Excellent things which have happened the past few days.

* I have a friend who has somehow gotten to the doctoral level of study without ever writing a research paper. (I know, right?! But he’s a music performance major; it’s not like he hasn’t been doing work, just not that kind of work.) Anyway, he needed some research help, which I gladly gave him, which helped him and made me feel like a research librarian. Holla!

* One of my other friends (actually, the wife of above friend) is part of this world-renowned choral group. On Sunday night they sang Bach’s Mass in B Minor, which is in and of itself an excellent and praiseworthy thing, and they stepped it up to ecstatic, pretty much. Joyful, and contagiously so. Anyway, I got to go see that, and I got a ticket in the rear balcony. When I got to the concert hall to sit down, the door to the balcony was closed, and I had this conversation with one of the ushers:

“Um, is there a reason the door is closed?”

“Oh, yes. They didn’t sell any orchestra pit seats, and they’re offering them to people. Would you like one?”

(internally: “!!!!!!!!!!”) “Um. Yes.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

In short, I got to watch extremely talented musicians (did I mention the baroque orchestra with period instruments? I didn’t? oh. well, they were awesome) do what they do from the fourth row. Don’t get much better than that.

*Been having excellent chats with friends lately, actually. Getting rides from people now that my car is dead (coolant leak = overheated engine = shot engine = car is now being cannibalized for parts, RIP Jimmy) has lent itself to opportunities for good conversation.

*God has been very good lately about getting on my case about issues I still have to work through. I have deemed this the Year of Getting My Crap Together, and while I haven’t totally been great about holding up my end of that, God has been doing very good (and painful) things with my heart these days. Which is nice.

*Last night at Bible study was one of the more real, hey-the-Holy-Spirit-is-doing-stuff moments I’ve had in a while. Extra shot of gospel there, and it was glorious.

I don’t think I’ve discussed this here before, but I go to this Bible study for UT students that’s run by one of the associate pastors at my church and his wife. There’s always dinner beforehand (homemade, and always good), and we go through books of the Bible each semester. Greg and Mary Jane are about my parents’ age, and they have kids a little older than me and the rest of us, so not only are we fed and taught, there’s an interesting sort of surrogate parent-child relationship set up. It’s like–well, no, it’s not like family, it is family, and I’m grateful for them. (And watermelon. Yum.)

Anyway, I am feeling very much spoiled these days. I have been given much. Of me much will be, and has been, required.