Zowie

Thanks to shimmeringjemmy for this link:

http://dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/4/30/1441/59811

Stephen Colbert's Bush-skewering monologue at the White House Correspondents Dinner.

An Afternoon with a Room Full of Spiritual Directors

Today I took PTO from my dayjob to attend my first regional meeting of Spiritual Directors International (with Jeannie's blessing, which makes it all the nicer).

It was an enjoyable time. Everyone was warm and friendly -- and very normal-human. Sometimes I imagine that 'true' spiritual directors are these elevated, super-wise, super-spiritual people. Maybe some of these folks are, but they sure looked and sounded like ordinary folks when I talked with them. And in the small group discussions they shared stories of troublesome issues as well as joys, so it took a big "I-must-be-perfect-to-dare-to-call-myself-a-spiritual-director" load off my heart and mind. The fact that one of the topics was about setting fees, and listening to the different perspectives shared on that topic, also was perfect for where I am right now.

I also had the pleasure of connecting with some fellow students from my seminary. One of them was in my Ethics class, and she said, "That class was so boring - except when you spoke!" Which was quite a nice compliment, I thought.

For those of you who weren't reading my journal then, I wrote my Christian Ethics paper on the topic of whether or not plural marriage could be considered ethical within a Christian perspective. (I argued that yes, it is possible. Copies of the paper are available on request.) It's an interesting commentary on my (Jesuit) seminary that when we all presented our papers, I felt like mine was far better received than that of the man who was presenting an anti-abortion case.

I've also volunteered to get involved with the SDI outreach committee, getting the word out about spiritual direction. It's somewhat self-serving, of course, since it could be a great way to connect with a potential client base. Hopefully it will be win-win-win: for me, for SDI, and for people who could be enriched by experiencing direction/companionship.

And on a totally unrelated note: do you know how hard it is to find a wafflemaker that isn't a Belgian? I like little holes in my waffles, not big ones. And the only small-hole wafflemaker I found in the mall was heart-shaped and $49 -- far more expensive than any other model!

Time to hit Amazon. . .