and  I can't get out! I hear once you get in there is no getting out! Hmmm... that seems to be a trend.

Hard to believe six more weeks and I will be 2/3 finished with seminary. Between now and then I'll have my candidacy interview with Bishop Kee Sloan, the Diocese of Alabama's Commission on Ministry, Standing Committee. They get to say whether or not I become a Candidate for Holy Orders. Now, I would say that's going all in. 

It's going to be busy spring.  I've been invited as one of eight from SSW to the Preaching Excellence Program in Richmond VA. I'll be upper camp chaplain for Sawyerville Day Camp http://www.sawyervilleworkproject.org/  (check it out!) and I'm going to Indianapolis for General Convention this summer as a seminarian. You can follow our Southwest team at #sswGC and The Episcopal Church General Convention at #GC77

Oh and I almost forgot. 10 papers and projects due before April 28, inventory in the bookstore and Last Gathering.

Tweet me at @holycowgirl1 and I'll tweet you back.

TTFN (Tweet, tweet for now...)