I just put the finishing touches on what is my first honest-to-goodness sermon! I have preached before -- homilies, stewardship, Pam's words. But this is my real first sermon concerning the Gospel. AND I did it with Pam out of town, and no-one to turn to but my own instincts. On the way to the airport (she was leaving for a vacation to visit her folks in the Midwest) she asked me if I would take home her brown pocketbook, visit a parishioner in the hospital -and oh, yeah, do the sermon on Sunday! At 5:30am - I just wasn't quick enough to say no! She gave me her file of ten years worth of ideas and past sermons, and said if I was really, really stuck, I could read one of hers from St. Chad's. But she had faith in me. Oh, my!

Soooo - long and short is that I did it! It took about 60 hours, and I just practiced out loud for the last time, and it is a little over 9 minutes -- a good time. I have pretty much mastered reading appropriately slowly the lessons -- let's see if I can go slowly enough. Now that I am done, it was actually enjoyable. Of course, that is all that has been on my mind -- tweaking words, changing things slightly since Thursday night. Well – let’s hope it all goes well tomorrow. What an interesting process this is! I just want it to be good for all my wonderful folks tomorrow…..