GOEs Day 1

GOEs day 1 is over.

Started the day with communion. The post-communion prayer words:

(...Send us now into the world in peace, and grant us strength and courage
to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart...)

really hit me today, had to blink back tears. Went to the room for the questions and we got goody-bags with snacks and a couple notes from Juniors/Middlers/Spouses.

Today we had Theology for our first question - got to talk about the First Council of Constantinople in 381 and the addition of the third paragraph to the Nicene Creed about the divinity of the Holy Spirit.

Question 2: for Liturgy we got to create a public service of healing for a community that had had a chemical plant explosion that caused some deaths and illness and needed individual healing as well as in the community because of some conflict caused since many parishioners or their relatives worked there.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring? ;)

I was struggling to get everything done in the time limit and falling into the research pit a bit (won't have that problem on the closed book questions or the one where we only get a Bible). But on the bright side, it hasn't been as horrible or drawing as much of a mental blank as I thought I would. For Theology I had to spend a lot of time trying to figure out what the theological issues were at the time, among other things so I could understand it enough to write about it.

I saw the Liturgy question and thought "yes!" no problem, I'll have this done in no time (since I like creating services and used the healing rite during my chapel week). But the problem was we had so many liturgical resources available to us that I spent a lot of time being picky about what I wanted to use really trying to taylor it to the situation they described (which collect, which readings, which prayers, which hymns) - so not as easy as it looked on the surface. ;)

Testing in the apartment across the hall, not quite as lovely as I thought it would be. Good because no distractions, no kitties, all I had was my computer, my books and my snacks. But I had the table where I could get some sun and by afternoon it started getting hot, then the wind picked up and with the sliding door open started blowing the vertical blinds all over the place - it messed them up so now they don't open/close very easy. I might scoot the table down a bit to avoid some of the sun tomorrow.

But I'm still in one piece and in relatively good spirits. So I guess R+ was right... All will be well (Julian of Norwich). :) I have that over my computer as well as some other spiritual reminders and writing reminders.

Looking forward to a good night's sleep. I can feel the prayers that are covering me and us all.