stripping to sermons

Now that I'm retired and my kids are finally in school, I am finding things to keep me occupied during my lonely days. Most recently, I have taken up...stripping. I know, it's a stretch at 38. And even though I'm not very good at it (I'm rather clunky) and it's tough work (I almost fell off a high surface twice today) and I get really sweaty (it really is a lot of work), and the hubs interrupts me often (though he's totally okay with me doing it, as long as I only do it in our house), I enjoyed it immensely.

I enjoyed demolishing WALLPAPER into shreds today because I listened online to my former pastor's sermons that I've missed over the last few months.

And I found my soul nurtured in a most ironic position. While scraping, I re-learned all about the Apostle Paul and his battles with the early Church... while soaking down walls with Dif, I was reminded that I am loved by the Creator of the world, and that there's not a thing I can do to make him love me any more or any less... while reaching up to high corners of my ceiling with a sharp object, I was challenged to let go of my misconceptions about a God of judgment and fear and instead embrace a life of adventure and devotion.

And then I missed my old pastors desperately. The new ones I've found here don't hold a candle or even a dim-lighted alarm clock to them. But maybe I need to give Canadians a bit more of a chance. Maybe I listen differently to people who know my soul like my old pastor's did. When someone holds your hand through the depths, you tend to listen to them.

Things can happen in the most unusual places.

And no doubt my biggest reader and fan will be slipping one dollar bills into my g-string sweatpants when I'm back at it tomorrow.

*correction: My hubs already read this and gently informed me that Canadians do not use one dollar bills, they were replaced by the one dollar coin, The Looney, long ago. Now he is quietly tapping my behind and saying, "clink." Clearly, I am not Canadian yet.