A Strange Meeting Day

Took the day off from school to attend the Divine Liturgy at church today for the Meeting of the Lord in the Temple. A beautiful service, full of light--and a very light feeling to it, as well--it was good to take a moment out of the middle of the week and touch Heaven for a moment.

Funny how those days can turn on you...the rest of the day seemed to be a blur of futility, one of those days where nothing gets done that needs (or so we think) getting done. Audra and I went to consolidate our insurance policies (car, house, etc), and a process that should have taken fifteen minutes took an hour and a half due to a talkative (but, admittedly, very amiable) agent. Then, up to school to have a pizza party for the Whiz Quiz kids I helped coach this year. I'd made announcements for the past three days. How many kids came out of the ten or so that participated? Two. Sigh. Looks like I've got lots of leftover pizza for lunches...

Yet the part that beat all came after about 3:30, when I realized my sub hadn't come up to my room to bring back the folder I'd left with instructions, assignments, etc. (we'd been down in the library that day). This was because said folder was still in my desk!! Not only had the substitute barely shown up in time to meet the kids in the library, but she had not followed my specific instructions to come up to my room first and get the folder to use for the day. This means playing catch-up on Monday with these classes (we're on block schedule). Double sigh.

Good day. Seriously. Especially in the light of the coming Pre-Lenten and Lenten season (this Sunday is Zacchaeus Sunday, folks! Pre-Lent is almost here!)...one of those "trial" days where we have the uncomfortable opportunity to continually hold before our souls the words of St. Simeon: "Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word: for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation..."