Home Again

Hi everyone! I just got back from a few days in south Florida. It's wonderful to be home, but what a horrible change. I left a sunshine paradise where it was clear and warm, and landed in a cool, damp, foggy mess. While Michigan is home for now, Ben and I are talking about looking for warmer climes -- enough of winter and record unemployment. I kidded that if we are going to be unemployed and poor, it will be nicer to do it in the Florida sun than in the Michigan mess. It won't happen real soon, but it's on the drawing board. Anyway, I was there for the 20th anniversary of the church I helped found in Fort Myers. I was super to see what has evolved from that small group. Starting with 22, they are now closer to 200 people, and they own a building on one of the main roads in town. It was wonderful to see old friends -- some of those original 22 are still there. There were some bittersweet moments as we talked about some who are now deceased, but we honored them as well. It was an extremely positive event for me. There are days when I wonder if I help to make any difference in the world, and this weekend showed that my labors of 20 years ago are reaping benefits and rewards for that community.

Well, now I'm back and have to go to work tomorrow morning -- yuck! It will be wonderful to cuddle and more with that special someone (you know who I mean!!). Next weekend I'm off to Indiana for a meeting, but between now and then I hope to make up for being gone for several days. So there may not be many posts here in the days ahead. Stay well and hug someone -- I'm going too!!!

Have a Blessed Easter

Here's wishing you and yours all the joy and blessing of the Resurrection. Happy Easter! After church activities tomorrow (Ben goes for a 6:30AM vigil service and the regular 10 AM; I go for a breakfast at 9:30 and service at 11) we head to my brother's house abhout an hour away to celebrate with the family. It's a busy busy weekend, and by Monday neither of us will want to go to work -- but work beckons. Give someone a big hug.

NEW JOB

Thanks to all of you who have been sending good thoughts my direction. The much discussed short term temp assignment that has been possible, then not, then on, then off, is definitely ON! I start tomorrow at 8:30 AM (That means driving toward Detroit at rush, but we do what we have to do). The money will be nice, although the job is only slated for 4-6 weeks. Hopefully by then, I will be called back to the last place and be set for a while. If not, unemployment will kick back in. SO -- tomorrow I call to document the past two weeks of being unemployed and begin this new adventure. It should be a "blast". We shall see.

Happy St. Patricks Day

Hope this helps to make your celebration more fun. Thanks to q-logik for the pic. The shamrock gets picked at the link. Enjoy if it is your thing. Hug someone and celebrate responsibly.

A Glimmer of Light?

Well, I got a call this morning to tell me that the temp job that has been on the table, then off, is back on the table. I am supposed to have a phone interview tomorrow morning to see about it. It is scheduled for two months at pretty decent money, but I'm still not holding my breath. I haven't got the email confirming the interview from the temp agency. But at least it is again on the radar. This is a good thing - -I think. Meanwhile, there's unemployment. It's not much, but it's better than nothing; also slightly better than minimum wage. Ah, the joys of being out of a job. ICK.

Kudos

I just saw a news story in which the African American mayor of Philadelphia has vowed to continue his support for Hilary Clinton in her bid for the presidency despite the growing support for Barack Obama. The thing that sticks out for me in this story is that the Mayor appears to be a man of conviction unlike so many who have gone scurrying after whoever is leading in polls and delegates. Those who support Mrs. Clinton when she is favored and then switch their support to Mr. Obama when he is ahead are sending the signal that their support has nothing to do with issues or positions but instead has to do with positioning themselves to be in the "favor" of whomever they think might be a winner. I am so sick of the political maneuvering and rhetoric. It is refreshing to see someone sticking to a position! My candidate of choice (John Edwards) withdrew from the race some time back, but if he re-entered the race today, I would there to support him. The office of the presidency of the United States is too important to base its support on the whims of polls and the words of what is rapidly becoming a "rabid" press corps. The media people see a slight upswing in someone's numbers and they effectively "anoint" that one as the winner when there are still lots of delegates in contention. I know that part of their job is to boost circulation and viewer ratings, but the greater part of their job should be responsible journalism -- they should be reporting the news, not trying to steer its outcome. Whoever the Democratic Party nominates (most likely Sen. Clinton or Sen. Obama) is the candidate I will support. I am just thrilled to see that at least one political office holder (the mayor of Philadelphia) is standing by his candidate of choice. If i lived in his city, this action would go a long way toward securing my vote. And that is the way I see it!!

Interesting Easter Information

I received the following information by email today and thought I'd share it with all of you. It is amazing!!!

Easter this year is: Sunday March 23 2008
As you may know Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20).
This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify Passover which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.
Found out a couple of things you might be interested in!
Based on the above Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is pretty rare This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or above!). And none of us have ever or will ever see it a day earlier! Here are the facts:

The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 or older you are the only ones that were around for that!). The next time it will be a day earlier March 22 will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year!

Spring Forward!!

Don't forget to SPRING FORWARD before you go to bed tomorrow night! If you forget, you will be late for church!

And the Boredom Continues

Well, here it is -- one week since my temp job that lasted 13 months came to a sudden stop and I joined the ranks of "the victims of outsourcing". The "promised" temp assignment that would bridge the gap has not materialized. When I called, I was told it was in the "approval" stage, which to me means I was politely told that it wasn't going to happen. I did finally get the laundry put away, and the kitchen is in a little bettr order. I have been doing some church stuff, although I have probably wasted more time in the past week than I could believe possible. The one good (?) thing that is coming out of this experience is a deeper empathy with others in this and worse situations. What I really want is a job -- not just for the money, though that is a motivator. I want the structure and the feeling of being useful to someone. Ben has been so patient with me -- he has been where I am. At least he is working and I have the part time church gig. And there will be unemployment. I wonder if the "promised" call back to the previous employer will come in the "promised" one to two months. I wonder how we will pay the rent this month. I wonder about a lot of stuff, but I also find myself strangely calm. Even though the finances and stuff cross my mind, at this point I am not stressing or obsessing about the bills. Somehow, God will help sort it all out. I hope that happens soon! So, here I sit playing online, playing computer games, watching TV, and generally goofing off. I suppose next week will encourage me to go pound the pavement seeking employment. The reality is that with winter weather, I am not in a huge hurry to go anywhere. Ah well, spring is coming -- wonder what the season of "new life" will bring. More updates as they become available. Hug someone!!

Between Jobs

Well, I am now officially unemployed. As I said in my last post, my temp job ended last Friday. The other potential temp assignment hangs by a thread at the moment. They already filled the approved spots and are trying to add one to accomodate me. It's in the "approval" stage which basically means sit and wait. I applied for Unemployment and contacted my previous temp agency to reactivate my file. I have scored "Career Builder" and done some laundry. The reality is that I feel as though I am in "Free fall." While I am still busy with the church gig, it will not support me. I begin to wonder what's next. I am falling into the "I can do that tomorrow" mindset. The clean laundry is laying on the dining room table; at the moment I am unshaved, etc. At least I didn't have to commute through the snow this morning. I really need to find something to do to give myself the motivation to "DO" something. One thing that this experience will do is to give me an insight into the lives of some of my congregants. This is the first tim ein four years that I have not had a guaranteed income. Ah, life sucks. I am still trying to define my feelings about where I find myself today. Hopeless? Worthless? On the verge of some great opportunity? I don't know, but I don't like it. I guess I will figure out what to do next soon -- I hope.