Catch Up

It's been so long since I last posted. I will attempt to do a little catch up, but it feels like there has been so much happening! Here are some highlights from the last couple weeks (you can click on the pics to enlarge):

I was home for the Reedsburg Butter Festival for the first time since high school. I'm not sure how we got to be the Butter Capital of the World, but that's apparently what we celebrate. As with any real festival, there was so much fried food, cut-off t-shirts, and tractors. A couple pics from the tractor pull (hopefully in the first one you can see the crowd sitting on the bleachers in the background, as well as the trucks, trailers, etc. used to transport the contestants):

My dad joined me for the Run for the Butter - 2 mile Fun Run. I was so proud of him - he hadn't run since probably high school and he ran the whole 2 miles! Don't remember what our time was, but we finished together. Notice the shorts my dad is wearing...go Packers! :)

The main reason for being home in Reedsburg that weekend was the wedding of a close high school friend. Some of the high school crew, 9 years post-graduation:

Over the last couple weeks I've been so social - even getting to see friends from seminary and the Bay Area. It's been wonderful, and keeping me so busy when I'm not at the hospital.

As for CPE, it's going well. I have to say, I've already realized that I do not feel called to hospital chaplaincy. If I could have it my way, I would be done with CPE already and just enjoy the summer and living in Chicago. There is so much to do here! I know CPE is good for me...it continues to be challenging (I still have to make myself knock on doors and talk to people when I'm on rounds). I struggle with the way we are to present ourselves...essentially we are to be as non-religious as possible, so that we can support all who are at the hospital. I support this idea, but it is hard to think that we are the religious leaders, so to speak, in the hospital, and even we are trying not to talk about God. We want the patients to lead our conversations, which I think is good, but if we can't talk about God, or encourage people to, or challenge them to (?), who will? We wear lab coats over business professional attire...no collars for me yet. I wonder what kind of pastoral identity I am developing. It doesn't really feel like pastoral development at this point, but I know the skills I am learning will contribute and challenge me to be a better leader in the church. It is good to be practicing our listening skills all summer...I find myself thankful for the Intro to Pastoral Care class I had last fall and all the listening practice we did.

Well friends, I hope you got to enjoy a long weekend. I surely did! I celebrated by going to the Shedd Aquarium, July 3rd fireworks (a Chicago tradition, I've heard), Wrigley Field for the Cubs vs. Brewers yesterday, and today I'm grilling and hanging outside with some CPE comrades. It has been an incredible summer already. I am loving Chicago...if it didn't get so cold here during the winter, I wouldn't think twice about moving here! It is so good to be near close friends - HS, KG, SN, and LN. And good to be making new ones - TH, SN, BK, ZJ, TG, JN, and BS. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers - know that I am doing the same for you.