As of last Thursday, I am on a personal leave of absence for a month.

Last summer, my dad fell and hit his head pretty hard. He has since that time slipped into a progressively worsening (yeah, I know) dementia, and in March, he moved into a "Memory Care" unit. I found myself stressed beyond imagination, having to move the remainder of his (and mom's) belongings to my home, 3 hours away, with Dad unsure about what was happening. I've also had to assume legal power of attorney. Fortunately, he had already put me on all of his bank accounts, so I am now paying all his bills... but still!

Things at church continue to be stressful, with certain people harassing me about the messy parsonage. And the usual characters continued to criticize everything imaginable. Then the PPR committee met, and told me that they were "concerned" about me. They wanted certain things done by the first week of May - like cleaning my parsonage - and I told them what was going on. Though they were sympathetic, they felt I still needed to do these things. So I called the District Superintendent, and filled him in.

Long story short: I cannot take "family leave" time unless I am seeking a change in my appointment status. That means I would be without a salary - or a home - during the time I was on leave. So I told him that I was stressed beyond measure, and had to do something. The church approved me taking 4 weeks of personal time, and now I can focus on my life.

Sometimes you just have to walk away, huh?