5 TITLOH

Since this is the month of May, and since I have so many news to share and so little time for blogging, I've decided to quickly give you 5 THINGS IN THE LIFE OF HAT. Or, 5 TITLOH. So, here goes:

1) My parents are moving to Grand Rapids. Mom has given notice with the Tarrant Country WIC office, and Dad's resigned his position as head chaplain at Valley Hope Center. The current congregation has accepted the fact, but is still reeling from the news. Where this all come from, we all wonder. When did this begin? One call from the Chair of the Vietnamese National Caucus. Two visits to the 200+ member congregation. One smashing interview with the DS of the UMC conference in GR. Two major decisions. They are moving. One mortgage in TX. One major garage sale. One more house in GR. Two airplane tickets to Michigan. Three very perplexed kids.

2) My sister is moving to St. Louis, MO. She's got a fantastic new job on the faculty at the seminary. Tenurable. Plus we've never visited MO before, which means there's an entire region of the country that we can explore. My brother is also moving -- not immediately, but soon -- to Michigan. Bummer that the sibs won't be around. This will bring us back to the days of three-way calling and maxing out our phone lines. That's what family phone plans are for, oui?

3) I'll be teaching a poetry class ONLINE for the first time this July!! Women writers have been trying for centuries to articulate the Sacred. Sometimes words say it all, sometimes words say nothing. The poems are our human expressions of the divine. What better way to explore our own sense of the holy than to read, breathe, and absorb the Sacred in poetic form?!

4) Our poetry project, soon to be introduced to nothing but HAT's, has officially been accepted and slated for exhibition at three different locations this fall, beginning in September through December. We've also received great news about possibly getting funding from an arts/religion/education center. More to come...

5) I'm moving!!! The new place isn't far -- in fact, it's the deanery of the seminary that employs me. It's a great location b/c I can still walk to work. Yay! It's a great spot to live in, and if the back yard is cleaned up, I'll have a fantastic view of the bay. Unfortunately, I don't know when I get to move in this summer; plus there has been talk about maintenance issues. Nevertheless, I'm grateful for the opportunity and the space. The rent's not so bad, either. So many changes this summer...

Buy 5 TITLOHs and get an extra free! This is a photo taken at Mrs. Robinson's wedding. Go, Mrs. Robinson!