I was sitting on our back porch last night watching the puppies sniff the wind and smile knowing that the cool breeze meant that summer was fading away. There was certainly something inside of me that sighed with disappointment that we had to get back to a routine where bedtime had to be stuck to and lazy summer nights were gone.
There was another side of me that sighed with relief as I felt the cool breeze creeping in, certainly because of the reprise from 110 degree days and long, hot runs. This is the first fall in 29 years that I won’t be in a classroom (do you think that will last?) as a teacher or student and marks the shift from student to minister more fully in my mind. Not that this summer hasn’t been filled with meaningful worship and hard work as we started Emmanuel’s Table. Rather the shift is more evident to me as I watch the yellow school bus ride down the road full of kids and see my car sitting in the driveway resting after so many weeks upon weeks of commuting.
Just as my professors prophesied, my days and weeks are already full to the brim with time that used to be spent sitting in 3-hour classes With that full schedule so, too, do I have a full heart as I await what the fall breeze has in store. The rhythm of ministry is different than the rhythm of teaching and learning. There is an unexpectedness that is constantly right around the corner. Plans are made to be modified and adjusted to walk or meander alongside seeking evidence of the divine in daily life and hoping for revelation.
I put my nose to the wind and smile just like the pups.