Secretaries' Retreat

This past weekbeginning (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday) I had the pleasure of attending the Church Secretaries' Conference/Retreat at Craigville Conference Center on Cape Cod. An annual meeting of women called to a common 'ministry', this event is an opportunity to connect with others who know my job only all too well. We all serve in differing capacities, from full-time office administration to part-time work in specific areas, but yet recognize and honor the common thread of our focus - service to God and our churches. In addition to attending an informational seminar on Safe Church Policy, we ate, played and worshiped together, strengthening our friendships and appreciation of and for one another.

A nature walk...

It may not have been the seashore, but it was a wonderful walk nonetheless! On Wednesday morning I joined a group from the Museum of Natural History for a pleasant trek through the trails of Beebe Woods in Falmouth. Once a privately owned estate, the densely forested acreage of this conservation area provides well maintained & marked trails for nature walking. I delighted in seeing many lady-slippers in bloom and renewed my appreciation for the beauty and rich color of the moss which skirted the trails. The kettle pond we encountered (The Punch Bowl), which was once thought to be "bottomless," enhanced and reflected the beauty of this incredible place. My thanks to our guide, Connie, for transporting us and introducing me another Cape Cod gem!

Whale watching...

Garett and I had the pleasure of doing some whale watching yesterday. We departed from MacMillan Warf in Provincetown at 10 am, aboard the Portugese Princess II of the Dolphin Fleet. The trip to Stellwagen Bank passed quickly as we traveled out of the harbor, the shoreline providing beautiful scenery along the way. Before long we were being entertained by the many whales we encountered as they surfaced, breached, rolled and flapped their tails in the chilly waters of the Atlantic. Much to my surprise, there was always a whale in sight! After about an hour of watching these beautiful creatures, we headed back to the harbor.

While on the trip we met a couple from N. Carolina who were visiting Massachusetts to attend a wedding. They were doing the whale watch to fulfill a lifelong dream...I think they got their dream's worth!!!

Well...yesterday's class with Ted Mullett was great...I learned some new techniques which I'll be spending lots of time playing with! As soon as I come up with a few creations, I'll post them.

I also started reading a new book yesterday - The Shack by Wm. Paul Young. Recommended by a couple of friends, it is already proving to be all they said it would be. A work of fiction, it tells the story of a man's face to face experience with God. Definitely a worthwhile read - lots of food for thought.

Well, off to do some needed organizing and decluttering...and more reading!

I'm back....

Hurray, hurray...back to the nest at last! Actually though, I am here a bit earlier than in years past, which is a very good thing.
Yesterday was a special time...my niece Joanna's bridal shower - a beautiful occasion for a beautiful person.
Today I am looking forward to learning something new and interesting at a class at Colorful Creations in Hyannis. The guest artist/teacher is Ted J. Mullett, who designs some absolutely wonderful nature themed stamps, of which I have many!
The weather is warming and brightening, a welcome change after such a cool, dreary spring. I plan to do some much needed gardening this week and get back on track with creative endeavors. Oh yes...and the beach beckons to me...so many more footprints to be made in the sand!

Please come again...

To any who have visited here recently, I apologize for my absence of late. The winter blahs seem to have gotten the best of me, and I am struggling to pull myself up & out. June now within sight, I anxiously await my arrival on the Cape for the summer months...and with my move, so, too, my spirits should lift and take flight. I look forward to spending time at the Nest, and hope you will find me home when you visit again.

Who is Jesus?

On this Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week, the most important question we can ask is "Who is Jesus?"

In his famous book Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis makes this statement, "A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg - or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us."