The Brighter Side

I had a conference call with my CPM on Tues. It's funny, I've been offering for the last 3 years to do the conference call thing, but this is the first time they've gotten around to it. Actually, it's the first time they've gotten around to any contact beyond the mass emails to ask if people are coming to the annual retreat for inquirers and candidates. I so don't feel like a candidate any more. I feel like now that I'm certified ready to receive a call, I don't really need someone looking over my shoulder. Well, that's just me. Anyway, I kinda got lost in the shuffle and they've pretty much left me alone for the past 3 or 4 years. It's been nice. I didn't really have the best relationship with the CPM when I was first an inquirer. There was an unusually disproportionate number of lay people on the committee. Their ideas of how to guide a pastor were to make sure s/he had read the entire Bible cover to cover (in order, like it was a novel), had memorized Robert's rules, and would disavow ordination of homosexuals. So, I really didn't get along with them so much. A couple of the pastors on the committee knew my father (yeah, I'm a PK) and didn't like his views on some things as well, so I got it hard from them too. Here's an example of a question I got at an annual review. "What's your favorite Bible verse?" Umm, I have to pick just one? There's a whole bunch to choose from and I'm not too good with decisions. The funny thing is, I had my study bible right in front of me. In it, I use yellow sticky notes to mark verses I like or that I think I would use frequently as prayers, calls, benedictions, whatever. There were dozens of them sticking out the top! And they wanted to know my favorite. That and I have never been one to memorize chapter and verse. It's just not my thing. Hence, the sticky notes. I know a few key verses (John 3:16, anyone?), but relatively few compared to the Bible-thumping evangelicals I know who have a verse for any occasion.
Anyway, this call was actually pleasant since only two of the committee members showed up for the meeting. Lucky me! They were nice and pleasant to speak with and seemed genuinely glad for me to have some possibilities for employment. Of course, somebody fell down on the job and forgot to mention (4 years ago) that they needed a final transcript from Seminary of the South. I know I forget things, but I'm pretty sure I'd have remembered if they told me that they were gonna need that to release me for a job. And especially since I did actually have a couple of possibilities that fell through right after graduation. They coulda told me then. Now I have to call up SS and get them to ready a transcript. I also need to find out where the committee wants me to mail the darn thing. (Presbytery office, committee chair's house or office, corresponding sec's home or office?) If they'd told me they needed it four years ago, I coulda just walked across the quad to the registrar's office. So much easier.
Ah, getting to that brighter side I mentioned in the title... P comes home tomorrow after an 11 day absence in the name of work. Now, I'm not complaining about the big, fat overtime check we'll get, especially since my Jeep needs a new transmission. However, 11 days straight is a dern long time to be away from home, especially for a little one who misses her Daddy's night-night kisses. Actually, I kinda miss them too. He was s'posed to be home tonight, but they were short-handed and made him stay the extra day. And he's also going away this weekend to go hiking with a college buddy who's having his first kid in June so this is kinda his last fling as a non-dad. It will be nice to have things back into a somewhat normal routine around here next week.