this is no longer my blog

there shall be ducks.
It brightened my morning. I finished getting ready and decided to walk over to work a tad early this morning. I guess I thought that going over the half an hour or so earlier would make up for the total lack of motivation that I am experiencing today (more on that later).
As I exited my house I saw that we had new visitors: ducks. They were hanging out in the front lawn of my house. There were two of them, a male and female, and I think they were just making a pit stop on their way to somewhere with water. So I smiled and stopped for a few seconds to watch them, and then I finished the short walk to work.

At which point, I realized that even the early beginning would not make this day prove anymore fruitful. There is just too much rumbling around in this gimongous head of mine. Let me share a few things with you:

1. I received the newsletter from my home church. The one where my dad was pastor, until very recently. Seems they've begun the process to call a new pastor. Which wouldn't be all that weird or unusual except I feel like it should still be my dad's church. And the fact that it is not, just makes everything seem more real and more depressing.

2. I'm going on vacation in a few days. I'm headed up north to spend some much needed days of rest with some much missed friends. And I'm leaving Sunday after church. Right now my focus is just leaping over church and resting in the thought of visiting my friends. My friends whom I love. My friends who served as a surrogate family for two years at seminary. I get to see them next week! I AM EXCITED!!!

3. Survivor is on this evening. I'm addicted. Addictions aren't rational, so don't expect this point to be rational. Because it isn't. But I think the tribes are merging tonight. Or they should, anyway. I'm going to stop before I give you anymore ammo with which to make fun of me...

4. When I get back from vacation, the following week my pastor goes to seminary for a few days to hang out with NYI. And there's that whole finality and closure and saying good-bye stuff that creeps up to the surface when I think of that.

5. A few friends and colleagues are having some professional and personal issues. I don't feel at liberty to divulge the information, but it is looking like it will be very painful for one of them. And so I'm worried about some of my friends and their well-being.

So yeah, lots to think about. Hopefully this afternoon I'll be able to buckle down and really focus on the sermon and get a large chunk of it figured out. Usually once I get started I move along at a pretty good clip. It's just figuring out how to get started, and then figuring out how to end it, that gives me the most grief.