Indian Food & Disturbing the Peace

Friday last, I stopped for a tide-me-over on my way home from work, after a longer-than-anticipated hospital visit. I'd been craving egg salad and having both my senior pastor & parishioner eat egg salad sandwiches in front of me decided me. Scanning my mind for places that might have such a thing, I thought of Christopher's. They've always had wonderful sandwiches. My favorite, the sandwich I almost always get when I'm there, is the Christopher Special. They put cream cheese, avocado, bacon and sprouts on herb bread and it is truly splendid. This time, though, I did have the egg salad. It was lovely, as well, and the service was great, just the right balance of friendly & attentive and unintrusive. I was able to shop for groceries more rationally with my tummy full. As soon as I got home, I set to work making a pot of chili and a pan of cornbread in anticipation of J's arrival. I'd picked up some vegan chili for Pie at Christopher's. When they arrived at long last, J & I sat down to dinner at the dining room table, all bedecked in my auntie's cheery yellow Pottery Barn tablecloth. Pie immediately set up his X-Box upon arrival & scarcely moved from the couch all weekend.

In the morning, we lounged around the house. I sat at the kitchen table with J, reading the 7-day James Patterson novel I had out from the library while she did some work. I was able to finish--that makes 2 7-day books finished since I've been down here. I don't usually dare to check them out. Once J was finished, we took Pie out to hunt for Fruit Gushers, which are apparently all the rage among his set and difficult to find in Cleveland. He spent $20 of his own money buying boxes to distribute to his friends, then spent the rest in GameStop buying J a late Mother's Day gift of "Oblivion" and himself a game set in, I think, post-apocalyptic Russia?

After returning Pie to his own private game world, we ventured out for dinner at Ajanta India. After eating our fill of chicken tikka masala, we went to The Greene to walk it off. Little kids were playing in the fountain & we enjoyed the cuteness of one little fella waiting, teeth a-chatter, for his mom to get a towel for him. Although I'm not a big fan of Books A Million (to say the least), I was drawn, as addicts are, to the books nonetheless. I found 2 Charles DeLint books I haven't read for $6! They have now joined the ever-growing tower in my borrowed bedroom. Our favorite discovery was a beautiful store with very inexpensive and delightful jewelry. Gorgeous umbrellas hung upside-down from the ceiling and strings of glittery butterflies dangled enticingly. J got a wonderful idea looking at those butterflies. What if, she posited, we bought several strands of those, added my fairies to the mix, and created a special room. We'd have books and craft materials and toys in the room. Rather than being fully library or fully studio, it could be our Imagination Room. I enthused that it could be for emergency imagination fixes, sort of an ER for the spirit, the IR. I'm very excited about the prospect of her getting down here soon so that we can get our IR going! I also picked up some very nice clothes for work at Coldwater Creek, as well as a fabulous embroidered denim jacket for J.

Sunday morning was my first day soloing as pastor. I felt like the service went very well, although I jumped the gun on the mission moment and, for some odd reason only a very particular part of my brain would know, sticking it between the scripture & sermon. Made no sense. Luckily, I only did that at the early service. The second service was much smoother, with an excellent liturgist and someone more qualified than I to give the mission moment. I preached on Acts 16: 16-34, where Paul & Silas are jailed for disturbing the peace, then freed from bondage by an earthquake. Rather than running off, they stayed and ended up converting the jailer. I spoke of broken chains and tightened bonds, of what chains are holding us back and of how we can help others out of their chains. I'll post my sermon here. I got compliments on my service and sermon from a number of people, which is very encouraging. After the service, we allowed Pie, who had been a terribly good sport, to hang out at my aunt's and play video games while the three of us went out for noodles. Amy & I had mac & cheese with meatballs, which sounded weird but possibly good. It was. J had Indonesian-style peanut noodles and Thai-ish coconut soup, which were both tasty. She'd seen Noodles & Co (or some such name) the night before & suggested we invite Amy there for lunch & I am glad she did. I would go back. We'd already gone through the hard process of packing up J's bags before Amy got home from church, so all that was left was to load the car and say farewell. This time, it was much harder because we won't be together again until Memorial Day weekend. When we know we only have to get through the week, it seems a little easier to be parted. I am going to have to go up there soon, too. I miss my kitties horribly and there are things at the house I need. I consoled myself after J & Pie left by getting the groceries for the week, feeling no especial need for a Sunday nap.