Hail, Rain, and Work (Nice Visits Too)

"Just because I don't sleep in on a Saturday doesn't mean I won't take a nap before the day is done."
I posted that to Facebook early, too early, this morning. Evelyn was up by 6:45 to get ready to leave by 8:30 for CCU's graduation, but I awoke a few minutes before that and decided not to go back to bed .
I balanced the checkbook and paid bills. Wendy was up after awhile, and we ate breakfast together while Evelyn got ready to leave.
(Did I mention that Wendy Wagoner was with us this weekend? She came Thursday evening in time for supper and left tonight after a quick Skyline dinner together as she drove out of town. She visited with Cincinnati friends Friday and today during the day, but we still had lots of time to catch up with her. Last night we grabbed dinner at a restaurant in Blue Ash called Through the Garden. [I had a Groupon.] And then back home we watched Saving Mr. Banks via cable On Demand. She hadn't seen it, and we enjoyed seeing it a second time.)
I updated Twitter posts via Buffer and nosed around on Facebook awhile. Then I got to the business of

writing my column that will appear Tuesday. I often do that kind of work on Sunday afternoons. But it was cold and rainy this morning, and it is SUPPOSED to be dry and a little warmer tomorrow. So I decided to save tomorrow afternoon for outside work and get my inside work done this morning.

It was a wise decision. Wendy left after 11:00 to go have lunch with some friends, and while I was working, I heard hail pelting the windows! I decided to snap some pictures for the blog, and I'm glad I did, because it didn't hail anywhere where Wendy or Evelyn were.

I found some lunch to microwave and made a salad of greens that I picked from the flower box 

on the deck. My first homegrown lettuce of the season! I did a few straightening/pitching/sorting errands around the house until Evelyn got home after 1:00 so I could visit with her then.
It finally did clear up, so I went outside and made some progress in the yard: trimmed lilac bushes and a  rose bush, and dug weeds in the big bed with the pine trees in the back of the yard.
All that took as much energy and time as I had (I trimmed two bundles and a garbage can full of branches from three bushes), so I came in to visit with "the girls" awhile. Wendy wanted to leave soon, and I hadn't been to the store yet to buy anything for supper. So we decided just to eat supper with her, as I said, as she drove out of town.
Evelyn made a grocery list while I took a quick shower before we left for supper. Then the two of us grabbed the items on her list at Kroger's on the way home.
It was still early, so I gathered pots and hanging baskets and began the process of distributing them around the yard and arranging them on the deck. Maybe tomorrow I'll fill a few of them. I have some of what I'll use from that Garden Gallop I joined Thursday.
I think we'll watch another movie soon, to end the day.
I never did get that nap.

What Else? The Weather!

Pictures of the Day: As I'm posting these pictures, Evelyn is reading me the weather report for Philadelphia (close to where Jennifer and Matt live) and Long Island City, NY (where Geoff and Lisa live). Each has has 11+ inches of snow in the last 24 hours with 2 or 3 more inches predicted overnight. That makes my little snow report seem inconsequential. But, nevertheless, Evelyn and I did wake up to driveway covered with at least 4 inches. We shoveled from 6:30 till 7:15, and by the time we were through, the wind had blown drifts back over a large part of it. Before leaving for work, I brushed snow off the back window of my car that was parked INSIDE the garage, because the blowing snow had blasted a covering over it while we were outside shoveling.
Evelyn awoke to a text saying classes at CCU were delayed till 10:00. Then another text came saying chapel at 10:00 was cancelled. Then another text: Classes delayed till noon. And before I finally left for work before 10:00, CCU had given up for the day: all classes cancelled. This was the first day of the new semester, in which Evelyn is teaching two classes, going in on Tuesday and Thursday.
I decided to go to work late and cleared out old e-mails (left over from my time out of the office) from here.
My trip to work was relatively uneventful; roads weren't clear, but they had been treated, and traffic was light.
Evelyn, bless her, decided to reshovel the driveway late in the afternoon. It had drifted to at least 6 inches in some spots, and the temperatures were in the teens.
The fruit of her work:

We watched the weather on TV just before supper, and Tim Hedrick says we'll have lows in the single digits and highs in the teens for the rest of the week till Saturday and Sunday—and then there's a chance for "significant snow." The high temperatures next week will be back in the teens.

Quote of the Day: From a radio newscaster reporting on the icy punch the northeast is getting tonight: "Well, the good news is we have only two more months of winter."

TWO MORE MONTHS! That's at least 6 weeks too much!
(Actually, I think it's bad form to complain about the weather. But it's my diary, and next year I want to remember this.)

Honor Where It's Due

It's been a few days since I've made time to post. Let me begin to catch up with this note about

Thursday. It was the final employee luncheon of the year at CCU, and Dave Faust had invited me to attend, since he was saving his tribute to Evelyn for that occasion.

This lunch is sponsored each year by the alumni association. It's a nice lunch, with door prizes, and awards for years of service and other honors. 

Dave called Evelyn to the front and made these remarks (I asked him for a copy, so we can keep and remember them here):

Evelyn Taylor is retiring after 34 years of teaching here at CCU.  She started serving as a professor back in 1979.
In 1979:

• Jimmy Carter was president of the United States.

• Harvey Bream was president of Cincinnati Bible College & Seminary.

• A postage stamp cost 15 cents.

• "Saturday Night Fever" was the album of the year.

• The hostage crisis in Iran occurred.

• McDonalds introduced the Happy Meal and Sony introduced the Walkman.

• A gallon of gas cost 86 cents.

• The Three Mile Island nuclear accident occurred.

• Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister of England.

• And Evelyn Taylor began teaching at CCU!

When I think of Evelyn, certain words come to mind:  Reliable.  Dedicated.  Gracious.  Student-focused.  She has consistently gone the extra mile, whether by grading papers, having students in her home, or simply driving the tough commute down I-75 each morning.
I also think of the word "inspiring."  Evelyn has inspired her students to be teachers, children's ministers, ministers' wives, and missionaries in other lands.  She has inspired students to write well, and to understand and serve people through all different stages of human development.  As an adoptive parent I appreciate the way she has given a voice to adopted children and their needs.
Whenever she was asked to serve on a committee or help with a project, she provided a reasonable, wise, and encouraging perspective to the group.
Evelyn, our faculty and staff will miss you.  Our students will miss you.  But we're glad to know we will still see you around here a lot in the years ahead.  Thank you for your service to CCU.

 On behalf of the school, he presented her with a beautiful crystal vase, engraved with a note of appreciation for her 34 years of service. It was all very nice.

Evelyn is walking through a string of "lasts." That was her last employee luncheon. She taught her last class Friday and will give her last exams as a full-time teacher, followed by her last graduation next week. She plans to teach one class as adjunct faculty next year, going in for the blocked class just one day per week. That will make the transition easier, I think.

That class will be in the afternoon, so no more morning rush-hour commutes. And no more freshman English term papers. She's rejoicing about both of those!

I Was the Spouse in the Corner—It Was Evelyn's Day

Today was the faculty and staff reception to congratulate Evelyn on her upcoming retirement, and I decided to come share in the party.
It was very nice. The cake was VERY good. A nice crowd of Evelyn's colleagues came to wish her well. Paul Friskney hosted and said that, although they had found someone to teach Evelyn's classes, no one could replace Evelyn.
And two former students, Mackenzie Fordyce and Rachel Sinclair, gave brief, sometimes tearful testimonies about the influence of Evelyn on their lives and their gratitude for her example as well as her teaching. I'm so proud of her!
She had a bowl full of cards with well wishes, and her colleagues had contributed to buy a $100 gift card to Playhouse in the Park (that will be fun!).
It was a very nice afternoon, and I'm glad I got to share it.

Mackenzie Fordyce couldn't finish her tribute without crying.

Rachel Sinclair used to grade papers for Evelyn and claims she drank her weight in coffee.

Evelyn's fellow English teachers, Paul Friskney (left) and Brian Derico planned the party.

What's Yours Like?

Evelyn has met most weeks this school year with her "D-group," a circle of women students at CCU. They've talked about life, discussed that week's chapel sermon, and gone for outings to the bakery or the yogurt shop. Tonight we had them for dinner, and it was a most pleasant and fun evening.

Evelyn fixed her stand-by company meal, and it was wonderful: party chicken, applesauce Jello, and peanut butter ice cream pie. After dinner we played "What's Yours Like?" a great game for a group of friends. It was fun! Evelyn hates to see this group end, but she's hoping to be with at least a couple of them in a group next year.

Meetings and a House Guest

Spent the morning editing material for the February issue (not nearly done with it), ate lunch at my desk, and then drove over to Cinti Chr Univ for two meetings. Met at 2:00 with Steve Carr, Beth Rogers, and Chuck Abbott to talk about the school's desire to get out the message, "The reports of our demise have been greatly exaggerated." They have a clear vision of the school's direction and the message they want to convey to constituents and prospective students, and they think advertising with The Lookout and Christian Standard is a good way to help get the message out. I agree!
At 3:00 met with Rick Cherok about the Cane Ridge Tour he will lead Monday afternoon before the opening session of the NACC next summer. I'm going to help him with it by helping to publicize it and probably hosting the brief program we'll have there. It will be great to work with him.

Evelyn is watching a video of Robert's beautiful
little girl on his computer.

Then at 3:30 I met Robert Mwangala to drive him to our place to spend the night. We became acquainted with Robert when he was a student at the school several years ago. Evelyn had him in class, and we've been giving some support to the ministry he's established in his native Kenya since he returned home after graduation. He's back in the states for six weeks to attend ICOM, touch base with supporters, and contact potential new supporters.
Evelyn fixed her wonderful chicken and dressing casserole for dinner, and we enjoyed visiting with him and hearing about his work. He's going to spend the day here resting tomorrow while we're at work, and stay again tomorrow night. Ken and Susan (Evelyn's brother) are spending the night with us tomorrow on their way to their winter gig in Montana, and we're guessing they'll enjoy getting acquainted with Robert.

A Busy, Wonderful Weekend

I've discovered a paradox about this "daily" blog/diary.  When there's the most to write about, there's the least time to write; and when there's plenty of time to sit and write, there may be nothing to write about!
This weekend was an illustration of the fact. I've already described our get-together Friday night and Saturday morning with college friends and collaborators from days past. But I didn't describe the alumni gathering we all attended together Friday afternoon and evening.
It was a combination alumni gathering and celebration of the CCU music faculty, all of whom have served there for 25 years or more. The evening featured a Concert Choir reunion with special music at the end of the evening provided by the mass choir. We had a nice dinner and sat with a few friends from the class of 1972, and former students of each of the three honored music faculty members gave testimonies about their impact on their lives. Perhaps the highlight of the evening was the song service led by the choir and the piano--simple songs that all of us knew, but a swelling of voices to create the most moving worship in song I have experienced for a very long time.

Ken Read, Brenda Lang, and Gary Gregory were the honored professors
at the alumni reunion Friday evening.

Saturday afternoon, after our brunch, Evelyn and I drove over to church to spend awhile at the reception where church members could meet Trevor DeVage. Trevor was the senior ministerial candidate. I say "was," because he received a 95% affirmative vote from the Easter-attendance crowd that came to hear his "trial sermon" Sunday morning. The air was electric on Sunday morning. Tom Moll said, "I believe the church's greatest days are ahead," and that anticipation seemed to fill the air. We're very excited.

We posed with Trevor DeVage Saturday afternoon.

The weekend was made rich by our visit with Byron and Katie Cartwright, who didn't leave for home till this morning. They took us out to eat at Teller's in Hyde Park on Saturday evening--a wonderful dinner. And then Joy Norwood and Shelley Hamann invited us for a spontaneous Kentucky Fried Chicken lunch after church Sunday.

We rested and visited Sunday afternoon till Shirley and Terry Wuske came for white chicken chili at about 5:30. And after they left we stayed up visiting some more with Byron and Katie till past our bedtime on a work night.

Evelyn and I are going to try to get to bed before 10:00 tonight, because the weekend wore us out! All of it was wonderful, but we're ready to rest!

Our Alumni Party

A big weekend, a quick post to share some fun pictures from just one pleasant two-and-a-half hours of it.
Byron and Katie Cartwright have been here since noon yesterday. We attended an alumni gathering at Cincinnati Christian University together, and they spent the night last night. We invited Cindy Willison and Beth Mays to come spend the night with them. We had a fun pajama party and stayed up till 1:00 in the morning laughing and catching up. This morning we invited Jon and Tammy Weatherly to join us for brunch today at 10:00, and they stayed till about 12:30. We snapped these pictures before everyone left.

Dinner with the Gals from Third Rine

Evelyn and I hosted a simple dinner tonight for girls on the dorm floor she's "sponsoring" this year. Eight of them came, and amid much laughter, talk, giggling, and smiles, we enjoyed Evelyn's chicken casserole, green beans, and our old favorite, applesauce Jello. (It always makes a hit, seeming much more exotic than it really is.) Evelyn had made brownies with chocolate chips on top,and we had ice cream (vanilla and chocolate chip/vanilla) to eat with them for dessert.
After dinner Evelyn pulled out "Apples to Apples," and the giggling continued as they sprawled on the floor with their cards and their guesses until they left to return to the dorm after 8:30.

 Evelyn let them take with them a brownie in a baggie, and a few took her up on the offer. But there's a nice bunch of 'em, plus chicken casserole for dinner tomorrow, leftover  for us.

What a Friend!

Every Monday several of us at work get together for a brief prayer time, and those who attend take turns leading it. Today was my turn, and I didn't have a better idea than a passage mentioned in yesterday's sermon: John 15:13-17. These few verses are from the long discourse Jesus delivered to his disciples on the night before he was crucified. Here he says, "You are my friends if you do what I command. . . . I chose you . . . to go and bear fruit. . . . This is my command: Love each other."
I read the passage in sections, paragraphs, with about a minute of silence after each one. Then I distributed a handout with the following four headings and asked those who attended to jot down prayers they would pray or challenges they feel under each of these headings as they meditated on the passage.
     Commands to obey
          Fruit to bear
             Thanksgiving for my Friend
                 Love to demonstrate
It seemed to be a meaningful time.
I spent most of the day cleaning up some loose ends and then jumping into proofreading for our December issue. I really don't like proofreading, and it's hard for me to keep at it--especially now with these 64-page issues.

Evelyn is a "floor sponsor" at CCU, and she invited the students on her floor to come for dinner tomorrow night. So far, 10 have said they're coming, and we spent much of the evening getting ready for them. Evelyn did most, getting food ready for tomorrow's dinner. I brought in some flowers for the table. We still haven't had a hard freeze, and many of our flowers outside are still beautiful. (Picked some tomatoes yesterday, too.)
Tonight a picture of the bouquet. Tomorrow a picture of the young ladies!
As I write this the presidential contenders are arguing with each other in the last of the presidential debates. The election is only two weeks away. It's difficult to believe it will actually happen and be over. It seems it has dominated the news for as long as I can remember.

Learning a New Rhythm

"What's it like to edit a monthly instead of a weekly?"
More than one person has asked me that, now that our first monthly issue of Christian Standard is in the mail and arriving in people's hands.
The most complete answer to the question is, "I'm still figuring it out."
One thing I know for sure, and I guess I should have anticipated it more than I have: Each step in the process takes longer than it did before! This should be obvious, I guess, since the new monthly contains at least four times more material to get ready at one time than before. And each step takes longer than I anticipated it would.
We had our fourth art meeting for the October issue today, and it took 10 or 15 minutes longer than the hour we had allotted for it. Part of that was looking over decisions that had already been made, critiquing layouts in progress, reminding ourselves of art decisions we had made and changing one or two of them.
This kind of scrutiny, tweaking, redoing, and rethinking is a luxury we didn't have when we were cranking out another issue every week. It's part of the plus of going monthly.
But it IS an adjustment. We're still finding our rhythm. And because I was gone so much in July, it feels like we're a bit behind. So I'm working to remedy that.
We're going to the ball game tomorrow night with John and Mary Jane Burgess, and the plan is to stay and enjoy the Friday night fireworks. So I may try to sneak in a blog post tomorrow during the day, because I'll probably be too tired at 11:30 or later when we get home to  make my fingers type something coherent.

Evelyn had to stay at school this evening to attend the LEAD banquet (a leadership development program at the school; a select group of students is paired one-on-one with faculty and staff for mentoring etc.) So I satisfied a hankering I'd been having and treated myself to Skyline for supper.

More Than a Game

Drove to CCU after work to watch the Lady Eagles volleyball team do their best against what seemed like a better opponent. We watched two sets and then decided to give it up and head for home.

Ate popcorn at the game and crackers and apple slices and peanut butter when we got home.
Evelyn has a chance to teach a call class on 5 Monday nights this fall. She has till Monday to decide, and it's not an easy decision.
Spent some time at work today doing some promotion work for Christian Standard. Wrote today's e-newsletter and read a proof for The Lookout. Had a phone conference with Paul Williams and made a long list of ideas for our January issue, which isn't as far ahead as it sounds, because the deadline for that material is October 15.

Community Service

Evelyn took the camera today to record the activity of her D-group at Cincinnati Christian University and their activity for the school's annual spring Community Service Day.
This year they went to St. Boniface Elementary School in Northside to make costumes for friend Cindi Cooper's upcoming spring musical, "Jungle Book."
They worked from about 9:00 a.m. till about 1:00 p.m., and Evelyn reports that Cindi was thrilled with all they were able to accomplish. I'm afraid she would have had to do all this cutting, sewing, taping, and hemming herself if she hadn't had this help.
Evelyn will go see the production next Tuesday, and I'm guessing we'll have more pictures then.

Leadership Lessons

They came, many if not most of them, to hear Anthony Munoz. But the presentation that struck me most was from the other main guest of the afternoon.
The event was the annual Leadership Luncheon today, sponsored by Cincinnati Christian University. NFL Hall of Famer and former Cincinnati Bengal Anthony Munoz told about his rough upbringing in Los Angeles and the transforming power of his decision to become a follower of Jesus. "I could stand up here for three hours and tell you football stories," he said. "But I wanted to tell you what is most significant. The biggest decision of my life was inviting Jesus into my life."
It was a wonderful testimony from a man who has used his celebrity as an opportunity to do good and tell about Jesus in one situation after another.
But the first guest of the day gave one practical example after another to show how a committed Christian can transform a whole business and the thousands of lives it touches.
Dee Ann Turner is vice president of talent at the Chik-Fil-A corporate office in Atlanta. She is a CCU graduate and a wonderful spokesperson for the company's mission to glorify God through its business.
Her title comes from her conviction that "human resources" focuses on having enough people. "Talent" focuses on having the right people. She shared founder Truett Cathay's conviction that "if you select the right person, that takes care of the other problems." Chik-Fil-A seeks to hire key operators who will stay with the company for 30 or 40 years, she said, not 3 or 4.
She shared the company's acronym for developing great leaders. They are those who
See and shape the future.
Engage others; work as a team.
Reinvent themselves continually; they're lifelong leaders.
Value results and relationships.
Embody our values: 1) integrity, 2) generosity, 3) loyalty, and 4) excellence.
Lest all this sound too warm and fuzzy, she made clear that "without profit, we don't have people." Expectations for each store are high. "Our strategy is to create raving fans," she said. "We have to have great product, or saying 'It's our pleasure to serve you' won't mean much."
Expect to see some of this in a future Christian Standard editorial, because the implications are so manifold not just for every business, but for every local church as well.