daily life as life goes on . . .

I’m off this afternoon to lead a workshop on research.

The occasion is a 3 day session called “The Feast” – designed as a prelude to the second “mini” semester at Eston College.

The Feast features fun games, learning to cook, mug-up and other times of timeless import.  And, yes, I do believe each of these activities will benefit the participants for their life.

And then there is the Research Workshop – which sounds more like school than a feast.

Background:  I’m working as a librarian at Eston College.  Some of the things I’m passionate about circle around knowledge.  You’d almost think I was a motivational speaker some days – when you get me off on knowing truth!

My workshop will touch on fake news, acceptable sources for research papers, the digital library, finding sermon material on line and so much more. 

Should be fun. 

I hope the students think so!

I’ve been overwhelmed with the headlines that are assailing us today.  Attention grabbers are abundant – and sometimes they even slip into the “switch and bait” type.

So I thought I would try my hand at the craft. 

How about:  “Laid lives and the missed adventures of sin”

This article would play on our sex-saturated-society’s idea that we all need to get “laid”.  That is supposed to solve all of our problems and put us on the great adventure of life.

Using what we would consider parlance in Christianeze, how about if we said that life was all about laying all of ourselves down at God’s feet and living in obedience to his answers to our problems.  We would then be called on to miss out on the adventures that sin leads us into??

Does that work?

Let’s explore the aspect of grieving in our society. 

With COVID, funerals are now restricted.  So much so that larger in-person funerals (in our section of the world) have been blamed for causing COVID infections.  We try to include live stream video – that’s helpful but not as intimate as we may desire.

The societal need for intimacy has eroded over the last decades.  This phenomenon is pushed forward by a lack of intertwined relationships.  Then COVID arrives (including the global communication and hype). 

Now we have a valid excuse.  We do not need to pretend to have relationship with those who die or are disabled or are otherwise on the outer edges of our existence.

We no longer need to grieve – to explore the relationship or to openly miss the person.  We go on in our life as if nothing has happened.

And we notice something is missing.  Manifested in mental health issues, and physical discomfort, and in spiritual longing.

When grieving dies, so do we.

I took my cell phone with me.

Not my laptop.  With all the right apps and programs.

Just my cell phone.

The vacation time was great.  Mostly helping the kids fix up a house and yard.  Things I enjoy.  Blogging that daily experience would have been great.

But I just took my cell phone.

And my fingers find the touch screen – OK, sometimes they find the touch screen.  Sometimes they miss the right letters.  Sometimes the auto correct is incorrect. 

So I don’t write extended blogs or thoughts.

But now, I’m back.

Again.