Rockford and CPE Week 3

Tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. week 3 of CPE will be over. I'm exhausted. Not just because of CPE but because (prepare for complaining!) I just spent an hour and a half in Woodmans finding food to eat and come to find out that they don't have the "credit" option for debit card payments. Should have listened to Granny, "Always take cash." Or at least remembered my PIN. But who does that?! So, tired and frustrated, I'm home without groceries. Maybe I'll get up early enough to make Macaroni and Cheese to take for lunch tomorrow.

Other than that, all is lovely. Had some amazing frozen yogurt (and even snuck some fresh mango as a "topping" on my chocolate...) with Lynn after we went beer shopping tonight. Lovin' this "girl time" as Lynn calls it. And, at least I can buy beer with my debit card in Rockford! Iga comes home tomorrow with her new horse, Foxy.

I suppose I can share one of my many "Chaplain Fail" moments of this week. It went something like this:  I walked into a room occupied by an 84 year old woman whom I had previously visited a number of times. I said, "Hi, V! How are you doing today?" She responded with a barely audible, sleepy mumble, "I'm going to heaklkdfsg." I responded to what I thought I had heard with, "You're going to heaven?" She gave me the biggest grin I've seen on her face and a giggle, "NO! I said REHAB!"

Other excitement comes from the Neonatal ICU where I not only got my foot in the door this week, but most of my body...to the point I'm a little nervous I'm in over my head. Next week will give me a better idea of what my role will be and what exactly is going on. The goal is to get the chaplains more involved on the unit and to educate the nurses about what a chaplain does and how they themselves can be of "pastoral" support to stressed and grieving families of babies in the NICU.

Perhaps this weekend I'll come up with something more reflective to write. Tomorrow, tomorrow, I'll do it tomorrow.

Pax.