Peace and Healing

Greetings Friends!!

I miss you all and hope each of you are doing well. I have the wonderful blessing to be in Raleigh for a few days and I'm very excited about that. (Janelle -perhaps we can have real coffee!!)

I only have a little under 2 weeks left in my internship. It feels very strange, almost like I've been leading double lives and now one of them is going to go away. I won't say that summer has flown, because it hasn't. It has a been a real struggle for me sometimes, but the blessings have been numerous. I have met some incredible people and made some wonderful friends at the Divinity School. It will be nice to know some friendly faces once classes start at the end of August.

Each week I have gotten in the habit of studying the lectionary text in preparation for writing a sermon. I don't actually write one all the time, but it is a great practice to be in and I learn a lot from that study. A few weeks ago the Psalm text was from Psalm 52. Verse 8 says "But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever." I thought a lot about olive trees that week. Olive oil was used as a healing balm in those times and the olive branch is still considered a symbol of peace even today. So, we are like trees in the house of God. Trees of healing and of peace. It's kind of a nice thought.

As a dear friend said to me the other day, I hope the sunsets are beautiful where you all are!!

Peace,
Jodi