The Scrapbook

It's been a week since I last blogged. As usually, small moments, some of which are ordinary and some of which are extraordinary, make life. I've had both over the past week, moments which will stay with me for a long time and moments which I've alread forgotten. Such is the kaleidoscope of life.

As to moments and events that I take with me from last week, one of them is definitely a little sauna party I had with my uncle and cousins on Saturday evening. It was good and relaxing, and at the same time it was something that reminded me that the pastoral role I've found myself in comes everywhere with me. When I go to my cousin's summer house, all I want to do is to put my feet up and sweat in the sauna after a busy day in church. And with a surprise I realise that all my non-Christian well-off highly educated cousin wants to do is to talk about existential and spiritual matters. And that in a house where people hardly ever talk about God, I'm asked to say a grace before a meal ("Well, as we have a pastor in our midst, would you mind praying...") And I'm still getting used to it. Not that I mind, of course not, but I'm still getting used to the fact that when I hang out with my cousins, I have "PASTOR" written all over me.

And then on Sunday I saw K., one of my very best friends, say "I do" and get married. It was so beautiful I could have cried, it's just that I couldn't cry because I had to translate the whole ceremony. I've probably already earned the title of a crying pastor, a crying translator would be just a tad too much, haha! The whole evening was really-really nice, full of love and joy and beauty. It's an old truth - people really are indescribably beutiful when they get married, K. and T. were no exceptions.

And yesterday was also memorable, in a very... physical way. My brother and sister-in-law are on a vacation so they took me and dad to an adventure park. Oh dear. I don't remember climbing many trees as a kid so it could be that I did more climbing and swinging and jumping yesterday than ever before in my life. They have six different tracks there which get gradually harder. I managed four. The last ones were either too high in tree tops or they were just physically too difficult. So I need to work out and deal with my hight-o-phobia and then go back sometime. :)