Maybe it’s good that I didn’t hear about this before my interview today? I would have been an emotional wreck if I had! My father-in-law routinely takes that train and he was thankfully (!!!!!!) on a retreat on Wednesday instead of going to his church.

There will be prayers said for the victims and their families this Sunday…

I called home this morning to tell my parents about the 4″ of snow we’d gotten and my dad told me that Uncle Tom had died a few hours earlier. He’d been sick for a while though the doctors had given him another 5 years or so…

Here’s a picture of him at my wedding with Jon and I:

Jen: one of my parishioners has offered to go with me to get my ears re-punched and double pierced if/when i decide to do it
Jen: apparently, i can do it in town
Mom: hmmm Lutheran Goth — not incompatible.

Jon and I are headed to Seattle in mid-November to see family. My mom just informed me that she and my dad, my brother, and his girlfriend are going to fly up for two days while we’re there so that we can have an early Thanksgiving.

I am shedding tears of joy right now…