a week in review

tuesday – we arrived from the crazy, full-on five days with forge and we were over-eager to see isaac and k & k. it was good to be home.

wednesday – thanks to skype and technological accessories like webcams, we had an encouraging conversation with the cell group in marietta, georgia. this small community of people study books and scripture, learn together and love one another. for years, they have supported and prayed for our work with communality. they were meeting at the tillman’s, my parent’s neighbors and dear friends, and everyone took turns looking into the camera and greeting us. the faces and voices rippled across some cosmic, unseen pathway and blessed us deeply – a comforting connection from home.

later, on our way to pick kath up from work (she’s a chaplain at a cancer hospital in footscray, a few blocks from their church), we stopped at the footscray market to buy produce for dinner. This place is “summink else!" as we’ve been saying from little britain. it is similar to quarters in cities all over the world where there is a concentrated representation of a culture/ethnicity. here you find vietnamese, thai, chinese and a small group of ethiopians and sudanese. it is filled with vendors selling fish and seafood of all kinds and you can imagine how it smells (pregnant women wouldn’t survive). but the produce is cheap and very interesting, and at one end there is a middle eastern supermarket that is delightful – the ordinary and exotic, side-by-side on the shelves.

in the evening, our friend’s scotty, dan and their son, jonathan, came to dinner. since we will never make a roast like kath or any other popular australian fare, we went with quesadillas – our personal favorite – sweet potato quesadillas. this is a treat because aussies don’t get Mexican food, in whatever form, very often. again, it was lovely to be with them as they are wonderful company.

thursday – in the morning, as a weekly event, geoff dropped isaac and me at a women’s study group. we are reading dave andrew’s book, “not religion but love.” i really appreciate this time because the women are close in age to me and all have children. the children play together at that time and see one another at church on sundays. isaac is now making friends.

in the afternoon, we worked on what we would share with the church on sunday. we tried to catch up on piled up email correspondence and letter writing. we also took Isaac down to the beach for a late afternoon swim. the weather is cooling off as fall approaches so we are enjoying every chance we get. the water was full of jellyfish.

friday – i’m up to my fifth sewing class now and i’m truly beginning to enjoy it. geoff dropped me off and took the two hours to work on a book review and an article for the australian christian. i bought some fabric for trousers and began a new project. as I wandered around the shop, ithought of all the possibilities that come with a learned craft and i thought of laura and how much she has created in the years i’ve known her. i wished she was walking along side me – i was too embarrassed to know so little and to ask how to look at patterns. it was a good class and i cherish the time. isaac spent the afternoon with grandma.

in the evening, a group of about 15 people came over for dinner. kath hosted several couples from the church to allow us a chance to get to know them. the food was delicious – marinated lamb cooked over coals, grilled sausages and lots of salads. the kids rampaged the house while we sat outside under the veranda and enjoyed the evening.

saturday – kath flew to adelaide and back in a day to escort nana from the hospital there to her new home in Melbourne. nana spent six weeks in hospital with a broken hip and now she is living in a beautiful care facility nearby in footscray.

geoff and isaac spent the morning together while i worked on my part of our sunday message. later, in the afternoon, the three of us went for a long bike ride and to the park. every time we are at a park, isaac attempts to make a friend as he introduces himself to anyone who will listen. we stopped by the bottle shop on the way home and bought big kev some guinness for st. patty’s day.

sunday – after a morning full of kerfuffles, we arrived at the church ready to go. kath lead the morning worship, kev offered communion, and we shared about our community in lexington and from the lectionary passages – the parable of the prodigal son.

after a nap, k & k headed off to see nana and we took iaac down to williamstown (scenic port town). we found an artist’s market underway and families spread out on blankets in every direction. it was a gorgeous afternoon – almost too cool – and isaac played and we watched boats come in. k & k joined us for a dinner of fish and chips on the lawn, which we ended up sharing with aggressive seagulls. kath bought us all ice-cream, the mmm-mmm italian kind and we ended the weekend, relaxed and relieved, with a walk out on the williamstown pier.