Count It All Joy

The last two, possibly even three, weeks seemed so short and yet incredibly long. I spent so much time at the office and have been keeping strange hours. On Thursday afternoon (the week before last) I was sure that it was Wednesday and almost convinced a coworker of it. *sigh*

“Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1: 2-4)

I have a wonderfully sweet yet mischievous kitten. When I haven’t been home much or have been working while home, he will do things he knows he’s not supposed to because it gets him attention. Oh, I love the little stinker. But coming home to toilet paper confetti is not amusing. And one handed typing is slow… But how could I saw no to this?

I went to see “the guys” in honor of Saturday’s

feast day last weekend. BT gave me such a wonderful bear hug and told me he has a story to tell me next time I come over. :) Since I didn’t see BT this Friday when I visited again, I am still savoring the anticipation. A few of the other guys and I celebrated Friday’s achievement in good STL Catholic nerd style—Holy Hour with Benediction followed by Ted Drewes.

Phase One of my big project at work is complete. However, since I was late for that one, Phase Two is bearing down quickly. At least it doesn’t involve writing. ;)

I have had two reasons to bake in the past two weeks. Hooray for surprising people with cake on their birthday! (It’s an even bigger surprise when it’s almost a week belated. It was enjoyed by the birthday girl and colleagues just the same.) I firmly believe that everyone needs cake for their birthday. Now, how to get a cake to someone almost 2000 miles away this week?

Of course, all these consolations buffer some desolation which weighs heavy upon my heart. My sister had to make the terrible decision to have her dog put down. (Holly was the family dog, but more so T’s.) It was sudden, unexpected and devastating to her. She is grieving. This week she’s visiting our brother. I hope that the physical distance will help her to move on and that she and JJ will bring some joy to each other’s hearts. Even Mom’s dog noticed Holly’s absence when T went home on her way to the airport, racing back to T’s room and then going back to wait at the front door expecting Holly to come in too.

To keep in mind this week:

"Perfection is not attainable, but we must chase perfection in order to catch excellence." --Vince Lombardi

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