That Was The Month That Was -- March 2004

What can I say about March 2004 other than it was unpredictable? We experienced some nice weather early on and I convinced myself that spring had arrived -- Punxsutawney Phil be darned -- which made it all the harder when the snow came back with a vengeance. The shell game with the weather was so typical of my experiences over the last few weeks. Just when I had decided on something, circumstances tossed everything around. I would arrange an evening with friends or a field trip with the family, only to have someone come down sick or have car problems at the last moment. It was a month when I had to roll with the punches, and I have the bruises to prove it...

The church is going great. It's amazing to see what a caring community this group of people have developed into. Even when things had me so stressed out, like new programs handed down by my denomination or conducting my first funeral, people from the church rose to occasion and saved my butt. That's why I got so depressed when hints kept getting dropped that there were "painful changes coming in September." But T-- and I had the opportunity to sit down with some of the leaders on the statewide level who assured us that closing down the ministry has never been discussed, and that a change like that can't be implemented by a leader on the local level. It was a great relief for me personally, and helped lift the depression I've been under.

In between every single member of my family coming down with the flu, I did manage to sneak out a few times. I saw The Passion of the Christ. Liked the movie, hated the hype surrounding it. Went to Freeway Church and had a great time, as always.

Thank God for good friends. March would have been unbearable without 'em. V--, J-- #1, and J-- #2 always seemed to show up at the office and take me out to lunch just when I needed it most. Mister Magical Surprise, the blogger who never blogs, even showed up for a quick visit from Vermont, so we could talk about the important things in life -- like DVDs and Doctor Who. And B-- kept me entertained with his dispatches from internet cafes scattered around Israel, Turkey, and a place I couldn't find in my atlas called Urgup!

I've never owned a WWJD bracelet, but if I did, the last 31 days would have convinced me to trade it in for one that says WTF. In spite of all the strangeness, I realized what a great bunch of friends I have, and how many of the things I worried about worked out in the end, so maybe March turned out to be a pretty good month after all. Here's to April!