Spiritual Direction and PB&J
Hey everyone! Let's catch up:
*We have had a steady stream of out-of-town visitors these past few weeks. First, my parents came to town for some fall foliage viewing (and grandson viewing):
*We also had a couple good friends in town for TJ's birthday, which included a trip to Madison's farmers market, Oktoberfest, and a heavy metal concert:
*Lastly, two students from our former youth group spent a weekend with us. I have been mentoring these girls for a few years, and we have such a special relationship! I was so happy they were able to hang out:
*The weather has been getting colder here, and the leaves are absolutely beautiful:
Anyway...
Two months in, and everything's pretty good. I'm even making friends! I say this because, even though I am an extrovert, I have my limits. It's not very easy for me to just walk up to new people and start a conversation, or go to social events by myself when I'm sure I won't know anyone there. When we moved here, we didn't know anyone besides the handful of people we (briefly) met when we visited a few months prior. After we settled in, I just decided to force myself out of my comfort zone and start meeting people. It's been awkward, but awesome.
Finally, he meets Jelly, and realizes they go together perfectly. They start playing, and pretty soon all the other foods join in and everyone plays together. It's so sweet. And the illustrations are actual foods, set up like they are playing soccer. You should read it -- for the pictures, if nothing else.
So far, I have walked up to groups of other wives on campus and just started talking (sorry if that was weird, ladies). I have gone to baby story time at the library and met other moms. I attended a brunch with other women from our church, most of whom I hadn't met previously. I have even introduced myself and made future plans with people in the same conversation. This is huge. I'm feeling a bit like Peanut Butter, in that I'm collecting different friends from different places, and hoping to find some Jelly friends. I'm not great at small talk -- I prefer to dive in and get to know people beyond the surface level. Instead of "how was your day?" and "have you seen any good movies lately?", I'm more likely to say "Tell me about your family" or "What are your goals in life?". I'm so glad I'm not single, because I wouldn't be good at dating. Making new friends feels like dating -- you're trying to feel a person out and see if it will be a good match, and at the same time you're trying not to scare them off with your questions and your overall personality. But it's fun, and I'm totally enjoying meeting new people. I'm slowly making the rounds with all these new people in my life, and being intentional about building friendships. So, if any of my Wisconsin people are reading this, sit tight -- I'll be asking you on a date soon :)
There's a lot of newness to our lives right now: new state, new house, new friends, new job. Being a parent is also still sort of a new thing. For me, the most radical new thing would be the changes in my faith. I recently began meeting with a spiritual director (also a new thing). We have been meeting once a month to talk about anything and everything. We are getting to know each other, but also diving deep, and it's helped me uncover a lot of things about my path into Anglicanism.
I tend to be the type of person who is cautious about learning new things. I like to go slowly, making sure that I fully understand what's going on. There's a lot about Anglicanism that I still don't understand, and I'm learning that that's okay. I'm taking baby steps on this journey, and it feels so familiar and so foreign all at once. I can recite parts of the liturgy in my sleep, because they are so similar to the Lutheran liturgies I grew up with. But, I don't quite know when to cross myself during worship -- I'm not even sure I totally understand why we do it. Someone very wise recently told me that I need to give myself some grace when it comes to these sorts of things. I don't have to have all the answers. I need to be okay with asking "dumb" questions about Anglicanism. I need to be okay with fumbling through the Book of Common Prayer because I don't know what page we start on, or what page we skipped to. The beautiful thing about going on this journey is figuring out this new chapter in my faith, and diving in much deeper than I've ever gone. God is leading me to a place where I can breathe and be myself, and it's all new and so amazing.
*We have had a steady stream of out-of-town visitors these past few weeks. First, my parents came to town for some fall foliage viewing (and grandson viewing):
*We also had a couple good friends in town for TJ's birthday, which included a trip to Madison's farmers market, Oktoberfest, and a heavy metal concert:
*Lastly, two students from our former youth group spent a weekend with us. I have been mentoring these girls for a few years, and we have such a special relationship! I was so happy they were able to hang out:
*The weather has been getting colder here, and the leaves are absolutely beautiful:
(behind the chapel at Nashotah House)
Anyway...
Two months in, and everything's pretty good. I'm even making friends! I say this because, even though I am an extrovert, I have my limits. It's not very easy for me to just walk up to new people and start a conversation, or go to social events by myself when I'm sure I won't know anyone there. When we moved here, we didn't know anyone besides the handful of people we (briefly) met when we visited a few months prior. After we settled in, I just decided to force myself out of my comfort zone and start meeting people. It's been awkward, but awesome.
(meeting new friends is easy when you're this cute)
We have this book for Jason called Peanut Butter and Cupcake, and I just love it. Peanut Butter is the new kid in town, and he spends all day kicking around a soccer ball by himself and looking for a friend. He asks a hamburger, a cupcake, a meatball, an egg, etc. if they want to play with him, and they all make up some excuse not to.
Finally, he meets Jelly, and realizes they go together perfectly. They start playing, and pretty soon all the other foods join in and everyone plays together. It's so sweet. And the illustrations are actual foods, set up like they are playing soccer. You should read it -- for the pictures, if nothing else.
So far, I have walked up to groups of other wives on campus and just started talking (sorry if that was weird, ladies). I have gone to baby story time at the library and met other moms. I attended a brunch with other women from our church, most of whom I hadn't met previously. I have even introduced myself and made future plans with people in the same conversation. This is huge. I'm feeling a bit like Peanut Butter, in that I'm collecting different friends from different places, and hoping to find some Jelly friends. I'm not great at small talk -- I prefer to dive in and get to know people beyond the surface level. Instead of "how was your day?" and "have you seen any good movies lately?", I'm more likely to say "Tell me about your family" or "What are your goals in life?". I'm so glad I'm not single, because I wouldn't be good at dating. Making new friends feels like dating -- you're trying to feel a person out and see if it will be a good match, and at the same time you're trying not to scare them off with your questions and your overall personality. But it's fun, and I'm totally enjoying meeting new people. I'm slowly making the rounds with all these new people in my life, and being intentional about building friendships. So, if any of my Wisconsin people are reading this, sit tight -- I'll be asking you on a date soon :)
(downtown Milwaukee, with the changing trees)
(Nashotah House in the fall is beautiful)
There's a lot of newness to our lives right now: new state, new house, new friends, new job. Being a parent is also still sort of a new thing. For me, the most radical new thing would be the changes in my faith. I recently began meeting with a spiritual director (also a new thing). We have been meeting once a month to talk about anything and everything. We are getting to know each other, but also diving deep, and it's helped me uncover a lot of things about my path into Anglicanism.
I tend to be the type of person who is cautious about learning new things. I like to go slowly, making sure that I fully understand what's going on. There's a lot about Anglicanism that I still don't understand, and I'm learning that that's okay. I'm taking baby steps on this journey, and it feels so familiar and so foreign all at once. I can recite parts of the liturgy in my sleep, because they are so similar to the Lutheran liturgies I grew up with. But, I don't quite know when to cross myself during worship -- I'm not even sure I totally understand why we do it. Someone very wise recently told me that I need to give myself some grace when it comes to these sorts of things. I don't have to have all the answers. I need to be okay with asking "dumb" questions about Anglicanism. I need to be okay with fumbling through the Book of Common Prayer because I don't know what page we start on, or what page we skipped to. The beautiful thing about going on this journey is figuring out this new chapter in my faith, and diving in much deeper than I've ever gone. God is leading me to a place where I can breathe and be myself, and it's all new and so amazing.
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