Joyce wrote of the snow falling faintly upon all the living and the dead. It also happens to fall on the curiously in-between, those of us for whom "life" is a sepia-toned memory and "death" will have to wait like everything else.

Work goes up and down. It beats me up, takes my lunch money, gives me a giant wedgie, and then offers me some ice cream. Sometimes all it takes to make me feel better is a brief hallway commiserating session with another intern. Sometimes it takes a little more.

I drove out to a pre-retreat praise night for BYG on Friday. They are going to a multi-church semi-mega retreat this winter, and it was a chance for them to worship with some of the other churches that will be there. I think it was fine, but the music during praise time was ridiculously loud. And I felt ridiculously old.

Myung took Sharon and me out for dinner to celebrate our birthdays last weekend. And afterward, Myung and I met up with Bekah and Jon. I hadn't seen them since the summer, when Bekah went off to Syracuse and Jon was pulled away from BYG. I'd forgotten what good kids they are. Bekah was talking about her freshman year misadventures - funny, exciting, goofy, dumb - exactly what it should be, and Myung and I were beaming like proud parents.

Edmund can't make it to youth group for a few weeks, and this coming weekend is one of those rare ones where I know I'll have Sunday off, so I volunteered to lead praise. It's literally been years, but I figure, you know, as long as I'm loud...

The theme song for the retreat is called Alabaster Jar and I've been trying to learn it for this Sunday by listening to it on YouTube. The song is pretty simple, and it talks about pouring out costly perfume from an alabaster jar. Jesus says it was to prepare him for burial, a perfume for the dead poured on the living.

This alabaster jar
Is all I have of worth
I break it at Your feet, Lord
It's less than you deserve
You're far more beautiful
More precious than the oil
The sum of my desires
And the fullness of my joy

Here I am, take me
As an offering
Here I am, giving
Every heartbeat for Your glory
Take me