When I had agreed to go to Synod, I hadn't planned on how difficult the timing would be. The problem with events with fixed dates is that, well, the dates are fixed. They can't be moved around to suit the circumstances of the times. I am not in the least sorry that I went, but I do wonder about my cortisol levels in the couple months leading up to it. There's a tremendous amount of work that goes into it. I had read through the reports and the material before I went, but even then, I didn't feel as prepared as I'd like to have been. And then, when you get there, the schedule is absolutely packed. From early in the morning until 9pm, you're on the go. There are breaks, but I often wanted them to take a moment to reflect or to reread something.
Now that it's over, at least it's summer and I can take the next month or so to reflect over how it went and what I might be able to incorporate and improve on at both the local and denominational level. Some of the decisions we made will be with us for likely quite some time, so I pray that we did the right things.