To Think: I've Slapped a Bear!

Our family was given a copy of Cherry Jones reading "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder exactly one year ago. We love the tapes so much we've all listened to them at least forty times. I know. That's bizarre. But we all love the world of Laura, Mary, Ma, and Pa, Jack the Bulldog, and Sooky the Cow.

There's one scene in particular where Laura and Ma go out to milk Sooky in the snowy dark. They find the gate is blocked by a dark form, and Ma, thinking it's Sooky reaches over and slaps the animal. Just then, Laura and Ma realize it's not Sooky at all; it's a bear that's blocking the gate!

Well, today at church, I thought I slapped my husband on the behind. Only, it wasn't Richie; it was my pastor. Thankfully, we're good (not that good) friends with our pastor and he's a very cool guy. I felt just like Ma only I couldn't pick up Laura and run away. Since one of my common greetings for Richie is slapping his behind, I've had close calls in the past. But I think now I need to reserve my most familiarest greeting for home life - I clearly cannot trust my man-shape intuition if I mistook a six-foot, two-inch man for a five-foot, ten-inch one. Both were wearing orange outerwear, but no matter...bottom-slapping will have to stop.

This morning during the time when we have an all-call edification time for the congregation, a dear friend leaned toward me and gestured for me to get up - presumably to share the news that I had been accepted to medical school. I've been accepted to two schools so far - Emory and EVMS. It had crossed my mind to share the news, and I had fully intended to, but I hadn't yet formulated what, exactly, I wanted to say.

First, I knew I wanted to thank my church for all their support and love in big ways and in small. For instance, a group of people from our church helped us last time we moved...all day. Our church has helped us in every way imaginable. Practically, emotionally, spiritually, and maritally. We have just gotten to a point where I think we may be able to give back - and to a point where I suddenly see how integral stable families are to a church. Moreover, our church in particular has experienced a difficult contraction. I think we're healthier but more beat-up now than ever. The last year has been hard on the church leadership, yet I personally (am I the only one?) see that the church has enormous stability and potential right now.

So, since we are leaning towards Emory, and since neither EVMS nor Emory would let us really stay part of this church body, church is the only place I feel conflicted about acceptance. It's not out of guilt, just out of genuine sadness that if we go, church will take a hit. So I, personally, am praying about this conflict. I'm praying for church to thrive, for new people to come, for church to get sturdier. I'm praying to be humble and led by God. I wanted to ask church to pray, too. Not for advice, necessarily, but just to pray.

Instead, I stood up and said in a mousy tone that I'd been accepted, and thank you all for your support. Like Wilfred Brimley. None of the nuance of what I'd been thinking or feeling made it out. None of the joy, nor of the conflict. Just neutrality. That seems a shame to me. I'll have to give it some thought this week and return with a bulleted series of things NOT to forget.

And then I whacked my pastor's behind. Overall, not an outstanding performance.