Barefoot Bellringing

I am a Type A personality. I own it, I love it, I live it. I like things to be in order. Granted, I have two dogs, one of whom sheds profusely. The floor is constantly in need of sweeping. I have relaxed my tight standards into something I can live with, and I suspect, my family can as well.

On Sunday afternoon/evening, my beloved and I spent a good part of the day cleaning. He vacuumed and I swept. We washed, polished, put away and returned chaos to order. When we were finished it felt good. It wasn’t completely done, but we were both spent, so it was enough for the day.

There was a time, not that long ago, that I’d have continued to push myself until I was ill. I can’t afford to do that anymore. I can’t afford to have, what I call a ‘dead day’, where all I do is sleep. Those days frighten me and yet, also seem a luxury, if that makes any sense at all.

The end of the month is our annual vestry meeting where the entire congregation comes together and hears the budget, the good news, the challenges and we put steps in place for the new year. We elect and affirm our Council, saying goodbye to some members who are moving to other challenges, and saying hello to new members.

As we don’t have a parish administrator, the gathering of information for the Vestry book falls to me. And I love it. I have to admit, there is a great sense of pride in putting the reports together and dropping the booklet off at the printer. We are not yet advanced enough in our data gathering that all reports are electronic and some of the formats are not compatible with each other, but I make it work.

Today and tomorrow I will spend compiling information and working on the Narrative Budget piece. This is a watershed year for our parish and we will decide the future. We are capable of very many things, but the decision needs to be made if it is worth the effort. Only time and God will tell.

I know that there is very little in which I am in control. We are having a dinner party on Sunday night to celebrate my Beloved’s birthday. The dining room needs work, but it won’t happen today. It likely won’t happen tomorrow. But it may happen on Thursday.

My Mam is coming for the weekend. I am going to get her Thursday night, staying over and coming back first thing Friday morning. So my compulsion for list writing is at an all-time apex. And it’s okay.

So I am going to head off to the Church office to put together the Vestry book and, for a little while, enjoy the illusion of control.