Dear St. Luke’s,

AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Our second child will be born any day. Something has changed within me this week, and I feel like I am filled with adrenaline and anxiety, and even now it is hard to sit still long enough to write this brief message to you. I have been dealing with this nervous energy by cleaning and organizing the closet on the third floor and the shed in the playground. Were these tasks necessary to get done before I leave? Absolutely not. Did it feel good? Yes!!!

I think taking all of that stuff out, making sense of it, and then putting it back in a logical manner was the bit of therapy I needed. I got to haul away a total of four truckloads of stuff to the thrift store or to the dump. I think this work has helped because I got to do something objectively good for something that I love, while I am in the midst of feeling absolutely powerless to do anything for my unborn child. Leandra is taking care of keeping him healthy, he is in charge of letting us know when he is ready to join us on the outside. My job was ensuring the nursery was set up, and now that is done, I am left with heaps of energy and nowhere to put it.

It is rare to be able to work for something that you love and see objective results at the end of the day. Our nursery is secondary to the love that we show within it. The space we make for our children to learn in the Church is secondary to the relationships they make and the stories they hear. We should not think that taking care of the Church is the same as being the Church, but it certainly feels good when you are able to look at a room and know that it looks better because of your labors.

With all of that being said, don’t miss an opportunity to show love to your church while I am gone. John Smaha has organized a work day for August 6th from 7:00 am to 11:00 am. I know he and his crew hope to put new life into our grounds and feel good about making their Church look a little more beautiful. You can let them know that you are coming by emailing kqlr36a@gmail.com.

God gives us odd instincts when we fall in love. Leandra, Bandy, and I are preparing to love the next member of our family, and right now that love manifests in any way we can find. I know that when the wee-baby Theo does arrive we will be able to calm down and “just be”. In the meantime, we will continue to manically clean and plan for his arrival. In the same way, I hope you are called to help care for our place but don’t forget to join us on Sunday, share your story, and just be.

Blessings,

Nick