The Joy of Packing

As Jamie and I prepare for our 2500 road trip from Nashville to Seattle, we've had to decide what to take and what to sell, what to keep out and what to pack away, and how to get what we pack two-thirds of the way across the country. We thought about just selling everything we couldn't pack in cars, but I have two bookshelf-like pieces that my dad and grandpa made that I want to keep, and the queen bed is fairly new and worth saving. On the other hand, the couch, recliner, washer/dryer, and and desk aren't worth the cost of shipping. We've ended up with a "ReloCube" that will be transported in a semi-truck and then can be stored for up to a month while we find a place to live. Our cube is 6' x 7' x 8.' The rest has been posted on craigslist. Just this morning a nice young woman from Mufreesboro picked up the couch, and a local hostel bought the twin bed. Our house is filled with boxes to be loaded and shipped out this week. The only other thing to think about are our two furry little companions, Betsy (left) and Wyatt.

There's no way around it. When it comes to traveling, cats are downright impractical. Mom suggested the other day that we could just give the cats away here and get a couple more when we get there. We'd already thought of that. But as embarrassing as it is to admit sometimes, Betsy and Wyatt are part of the family. I think even "Aunt Hannah" came to an understanding with Betsy when Hannah was here for graduation. "I don't touch her and she doesn't touch me," was the agreement, I believe. So it's worth writing a bit more about how we plan to bring these two along.

FIRST, we had a vet appointment on Friday. Now 305 dollars later everyone has rabies vaccinations and flea treatment, and Wyatt has been prescribed sedatives to help him handle the excitement of traveling. We also splurged at PetSmart and bought cat harnesses and leashes. This was really embarrassing, because we'd never actually seen these items in action before. Surely we were the only one to take these measures. I can just see us trying to walk our stubborn Betsy down the sidewalk while our neighbors (who own six dogs) think we are in denial about our need for canine companionship. Fortunately, we've learned that a lot of cat owners actually also have utilized the kitty harness and leash combination. You know who you are, and you need to come out of the closet so novices like us can find the support we need.

Anyway, as those of you who know Wyatt may have already guessed, the harness and leash are quite an ordeal. Yesterday during his practice time, every time he moved, he saw the leash move and became so skittish that he ended up huddled in the corner for a good twenty minutes (left). We're trying to work up to a modicum of comfort. Betsy, being her more docile self, has handled the transition smoothly, thought she's taken to hiding under the bed for hours at a time. We think it's her special place. It helps her manage stress.

The other major adjustment is the pet carriers. Fortunately in this department, Mr. Wyatt has taken a liking to the pink carrier, which leaves Betsy with blue (we like to challenge gender stereotypes in our family). In fact, as I type, he is curled up inside that pink carrier sleeping. You'd think he'd never had a more comfortable bed. The final major obstacle in our immediate future is the our provision for the cats' basic needs during the drive. Now the nurse at the vet's office said that when she moved her four cats from Florida she just put water, food, and a small box of litter on the floor of the car. We're thinking about other suggestions, including an intentional family fast meant to cut down on the waste production. We're open to other ideas.

Seattle Bound (Again)

Thanks be to God (or to progressive people) for University Christian Church in Seattle, Washington. Two weeks ago Jamie and I were in Seattle for her interview with the church. During the post-worship fellowship hour, an older man approached Jamie and said, "When I heard they wouldn't ordain you in Tennessee, it ruffled my feathers." I could have cried. Finally someone gets it.

Today this congregation approved Jamie as the Minister of Spiritual Formation and Social Justice (Pastoral Resident). She will be serving there for two years, and the church will be walking with her through the ordination process in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

It's not what you plan, really. We just graduated from an incredible academic institution and could easily find a dozen people to write glowing reference letters for us. We both had high gpa's and a series of life-broadening internships that prepared us for a variety of forms of ministry. We have worshiped with Disciples, Methodists, and Mennonites. Our experiential knowledge on race, poverty, oppression, diversity, and faithful struggle surpasses our years. You churches should be asking for people like us. But here we are after five months of searching in the system, and between us we've had three phone interviews and only one job offer and a whole bunch of churches and church leaders who've seen our paperwork and cast us aside.

It's not what you'd hope, really. Especially not when your colleagues are being ordained and interviewed and called left and right. Not everyone, not all of them, but enough to make us wonder where we went wrong in hoping for ourselves. Maybe it was our education at the "School of the Prophets" where our normal was to identify, think about, and oppose sexism, racism, and homophobia. Maybe we forgot that not everyone is a prophet, and that outside those divinity school walls are institutions that wouldn't even give theological degrees to people like us. For this I grieve everyday, if not in my consciousness, surely in my unconscious living and being.

But today there was a congregation, just one, that said we belong there. Someone even said they wished they could hire me too. Can you imagine that kind of grace and hospitality? In the meantime, we'll be packing up in Nashville and drive through Kansas for a stay on the farm before heading up past the mountains for the promised land at 4731 15th Avenue Northeast, Seattle, WA. In the meantime I suppose I'll be looking for some kind of employment. In the meantime, bless you University Christian Church and Reverend Janetta Cravens Boyd.