(The rest of that Dumbledore quotation is "death is but the next great adventure," but that is def not the theme of this post. It just hopped into my head, as the words of Dumbledore often do.)
Last week was orientation for the new LEVN program year, and hot damn and hallelujah am I exhausted.
It was pointed out during the week that, by its end, I'd have worked 13 days straight. That's fairly unusual for my 3/4-time job. But these two weeks were not your average two weeks! It was prep-prep-prep and go-go-go! (Don't worry, fellow self-care advocates! I'm taking some comp time this week.)
In preparation for all the paperwork and liturgy of a week of orientation, I put nearly two reams of paper through our office printer. Sorry about that, trees, but the U.S. government and banks and stuff still demand hard copies of important things, and our budget for this year did not include a tablet for each of our corps members, from which to read the daily office. So! Pages on pages on pages it was.
To my deep existential satisfaction, all the paperwork was ready when it was needed (though errors in filling out required additional copies), all the liturgies had accompanying scripture, all the handbooks were bound and ready to be shoved on a bookshelf somewhere.
I had a to-do list of to-do lists (not a joke) and everything was crossed off and everything was done.
As an enneagram 6 and an ESFJ, this place just may qualify as mine and happy.
When everything that is within my control is as it should be, I am, occasionally, able to step back and allow the rest of the world to happen.
Since the music was selected and bulletins were printed well in advance, and our superb guitarist was able to practice with me, we closed out the commissioning service on Friday with my all-time favorite hymn, Let Streams of Living Justice.
By the time we hit the rousing third verse, someone near me was singing an ad-lib harmony (none is written) and I could scarcely sing for grinning:
"Your city’s built for music: we are the stones you seek.
Your harmony is language. We are the words you speak.
Our faith we find in service, our hope in other’s dreams,
our love in hand of neighbor - Our homeland brightly gleams!
Inscribe our hearts with justice, your way – the path untried:
Your truth – the heart of stranger, your life – the Crucified!"
Your harmony is language. We are the words you speak.
Our faith we find in service, our hope in other’s dreams,
our love in hand of neighbor - Our homeland brightly gleams!
Inscribe our hearts with justice, your way – the path untried:
Your truth – the heart of stranger, your life – the Crucified!"
This is what we do here. This is what I work for. This is what happens when I've quit worrying and begun to sing. Welcome, 2015-2016 program year. We have work to do.