NaBloPoMo for November Gratitude # 4

My gratitudes are multiple tonight. It's seven o'clock and I just got out of my church clothes. It's been that kind of a day, full of busyness and blessings. I did fill in for C and did the service. The sermon preached, thanks in large part to the inspiration of PS of RevGals who got me moving in the right direction and was generous about letting me borrow material from her fabulous sermon. Grateful I am for that!

Then I went over and saw the young man at the jail that I met when I went for the ministerial rotation. He tugged my heartstrings and something (Someone?) just kept calling me to go see him again. He said to me today, "Of all the people I know in jail, I am the nicest one I know." And you know, he is right! There is a kind of sweet innocence about this child (he is nineteen) despite the fact that he is locked up...again....that makes me want to just be very very sure that he knows that God and at least one other human on the planet cares he is alive. So I am grateful that I allowed myself to be called back to see L today.

Then it was back to work for awhile to do a little school stuff. The gratitude on that front is that there are eleven classes left, nine of which I have to prep!

Then I went to a concert. One of our congregants directs the regional orchestra out here out on the prairie. They are quite splendid, as is our performance space. It was one of my fears when I moved to the hinters that I'd be culture-deprived. Quite to the contrary! Cultural venues are easily accessed, reasonably priced and frequent. I go to more great stuff now than I ever did in the Big City when I had to reserve ahead, pay lots for tickets and then pay even more to park a mile away. Today we heard Brahams, Liszt and Mahler sung beautifully in German by a wonderful mezzo who also happens to be a friend. One of the pieces was introduced by a nationally known author who likes it enough to live here too! Life is very, very abundant and I am tired but grateful!