UNCLE

...is what you say when your brother or friends (at 6-18 years old) have you in a head-lock and you want to surrender and start breathing again. Say uncle...say uncle...or I won't let you go!

But what I mean by UNCLE is that my sister and brother-in-law have been chosen to be adoptive parents, and, in fact, the child has been born and they are caring for it at a foster (bridge-care) home. They entered the adoption process just 5 months ago and they are already on their way to having full rights for little Emma Alizabeth. I will spare you the details but what I do know is that there is no child loved more in the whole world. I am convinced there is no difference for the love had for a child whether they were conceived by the couple personally or adopted. It has been an incredible week. I haven't seen the two of them so happy in 5 years. Trying (and not being too successful) to start a family can be very stressful, and indeed challenging for a couple (I have learned through their experience).

On the church home front, I am continually amazed and surprised by the faith the children show in both congregations I serve. There is a tradition starting at both churches that children get to take home the remaining bread from communion with them. I mentioned this fall that one boy divides it up, a little bit for each day. (He also plays pastor at home... :) ) I do hope those of you who are part of a church family or work in a church are blessed each week by the faith of the children around you.

I also had a realization today, and a reminder today about something I learned in Pastoral Care. After a class at the Y yesterday (this is second hand from my wife)a woman came up to the instructor and really let her have it, telling her how bad the class was and that she wasn't teaching it right, etc...and arguing with her, contradicting herself and being a real "B". I saw this instructor this morning and told her that I had heard what had happened, and how terrible I thought it was. She told me it was the worst experience of her life and this woman was really impossible, but yet she was constantly trying to diffuse the energy and not make to big of a deal out of it--but she finally had to walk away from her.

I basically told her something I have learned about the church--some people are impossible to please, and that some people have a lot of baggage and they like to make people miserable. My wife has also had some experiences with this woman elsewhere in town and said that she is rude, bossy and opinionated. I loved the parallels between the Y and the church and how they both actually can be destroyed by attitudes and personalities such as this. I think that woman's goal was to crush her and suck her dry until she called UNCLE!

The powerful thing is that the teacher told me she felt really sad for the woman, especially if her entire life is lived this way. THen she told me she has someone to pray for (she knows that I work in the church, of course). It was a great intersection point and provided us the opportunity to talk about how it is a humbling thing to pray to be able to let go of your anger and see someone first as a child of God, not a mean person...

God grant you the grace to have an understanding and forgiving heart, and the strength and ego to keep creeping charlie (my gardening imagery) out of the garden that is the church. Paz