Bonnie Recovery

Home again in NC

I have begun to call NC "home."  When I go to Cambridge now, it is a bit like going to a hotel.  I was in Cambridge over the last few days to see Cutler (transplant doc on Friday and both eye docs on Tuesday).  I seem to be over the pneumonia.  I am very very tired (how often do I say that?)  Cutler says it is because I'm decreasing the predisone very fast.  I'm down to 10 mg a day now.  This morning I slept straight through till 10.  I haven't done that in a year.  The eye docs are concerned that my left eye is in danger of "melting" again.  Yuch.  They won't talk about when I might get some vision in that eye, but only talk of saving the eye.  They are beginning to talk about the next operation.  Thankfully they agreed to let me come to NC for this last three weeks until May 6.

I've been in "student mode," spending every possible hour working to complete the two courses I'm taking.  I have finished all the work for the Ministry to the Elderly course and have two papers to do for the New Testament course.  I have been ignoring the phone and email; it was good to spend time by myself and just write, write.  I got to spend an evening with Sue Cromwell and her family, and also see her as deacon on Sunday at Christ Church Cambridge.

Just about the time I was writing that we were not in foreclosure with Wells, though the paperwork and check had not been worked out, the sheriff came to our  door with another  foreclosure announcement.   The  Wells  lawyer said  he didn't know who did this foreclosure, and it was a mistake, but in two weeks with our lawyer contacting him most every day, they have not recended the April 29 foreclosure court date.  This makes me more than a little nervous.

It is sunny with calm winds here today.  I'm looking forward to drinking in this beach experience.

In the post below, Betsy says she may start emailing us because she seems to be the only person making public comments here.  Betsy, please don't.  I love your comments here and I others do too.  Melanie, I will be commenting on your wonderful Easter comment.  I am taking all the excuse I can for being a graduating scholar who spends much (too much) time just working on graduation.  I have to say it isn't graduation per se, but the opportunity this gives me to research and write on a couple of topics I know will be important to me in the future.  I could do less in these courses and still graduate, but I know I won't go back to these topics with such vigor in the future.   I have finished a 55 page case study  with  a theology of ministering to  elders.  Now I am tacking John Dominic Crossan and "who is  Jesus?"   Here is a quote from Crossan that speaks to me and may to you also.  It is from an article he wrote for Christian Century after his 1991 book The Historical Jesus was published.  Jesus is speaking to him:

"I've read your book, Dominic, and it's quite good.  So now you're ready to live by my vision and join me in my program?"

"I don't think I have the courage, Jesus,  but I did describe it quite well, didn't I, and the method was especially good, wasn't it."

"Thank you, Dominic, for not falsifying the message to suit your own incapacity.  That  at least is something.,"

"Is it enough, Jesus?"

"No, Dominic, it is not."

(Jesus A Revolutionary Biography, p. xiv)

Love to you,  Bonnie for BanD

Ah, life at the beach

We are here for less than  two more weeks. I have doctor’s appts as soon as I return. Margery and Bev (Daniel’s Mom and Sis) arrive over the weekend for a week. We are thrilled that they will be there for my graduation ceremony on May 15^th.

Yes, at last I am graduating. I have finished and submitted all but one paper. I celebrated sending in my last two papers. The end is in sight. I have been so weak over the last month I worried that I couldn’t finish my degree in time to participate in graduation service. I am confident now that I will.

I will get what is called a MATS (Master’s of Theological Studies-a two year program). This is not an “ordainable” degree. That would have been a three year program. I had plans to do that degree when I was diagnosed with a relapse in 2005. After considerable prayer, we call “discernment” I understand that God does not have ordained ministry in mind for me. Rather, I will become active in our local Episcopal church in Southport. This area has ballooned with active retirees; the church has 600 members and only one paid rector. There are several retired priests who belong to the church and help out with the Eucharist. St. Philips also has a wonderful deacon (in the Episcopal Church this is not a paid position). I have met with the rector The Rev Barry Kubler; he was enthusiastic about my wish to begin a spiritual director practice there and also help out with hospital work, adult ed, and other pastoral care. I am very enthusiastic about what I can do there. It is a lovely and active community. After four years I still miss All Saints’ the church where we belonged in Palo Alto. I am beginning to reconcile myself that moving on is ok.

Daniel is becoming quite the barbeque master. Check out this picture of the ribs he was smoking overnight. He also is smoking two pieces of shoulder for “pulled pork.” We are having four guests for dinner; we’ll have enough barbecue for a week. He took barbecue to a party while I was in Cambridge; I hear that his sauce was judged better than the commercial brands. People are still talking about the meat. Last night he was up until midnight trimming the ribs. The ribs he cooked had none of the fat you see in this picture.  He was up and down all night checking on the smoker. His barbecue is terrific. Wish you were here for some.

The day after I wrote in March that we were on our way to settling the Wells Fargo foreclosure we had a sheriff knocking on the door to serve us another foreclosure notice. The Wells lawyer said it was a mistake and that someone he didn’t know in his law office had done that second court date. Still, it took him a month to cancel that court date. During that time Daniel met a Wells exec at a barbeque place in Raleigh. (Yeah Barbecue) That exec has set us up with a high ranking person in Wells customer service here in NC. Ron will be working with her – once he gets her to return his daily calls to her. I have been pretty upset over the last two weeks as the April 29tth court date approached.

We leave NC from Wilmington AFTER we vote in the NC primary on the 6^th. This election will be decided by the super delegates. My bet is that the super-delegates will split along gender lines. Does anyone know what the gender split is among the super-delegates?

Love to you all, Bonnie for BanD