I'm Back, Part II

Traveling to Florida one day after returning home from vacation was difficult, but it was good. I traveled down for my first meeting of the Lutheran Haven Board of Trustees, of which I am the newest member. It was a more intense and vigorous meeting than I expected. Lots of important decisions being discusses at this time including the hiring of a new CEO and redevelopment. I was impressed by the people on the Board - some of which I knew and some which I did not know. They knowledge and passion was evident, and they were not afraid to speak and make their opinions known! I felt like kind of an outsider, listening in and trying to catch up on things. So I kept silently mostly, and listened a lot, offering my 2 cents only now and then.

Got home Friday night and then Saturday was spent preparing for the Divine Service. It was good to be back with my flock. I've said it before, but I'm always amazed at how just two weeks away makes my voice weaker. Not terribly so. No one else probably noticed. But I can notice. Now, lots of phone calls to make and e-mails to write and get caught up on things and get the ball rolling for all the Fall activities at church!

In other news, my flight to Florida was on jetBlue - I highly recommend them! They were cheap, but they have the most legroom of any plane I have flown on. I chose a middle seat for both flights just so I could be closer to the front of the plane and get off quicker (I hate waiting forever to get out of the plane)! But it was quite comfortable! My knees didn't hit the seat in from of me, and it seemed wider to me as well. I will definitely use them on all my trips to Florida now! They also have free TVs at every seat, so you can watch stuff. I didn't - had plenty along to read, but nice to have the option.

And We're Back!

Yes, the family and I are back from a nice two week vacation. No computer, no e-mail, just time with the family, traveling, swimming, reading a couple of novels, crossword puzzles, and visiting family. Our journey took us first to Dayton, OH where we primarily visited the Air Force museum (which was great and far too much to see in only one day!). From there we traveled to Champaign, IL for the wedding of my nephew. Then on to St. Louis for a quick stop. Attended the Divine Service at Messiah in Lebanon, IL with Pastor Brian Holle - great! Saw the Arch and went to a place called the "City Museum" in St. Louis. If you're ever in St. Louis (and have kids), go there! It was like a giant climbing, crawling, and sliding playground - on massive steroids! The guy who created this gather old stuff from all over the city and put this together. So much fun! (Tough on the old knees, though!) Monday was a long travel day up to Michigan to spend the week with my in-laws and visit some other family. Went to the Divine Service at Calvary in Parma, OH (just outside Cleveland) and had brunch with some old friends - the former DP and his wife. Then from there to just outside Pittsburgh to visit with my brother-in-law and his family, and then home yesterday. So a LOT of driving, but had a good time. Today is a catch-up day for e-mail and snail mail, pick-up my new glasses, try to get things in order for my school classes (which begin next week), and maybe even work on Sunday's sermon a bit before heading to Florida tomorrow for some meetings!

As for the novels I read on vacation, they were two of Jeff Shaara's trilogy of historical fiction on WWII. Excellent. The first was about the D-Day invasion and the second about the taking of Okinawa and the dropping of the Atomic bombs. He retells the story from the point of view of a few characters - both American and German/Japanese. I highly recommend them. He also has books like this on the Revolutionary and Civil wars. I've read a bunch of them and have never been disappointed.

So good to be home! Looking forward to being with my flock on Sunday. :-)

Vacation

Why is it always so hard to go on vacation? So much work to cram in before leaving, so many arrangements to make. It almost seems not worth the effort sometimes. It is worth it, of course. I need the time away, the time with family, the time to rest. I just wish it were easier . . .

So, no postings for the next couple of weeks! See you all when I return.

Thursday Morning Thoughts

#1: Due to the generosity and kindness of some members of my congregation, my family and I got to go see my Phillies put a whuppin' on Steven Strasburg and the Nationals on Tuesday night, 8-0. Included in the feast was Juan Pierre stealing second, then stealing third a pitch or two later, an error on the throw and an easy walk home. Pitcher Cliff Lee stealing second and then scoring on Jimmy Rollins inside-the-park homerun. While at the park, also made sure I tried a Ben's Chili Bowl half smoke chili dog. Ben's is a Washington landmark, so I wanted to try it. Result? Eh. Nuthin' special in my opinion.

#2: Glad the Chick-Fil-A appreciation day went so well yesterday. I wanted to eat there, but already had a lunch meeting scheduled in a town which didn't have one. I'll go soon. So tired of the intolerance of the "tolerant" . . .

#3: In the TDP reading for today, David is sent to fight Goliath. What struck me today is the faith and courage King Saul showed - not in the Lord, but in David. Earlier, Goliath's challenge had been a one-on-one fight with the result being that the loser's country would enter into servitude. So it was not only the life of the combatant that was on the line, but the fate of the nation. That King Saul would agree to let this young man go and fight with all that on the line . . . ? Saul's last words to David: "Go, and the Lord be with you." Striking in contrast to the words that Samuel had not too long ago spoken to Saul, that the Lord had rejected him and was not with him. Just found this interesting this morning . . .