Blessings, Smoke, and Fire

It's been quite a day. The good, the bad, the boring, the mundane...it's been a roller coaster and now I'm not tired anymore although I've been tired most of the day.

The blessings hit sometime this afternoon, and they just kept rolling.

First I was called to set up my interview for Ave Maria, the last step of the application process. That means they have all my paperwork in and the recommendations from my references. God bless them! My interview (via phone) is tomorrow.

Then I got home from work to a voice mail from the church I'm applying to...and my first interview is set for next Thursday. Oh, the agony! I can't even prepare for this kind of interview. There will be another interview the following week, that one more formal, and then I'll know if I got the job or not the following week.

Tonight was our last RCIA gathering; we went to Mass and then had a potluck afterwards. But our actions in the kitchen before Mass caused us to nearly burn down the Church while we attended Mass.

Seriously.

While we were obliviously at Mass, praying, worshiping, something was going on in the kitchen. I don't know who, but someone apparently with a key smelled smoke so went into the meeting rooms and saw a haze. He or she or they (I dunno) went into the kitchen area just in time to see a cookie tray in flames on the top of the stove!

Thank God they came by!

The person who put the plastic tray there was only trying to move it out of the way, not realizing tht this particular model of industrial gas stove has exposed pilot lights, which, of course, happened to enjoy the fuel of plastic and other fun things it could consume.

By the time we left Mass, that person had opened the doors and the smoke had cleared although we could smell something had burned.

Thanks to the Guardian Angel in charge of our parish! And thanks to the person who happened by and stopped the disaster!

It was otherwise a blessed night, our new Catholics and our sponsors had a great time, and my heart is so full right now. I'm so grateful to have been a part of this (not the nearly-burning the church down part). I just love those in the class, they were a great group and I learned so much from them. I heard so many encouraging words from them tonight. Even though it's been a big committment and a lot of work (some weeks more than others), this has been SO WORTH IT and I'm looking forward to next year's group of pending Catholics!

In "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White, there is a line uttered by Wilbur, something along the lines of, "When your stomach is empty and your mind is full, it's always hard to sleep."

Well, for me, my stomach is full (these people can COOK!), my mind is full and my heart is full. And even though I'm exhausted, I haven't felt so joyful in a very long time. God is so good.

May God bless all of you even more abundantly than He has blessed me today.