Ash Wednesday

I saw this on Facebook yesterday:

Oh look!  There's a yoga pose named for me!  This is pretty much what is going on in my head ALL of the time, except more.  Here is a (by no means exhaustive) list of things I worry about these days:

• Is God completely disappointed in me?
• Is my family completely disappointed in me?
• Is everyone completely disappointed in me?
• Am I failing my friends?
• I'm sad, angry, and resentful over what feels like certain friends failing me.
• I don't know enough of what is going on in the world.
• When I do know what is going on in the world it just makes me depressed and even more worried.
• My spiritual, mental, physical health.
• The hubby's health.
• My level of patience with the hubby's health.
• The puppies' health.
• Money.
• The house sale.
• Something happening to make the house not sell.
• My own klutziness/ineptness causing the house to spontaneously combust and or fall down around our ears thereby causing the sale to fall through.
• Body image issues.
• The nieces' body images.
• ALL girls' body images.
• My purpose in life.
• Will I ever be content?

Enough.  You get the idea.  The inside of my brain is a chaotic and swirly place full of voices (most of them depression-fueled) that just will not shut the hell up.

So.  Ash Wednesday.  I have decided that my spiritual discipline this year is to try to combat those voices.  I might need your help for this.  I need to think of the positives in my life.  The happies.  I'm going to use the blog, write every day, and list 3 things for which I am grateful, or that make me happy, or that at least don't suck the joy and life out of me.  Please help hold me accountable on this. Thank you in advance.  Let's look at shoes.

Black shoes always seem appropriate to me for Ash Wednesday.  Last year's post was all black shoes. I'm not sure what sparkly, bedazzled crosses are appropriate for.

These seem disjointed to me.  Am I missing a theme?

Wow.  Zebra stripes, bedazzled cross, AND a crown of thorns.  Again, the animal print fits into the theme how?

 

Subtle.  If I were still in the parish I would wear these and see who noticed.

These are cross trainers.  Yes, the very ugly shoes have an incredibly bad pun to go with them.  There are also giant crosses on the tongues.

Slightly random side note:  Ash Wednesday is one of the few days when I seem to post consistently.  I already referenced last year's post, but here are links to 2013 and 2014 as well in case you want a trip down Ash Wednesday memory lane.

Here are my 3 things:

1. I am dust and to dust I shall return.  I know, this doesn't sound positive at first, but it is a reminder that nothing, outside of the promises of God, lasts forever.  The promises of God DO last forever, and I am a Child of God.
2. My mom, who answers the phone and talks to me no matter how random the reason I called.
3. Snuggle puppies.

Pastor-y Shoes

I had a lovely lunch today with a group of women pastors.   I knew 4 of them, and 3 were new.  I was super nervous going in for a couple of reasons:  First I wasn't sure if I remembered how to be social, second I haven't hung out with pastors for awhile, so I was worried about feeling awkward, and third, I was nervous that I would feel like an imposter since I haven't worked in a church since mid-February.  I did feel awkward, I did feel like an imposter, and it was hard to be social at times, but for the most part I'm really glad I went.

Now, I know you're going to be surprised, and maybe won't believe me, but I didn't look at a single pair of shoes that those 7 pastors were wearing.  I know!  I was surprised myself.  So I decided to go look see what the internet considers "pastor shoes."

These aren't bad, actually.  But I don't think I'd wear them.  I understand why crosses would be the theme for pastor shoes, but they are just a little too spot on.

These are pretty.  Still wouldn't wear them.  They look like tattoos.

Oooooh, sparkly.  What's up with the greenish-yellow soles?

I guess people who wear orthopedic shoes might want cross shoes, too?  Dang, these are ugly.

Still spot-on, but in a more funky way that I like a lot better.  These I might wear if they had a different heel.  I know, I know, stop being so picky.

Love the colors, ;ove the bible verse, like the shape of the cross.  Don't like the animal print or the heart with wings.  Take those and maybe the flowers away and I would probably wear them.

Holy crap.  I don't know what to say about these.  I would almost be tempted to wear them with my alb.  First, it would be funny, and second, seeing the looks on parishioners' faces would be awesome.

This is Luther's seal, and if I found some white canvas shoes with this painted on them, I would actually wear them.  But just this, I think.  Not a lot of other floof.  I'd also do this as a fifth tattoo if I were to get another.

So what I learned today is as much as I normally like a theme shoe, I think I'll stick with crosses on my wall and as necklaces.

Ups and Downs

Is anyone else having emotional whiplash from all of the political craziness of the last couple of days?  One friend summed it up this way:  yesterday SCOTUS took us back to the 50s in terms of race and voting issues, while today they brought us into the 21st Century in terms of equality and marriage rights.  Throw in Wendy Davis' filibuster in TX yesterday over a bill about abortion, and holy cow, it's been crazy.  I don't normally talk about politics here (or anywhere, really), because it is so very divisive.  I'm not going to go into it much now, but I will say that I am not the kind of pastor that is normally featured when people complain about Christians.  I'm a liberal feminist.  And a Christian.  And a pastor.  So there.  In honor of all of those roles, here is a picture I found of these shoes in multiple colors:

 

 

Despite their ankle imprisonments, I'm pretty sure I need them in every color.



Holy Wow!

I just got this on facebook.  I have no words.

Except, of course, that I do.  These are CRAZY.  And awesome.  And crazy.  And I probably need them.  Especially for exorcisms.  Which I don't do as a Lutheran pastor, but if I did, I would totally wear these as part of my special outfit.  Clearly I need to start a cross-themed shoe category.  Obviously these would go in it.  Do you have any other suggestions?  Send 'em my way!

 

Odds and Ends

AA sent me a picture yesterday and said I could put it on my blog if I wanted.

 

She is in the Spring play and these are her shoes for it.  It's set in 1951, and Mom told me AA went through the pennies yesterday and found 2 that are actually FROM 1951, then Dad polished them up for her to put in her loafers.  I love that kid.  That's why we call her Double A (one of the A's stands for Awesome).

 

I realize the internet tracks everything we do online these days, but I still can't decide if yesterday's Google Doodle is totally cool or just freaks me out.  A little of both, I think.

 

 

I had a pedicure yesterday for my birthday, and it was lovely.  But dang, I waited 2 hours to put my shoes on and STILL managed to ruin the darn thing.  I think I ruin approximately 75% of the silly things:

 

 

Finally, I was looking at Shoe Box P--- on Facebook yesterday and came across these:

 

I thought they were just a little too spot-on for a pastor.  The hubby thought they were hilarious and perfect, and even dragged our poor waitress into the conversation.  She proclaimed them to be "hecka cool," so who am I to argue?  Doesn't mean I'll be getting a pair anytime soon.