I Do, I Do

The Shaefer household has been busy tonight. Luke is getting ready to leave tomorrow for California. My best friend is getting married on Saturday in Berkeley, CA and Luke and I are both in the wedding party. I get to be the "Lady of Honor"... neither of us liked the sound of "matron", so we improvised. Josy and I have been best friends since we were 12ish, and that is quite a long time. I'm having a hard time adjusting to her getting married, and owning a house. But this weekend should be a grand affair, and Luke looks awfully handsome in a tux! You can check out their wedding website here and see pictures of Josy and Jason. Yup, shes marrying a computer geek. But hey - you're reading a blog right now, aren't you?
In other news, CPE continues to be a bit frustrating with our supervisor issues, but group discussions are getting more, um, shall we say, frank? So perhaps this will bring good things for our little group. The five of us are at least bonding in our frustration. I have also completed Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It was scary. Bill has said some interesting things about the book already on his blog. Its still sinking in for me. Now I need something else to read however. I'm considering Bonhoeffer's Life Together, and being encouraged by my fellow CPE-er (Tripp) but I may want something a bit lighter. Ideas anyone?
Finally, a quote from my friend Liz's livejournal: Do I contradict myself? Very well then, I contradict myself! I am large, I contain multitudes" - Walt Whitman

All Through The Night

I am on my first overnight on call here at Bethany. Our hospital does a nice thing...at 9 am and 9 pm, the chaplain on duty reads a prayer over the PA system. It has to be very short, since its the same PA system they use to call codes, but its just nice. I've heard from several patients who really appreciate it. I love doing it, its really very peaceful. Unfortunately, being peaceful means that I don't have much to say on my blog tonight, but I've been neglecting it way too long. So, instead, I'm going to post some song lyrics that I like. I learned it from Heather, when we were playing our guitars earlier this year. It was sort of our theme song last week. Tripp and I both like the song, and then one of the staff chaplains here was playing it, so Tripp and I sang it with a family we were sitting with. Then I kept hearing it in the car... anyway, its just one of those things. So here y'all go! (The song is called Heart of Worship, but I don't know who sings the version on the radio...)

When the music fades
All is stripped away
And I simply come
Longing just to bring
Something that's of worth
That will bless Your heart
I'll bring You more than a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within
Through the way things appear
You're looking into my heart

I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus
I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it
When it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus

Rainbows and Gifts

CPE is tiring. I suppose that many of you who read this page probably already know that though. Sigh, there goes my enlightening thought for the day. Our little CPE group is doing well, and I'm beginning to settle into the non-Anglican world of Bethany Hospital. I can certainly be thankful for all the faith-filled people I'm surrounded by during the day - staff, patients, everyone! We are still having some struggles in organization and communication between our supervisor and the staff chaplains. So, I may have organization on my mind, but Jeff and Trevor's posts made me think about it. I love organizing things, I love organizing people. My house is messy, so you wouldn't know it, but I just like organization. CPE is not the best place for people who like to organize things into categories. I've always relied on my ability to create structure, and in t he world of the hospital, its just not my job. I'm finding little ways to use this gift of mine though, while I develop these other skills. But its very tiring! So, looking at Trevor's pretty bookshelfs made me happy. And thats a great thing when you're tired!

Mississippi Moon

We just ended a lovely dinner party here on the second floor. Its nice to live in community. Luke & I have enjoyed three sets of company this weekend. We had a visit from some priestly friends from Ohio on Friday, dinner with some Oberlin people on Saturday, and then tonight's dinner party here at home. I really am a raging extrovert, I love having all these people in my life. So, CPE should do me well then, all these people! The first week of orientation went pretty well. The hospital is about as friendly as we could ever hope for, and the chaplains are really well integrated into the care team. There are no Epsicopalians down there, save me and Andrew, so Tripp is getting a kick out of us trying to fit into this free church culture. I think my background in camp and Happening (high school renewal weekend) will serve me well. I'm going to be on the Nursery/OB-GYN floor, sharing it with another chaplain who is covering the Labor/Delivery side of the floor. It should be a good summer over all.
Here is a recipe for y'all that i had Saturday. It was about the best thing I'd ever eaten:
Slice some good Italian bread, and spread pesto on it.
Heat up marinara sauce (good marinara, not Prego) with some chunks of goats cheese in the oven.
Stir that up, then spread it on the pesto bread.
Eat as much as you can take.
Thanks Matt!!

Milestones

I am waiting for copies of the Seabury commencement scripts to print. Jeff, Alex and I are heading over to St. Luke's to get everything ready for tomorrow's ceremony, and it all just feels strange. I've lived in a university town my whole life, so graduations aren't a new thing to me, but this somehow feels different. Maybe it's because this graduation is accompanied by ordinations. Maybe its because I'm sad that there are wondeful people leaving this community, that I barely had a chance to get to know. Maybe its because this graduation means I'm one year closer to this crazy dream of the priesthood. Maybe its because this graduation falls just two days before my first wedding anniversary. Or maybe its just because its still only 55 degrees in Evanston, and thats just not right!

Plastic Religion - A Post for Ethics

In Ethics, the theme of capitalism and consumerism have surfaced again and again. I have been thinking about the issue some, but didn't have anything to post about it. Then this weekend, I was reading my friend Nell's livejournal, and she has this to say:
Everything is so cheaply made these days because of the consumeristic attitude of this country. Case in point: Sewing machines aren't made out of cast iron anymore, they are made out of plastic, and therefore break in 5 years so you have to go out and buy a new one. On the other hand, the two sewing machines my grandmother got when my mom was young are still perfectly functional, and they are 40 years old. We have an apple peeler that 60 years old or something crazy like that, and guess what. It still works. 'The Graduate' was right, there was a great future in plastics. But by great we don't mean good. I want to write a minizine about how plastic and the governmental farm subsidies were the downfall of society.
Im interested in this idea that consumerist attitudes reduce quality. I have heard that consumerist attitudes can increase creativity, as we strive to satisfy our need to buy crap, we keep inventing crap to buy. So, where is this boundary for the Church? I don’t think that the Church can ignore the culture we live in. But how do we know when we are simply producing to fill the need to consume, versus when we are producing to fill the need to have relationship with Christ? I think the answer comes back again to the guidance of the Spirit and the Fruits of the Spirit.

Something to It

I know, I lapsed on the whole blogging thing. But I finished two papers over the weekend, so ha! So, there should be some catching up... Thursday Night was Awards' Night here at Seabury, and a jolly good time was had! I received the John Calvin award, for being so dang low-church. Then, when I got the award (its a plain wooden cross with the former recipient's names) I discovered that I was in good company! David, who used to live in my apartment got the award, as did another woman from my home parish who was here in 1997! So, in honor of that, I went and copied Calvin's commentary on the Gospel of John for my New Testament paper. I also got a football referee award from Todd, and the Martha Stewart award. I didn't think I really deserved that one, until last night. I was ironing linens at midnight, and watching Newsies (Disney musical about the newspaper boy strike, with Christian Bale) and enjoying myself. Sigh... I should subscribe to her magazine. I read it every month anyway, right Stephanie?
So, there are more blogs forthcoming, I need two more posts for Trevor's class. First, a random question for anyone who knows: There is a song, and they only lyrics I know are "Ooh, child, things are gonna get eaiser, Oooh, they're gonna be brighter" It was in that TV-miniseries on the 70's... Anyone know what its called and who its by? Thanks!