Monday

 Another beginning of the week if you don't count Sunday.  So, This Monday has held a lot of things.  This morning, I took time to take a good look at the contents of the refrigerator.  One thing I learned was that the chili needed to be divided into small containers to freeze.  There are three very full containers now frozen with bowls of chili ready for the microwave and supper.  A few things were dumped.  The veg. drawer was cleaned out and now I would say all is well with the refrigerator.  Well, at least for a while.  Nothing lasts forever.

At 9:30 I was on my way to meet friends at church to start the changing of the guard.  Or should I say it's time to put things back in the boxes ready for the youth to pack them once again to the attic. Advent will be back again as sure as the sun rises. 

Laural took care of the huge new to us nativity set in the Gathering Center.  She worked for two hours getting it packed just right.  And that's what it needed...to be just right.  Laural is an artist at that kind of work.

Kathy and I headed to the Chapel to clear the altar.  It was pretty easy this year having hung no banners in the Chapel.  The nativities will leave on Sunday with help of parishioners after the second service.  

           The chapel always has blue candles with a pink candle celebrating Mary. It's also the Joy candle.

Then Heidi and I and Kathy worked on clearing the sanctuary altar of Advent/Christmas and now it's ready for the three kings Sunday which is coming on the 5th.  

                            The Christ Candle, Three Kings Banner and poinsettia fill the space. 

The celebration of the baptism of Jesus on Jan 12th will bring another change with water pitchers and shells among other things.  The creative juices are flowing.  

We took time to discuss candles for Christmas Eve 2025 and made some decisions about what we will be using for those services.  After checking the inventory, we are all set with no new ordering needed.  

Then of course all of what we gathered up needed to find their resting place until we need them again.  I predicted 2 hours of work and that's what it took. We'll be back together Thursday for at least another 2 hours of work adding Eric O. to the crew.  He's our ladder guy!  We'll need him big time. 

             Another recently received nativity set minus, as of today all the figures except the three kings.  

I got gas on the way home, much to Doug's delight.  Stopped at Goodwill finding NOTHING!  Dropped off a black tablecloth we were using at church at Beth's house and then the car pulled into the garage.  

There was lunch and then a very long nap.  Woo.  I was one tired pup!  

We got a phone call about a medicine pickup that needed to happen, so I went along for the ride.  It's another one of those cloudy uninteresting outdoor days.  I raked some leaves trying to get rid of some of the brown.  It didn't help very much.  Then snipped some places needing snipped.  Did some TV watching and then reheated the chili for supper.  

It's Monday night football!  Yesterday was a bust.  The teams I was watching all flipped.  The supposed winners became the losers and the losers winners.  It's a topsy turvy world. 

Today was a good day of work with friends.  There was time to visit and work toward a common goal of providing those visual worshipping folks to learn with their eyes.  When entering a new place of worship, I look for evidence of parishioners working to glorify God.  That becomes evident through visuals, be it banners, bulletin boards and other such medium.