I have no fiber pictures to show today because I haven’t carved out the space to do any fiber work in the last twenty four hours, except to do some more knitting on the Pomatomus socks, and they don’t look much different from yesterday.
However, I’ve been reflecting on how it is becoming more and more difficult to fit in all the things I need and want to do now that I’m back at work. Sometimes you just have to go home and crash at the end of a work day.
This is my second week of a Bible study that I teach two times a week, and while teaching is my favorite thing to do and it energizes me, I’m still worn out at the end of the day. And I still have sermon and worship prep along with visiting and all the other things that pastors do. No, we don’t just work on Sundays. We actually do the 24/7 thing.
Every day I plan to come home and work on the assignments for the media class for journal makers I’m taking, but have I done it? No! And a new lesson will arrive tomorrow.
The good news is that everything that was in the first two lessons is something I’ve already done before, so I’m not too worried. But I really need to get my act together for the next set of lessons.
Looking ahead, I’ll be taking an all-day class in dyeing yarns with plants on Saturday at the Woolery. I can’t wait for that. I’ve been wanting to do that for years and am so excited. I’m hoping the weather will be perfect, since we’ll be working outdoors.
That class is in preparation for the hand spinning class I’m going to take during October. If it sounds a bit overwhelming, it is. But these are all things I want to try out before I get really busy with Advent and Christmas and what’s coming up after that.
Looking way ahead, to the next three to four years, I received official notice yesterday that I have been accepted into the Doctor of Ministry program in The Arts and Theology at Wesley Theological Seminary. I’ll go for my first in-residence classes in January but will begin the reading and preparation in November.
A Doctor of Ministry is a very practical-oriented Doctorate that must be done while engaged in active ministry so much of the work will be woven through my regular work of ministry and will benefit my congregation while I’m doing it.
This is what my sabbatical was all about last year. It was a time to discern whether to take that big next step and if so, in what area to do it. I’m very excited, but a little unsure how I’ll be able to fit everything into that “just enough time” framework. However, I feel very “right” about beginning this program so I feel sure all will work out well.
I do anticipate my blog making some shifts to accommodate and reflect what I’ll be doing in the doctoral work. But I cannot anticipate what that will look like at this point.
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