What happened to that wintry mix?

The Reverend Dr. Russ Peterman, new senior minister of Fort Worth’s University Christian Church, must be feeling a bit of extra blessing today. The morning of his formal installation and acceptance of the call to the church dawned as winter mornings can—cold and damp, with the threat of a wintry mix hanging over us. Just before we left for church, the sky began to spit sleet. But when we emerged from that impressive service, with spectacular music, the sun shone brightly in a clear sky, as if to join the chorus welcoming Dr. Peterman.

Jacob was privileged to be an acolyte this morning. Where I sat I had a clear view of him throughout the service, though I couldn’t get him to look at me, let alone smile. He sat admirably still without fidgeting through what was a very long service and even appeared to be paying attention to the sermon. He said afterward he liked that “old guy” who preached. (We must work on his age sensitivity.) I had to tell the lectern minister afterward that I was not staring at her. It was that darn cute acolyte!

Russ Peterman came to the church in December, a time when there is too much else on the church calendar to schedule an installation. Having it in February provided a bright spot in a dull, gray month. There’s just something about winter.

My dad, a doctor, was also the administrator of the hospital at home. He twisted that old saying, “A green Christmas means a full churchyard,” to be, “A green Christmas means a full hospital.” We didn’t often have a green Christmas in Chicago, but Dad felt personally responsible for the hospital’s daily census, Christmas snow or not. While he never would have wished ill health on anyone, he was acutely aware that the institution’s income depended to some degree, probably large, on the daily census.

Once sitting quietly at home, he said to me, “Judy, go call the hospital and ask what the census is.” I drew the line. I could just hear the guffaws if I, then maybe twelve, called and said prissily, “This is Judy MacBain. Could you tell me the census?”

Winter or not, Sundays are often cooking days for me, and today was no exception. Last night I made salmon cakes for my supper. I’ve been making them all my life but found a new way—instead of whole eggs, use whipped egg whites. I thought it would make the cakes light and fluffy. Problem: I have the mixer, but I couldn’t find the beaters—they must be in the house. So I ended up making cakes the usual way—even forgot to grate the fresh ginger I’d bought. But as I proved today, there’s nothing like a cold salmon patty on rye bread with mayo for lunch. Then I unearthed a bar of dark chocolate with raspberries and ate twice my daily portion. Terrific lunch.

On to dinner. It was one of my cooking triumphs in the cottage, though it strained my facilities to their stretching point. I adjusted a stroganoff recipe to substitute hamburger for tenderloin—a slight price point difference. The recipe served six, and Jordan pointed out that I should have halved it. As it is, if you want leftovers, just call me. But it was really good. Christian baked asparagus, and I fixed a salad. The hardest things about the stroganoff were adjusting to one burner, trying to keep the noodles hot while I reheated the meat, so I could add the sour cream at the last minute, and transferring a huge pot of noodles from hot plate to sink to drain. I can do it, but tonight Jordan helped me. And she did the dishes—which in the cottage means hand-washing. Such a good girl.

Stay warm and have a great week starting tomorrow.

Hallelujah! A new day has dawned

It is particularly appropriate that this morning my church, University Christian Church, welcomed a new minister and his family. I say appropriate because this is the time of year we think of new beginnings and gifts from God. Dr Russ Peterman, his wife, and four teenage children come to us from northern California, but I understand from church gossip that he has Texas roots, grew up in the Panhandle, and is named Russell after Russell (better known as Red) Steagall. Good recommendations!

I liked him. I liked that when he spoke informally he emphasized that he was not God’s gift to us; we were God’s gift to him. We’ll see how he feels about that in a year or so. I liked that he was up front that his family would always come first with him. I liked that he said any parent knows that the way to make a child be good is not to tell him how bad he is—I took that to apply to us as the children of God as well as to literal parents and children, though I was temped to poke Jordan who was sitting next to me. I liked him because his sermon was clear, interesting to follow, and made a good point. I think I’ll like his theology. And I liked him because he speaks clearly and was easy for me to hear and understand. Jacob liked him, because he was funny and didn’t preach too long.

I think the arrival of the Peterman family, if not a gift from God, is a sign from Him that good things are going to happen in our church. We’ve been without a resident minister for some time now and while we’re all grateful to Rev. Chuck Rolen for his interim service, there is a different feeling in the church now that we have a minister who plans to stay for years—yes, he said so. The congregation turned out in large numbers for both services, and if you listened and waited, you could sense an upbeat in the air, the sense of joy and optimism.

A personal bonus from being in church, besides the lovely greetings and hugs from friends: one woman told me she’d read Pigface and the Perfect Dog and couldn’t put it down; another told me that when she inherited her late mother’s Kindle, she found all my mysteries on it, and she was currently reading the third Blue Plate Mystery. I had enjoyed several “bookish” lunches with her mom and was anticipating another when she died suddenly.

Tis the season to be joyful. We made a good start this morning at UCC. Merry Christmas, everyone, and particularly the Russ Peterman family.

PS: Should I tell him my mother’s maiden name was Peterman? A church friend said to me, “Well, you both fell out of the same tree. But it’s an awful big tree.”