Moving Diagonally

Up, out together, and across the alley for devotions and MP in the cathedral by 0730. Breakfast from the McD's drive-on South Grand. Prepared--physically and homiletically--for the Diocesan Council Mass. Got to work on refining and printing my homily for tomorrow (Holy Trinity, Danville). Presided and preached at the liturgy (feria for the Saturday after Ash Wednesday). Presided over the regular February meeting of the Diocesan Council. Stepped out for lunch (Five Guys), some shopping (Scheel's, Meijer) and a haircut (for which there was a not insubstantial wait). Back to the office just as the organizing meeting of the Election Committee (overseeing the election of successor) was winding up. Reviewed the result for our two candidates who took the General Ordination Exams last month, sent a few related emails and otherwise moved the ball down the field for both of them in their progress toward ordination. Reviewed my March visitation calendar and scheduled some pertin...

Out of my Chicago garage at 0525. In the parking lot at the diocesan center by 0835. Caught up with Sue on some things. Caught up with Canon Mark on some things. Got my day aspirationally organized. Participated in the semi-annual Department of Finance meeting until noon. Grabbed lunch at the Chick-Fil-A drive-thru. Sat down again with the CTO for about thirty minutes. Met with the interim rector of St George's, Belleville for about 90 minutes. Spoke with Brenda by phone, Stepped across to the cathedral atrium and conferred with the Dean briefly over an emerging possibility. Then moved on into the church for a planned "holy hour" in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. Followed this with evening prayer. After dinner, I roughed out my next-due post for the Covenant blog.

A good, productive day during which I felt a good energy level. The main accomplishments were homiletic: drafting sermon texts for a guest preaching appearance at Nashotah House next week, and Lent II at Trinity, Mt Vernon. Sprinkled about were the usual and constant email responses. The evening has seen me packing and loading the car for an early departure for Springfield in the morning.

Brenda and I got home from our warm-weather getaway (in Barbados) just before midnight last night, so the morning had a slow start. There was a ton of accumulated email that I had to cull or create a task from, and then organize the tasks. There were also some household-related items that were crying for attention. The bulk of the morning, though, was consumed by a trip (on foot, through some "weather") to the optician for both of us to pick up new glasses--well, new glasses for Brenda and new lenses for me. In the process, they managed to break my frames, though, so there was a hustle on their part to find a workaround while they order me new ones. This all took time. After a shopping errand, it was back to dealing with the tasks created by the email pile. In the evening, we were pew-sitters at one of the local parishes for Ash Wednesday. It felt weird to not be "doing" something, but, between our recent trip, and the fact that I'll be in the diocese from Frida...

Finished up the clergy retreat in Belleville. (It was an excellent one, and it is really good to have the clergy of the diocese together like this.) Headed northward around 1pm and arrived home right around five hours later.  Between tomorrow morning and the late evening of Shrove Tuesday next week, Brenda and I will traveling to, being at, and returning from a brief hiatus in a warm climate ... and crashing surf and sea breezes and the other things that one finds in such a location. Going dark in this venue until the evening of Ash Wednesday.

At the clergy pre-Lenten retreat at King's House in Belleville. Two superb addresses from Bishop Ed Little. An afternoon a one-on-one conferences. Morning Prayer, Mass, and Evensong--at which both Brenda and I played major music roles. This isn't actually a retreat for me--it's work--but I'm delighted to have a hand in providing this experience for the fine clergy of the Diocese of Springfield.

Usual early AM routine. Got organized, packed, and out the door southbound with Brenda at 10:45. With a stop for lunch in Romeoville and brief foray to the office in Springfield, we were at King's House in Belleville five hours later. We both immediately got to work preparing musically for the 5:30 evensong (she on the piano, I on the organ)--we divide our duties by the type of music ,,, I do better with chants, she with hymns). Dinner, then the opening session of our clergy pre-Lenten retreat, where the presenter is my old friend, Bishop Ed Little.