Columbus OH

Gee whiz!  This interim has been so quiet there truly will be little to report.

Most of the month the Airstream has been sitting quietly on the back corner of the lot, hidden by walls on two sides and some out-of-control decorative bush overhanging the rear -- almost invisible except to Google's satellite.  But on 8 August Lew towed it up to the factory in Jackson for its usual semi-annual going-over; fortunately, no excitement, and he fetched it back on the 11th.

Things have been relatively quiet family-wise.  Rob has been positively invisible throughout the month (a little disquieting, since it is so unlike him).   Paul has assiduously applied himself to attending his AA groups and his therapy sessions.  Bobbi has been attending Al-anon meetings pretty regularly, to her intense surprised satisfaction.  She already has roped in a young lady from our church, the daughter of a friend.  And Lew has attended a few times as well.

But most of Bobbi's energy has gone into the church.  She has continued her chaplaincy at the prison hospital -- only now she wears a big badge that says "Catholic Prison Ministries" instead of her former clerical collar.  Other than that, she has changed little: still attending the same chronically ill old men, occasionally replacing the deacon to conduct services (careful to stay within the rules), still pan-handling for hygiene items for the inmates, still harassing the deputy warden for supplies, etc.  She had a fine time lunching with her former Bishop's Assistant and meeting with her former clergy cluster; both committed themselves to continuing their support of her ministry!  

The Catholic Church has many more parish activities than a Lutheran church, and Bobbi has thrown herself into them with abandon.  One of the long-time members, a former almost-nun who has been intimately involved in the activities of this Diocese all her life (she is Lew's age, fraternizes with the Bishop and all the priests), has adopted Bobbi and kind of sponsors her at the dinners, festival, and other fund-raisers in which she participates continually.  Of course, adoption means Bobbi has acquired a whole new extended family, with all their problems and accomplishments.   Very busy.

And Bobbi has continued with the closing out of her mother's estate -- a new owner takes possession of the house tomorrow.   This continues to be a wrenching experience for Bobbi -- thank goodness she has the church to support her, and Al-anon to help her deal with her feelings about her severely alcoholic maternal grandmother.  She also has continued to attend her Optifast meetings.

Lew has kept in the background with the goal of being supportive in Bobbi's ministry and grieving.  He himself has attended one planning meeting for Deaf services in Ohio, wherein everyone was frustrated because the Department of Mental Health had pulled all the funding for Deaf services, including even training programs.  No one knows where this is going to go, although the Deaf community is itself pulling together and trying to set up their own system.  Other than that, he has busied himself with history -- family and otherwise -- right now concentrating on the obscure medieval goings on in northern Germany.

Until later...