Looking Back

Quote of the Day: Knowing we must make the best of every day, because we do not know when it will be our last, makes us all realize how valuable family and friends are!
—Jeremy Fine, in the Christmas 2013 edition of The Fine Times

Every year Eddie and Billye Joyce Fine put out a two-sided, two page Christmas letter, The Fine Times, with contributions from Eddie, Billye Joyce, and their son, Jeremy.  It was one of several I read today, with time after the Christmas rush to savor this season's Christmas letters.
I always have been the nostalgic type, a tendency that's only increasing as I get older. And I took a turn in that direction as I thought about the long-time friendships with wonderful people who sent us letters this year.
I became friends with Eddie and Billye Joyce many years ago when they were leading Teacher Leader Conferences for Standard Publishing and I had the privilege to travel with them for the seminars. Their commitment and hard work were an inspiration to me, and I reflected on their lifetime of service as I read the news about their 50th wedding anniversary celebration this year.
Glenn and Carolyn Kirby always send us a newsy letter; this year's included the fact that Glenn turned 65 this year. How is that possible? It seems like just a few years ago that he was youth minister at First Christian Church in Longmont, Colorado, while I served there as education minister. (Actually that was  1974-76, coming up on 40 years ago!)
Bob and Sue Willson and their kids were among our pals when we came to Mason Church of Christ and I served there for more than four years as part-time education minister. We joined the church the year Jennifer was in in first grade, 1983 if I'm counting right--30 years ago! Of course, we've been at the church ever since then, and the Willsons have been our friends, even after they moved to North Carolina several years ago. Their Christmas letter reported that they've moved into a continuing care retirement community. "Our goal was to prevent our children from a similar experience with us in the future," they wrote, alluding to the difficult transitions they had experienced with both of their mothers a few years ago. Not long after their move, Sue had a stroke, from which she's recovering nicely. How is it that our peers, just a few years older than us, are experiencing such things?
Other letters reported births (our daughter-in-law's sister, Shannon, and her husband have a beautiful new baby boy this year) and illnesses (a friend and mentor, Eleanor Daniel, has suffered major illnesses, including a series of problems that almost killed her while she was serving in India earlier this year) and weddings and accomplishments in building the church and serving the Lord.
The letters are an encouragement to me to keep on keeping on. There's great value in perseverance; some things don't change—the Lord's grace, the world's need, the pleasures and challenges of serving—even though our bodies and our health and our circumstances inevitably will. Yep, Jeremy, "we must make the most of every day."

Pictures of the Day: These pictures weren't taken by me, but by a new friend, John Cornett, who accompanied us with his wife on our "Paul's Fourth Missionary Journey" cruise this summer with Marshall and Judy Hayden. His Christmas card included a CD chock full of the masterful photographs he took on the trip, and I didn't take time to look at them till this afternoon. What a treasure! What a gift! I've been intending to make a Shutterfly book with pictures of our experience. I'm so glad I've put it off, because very few of my pictures are as beautiful and crisp as his.  It's going to be a much more impressive keepsake because of his generosity.

This is Wendy Wagoner and Roy Lawson atop Mars Hill in Athens

John caught Evelyn and Wendy and me in a pose in Malta.

And this sweeping panorama is looking down from an elevation on the Greek island of Santorini.

A Wonderful Weekend

Friday was my birthday, but we decided to cut grass instead of going out for a big dinner! Afterwards we went to the Raja India restaurant in West Chester and had a wonderful meal.
Saturday morning I was up early to get the oil changed. Then I met Dave Lautzenheiser for breakfast (he treated--at First Watch) before driving to the new Natorp's Garden Center on Snider Road. They have 3-1/2 acres under roof, resplendent with perennials, rose bushes, blooming annuals, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, and herbs and more, much more. We spent at least 90 minutes there oooing and ahhhing over the beautiful, bountiful displays. Checked out some bushes and trees outside too. I didn't buy anything Saturday, but I will be back!
Evelyn and I rode to Indianapolis about 2:30  to join a family-and-friends celebration of Peggy Sweeney's 60th birthday. Peggy is our daughter-in-law's mom; she and her husband, Ed, have been friends almost since the time Geoff and Lisa started dating. We've been with them on family vacations at least twice, and they hosted us at their time share in Hawaii once; and we've been with them unnumbered other times for family gatherings: recitals, weddings, and other times.

Shannon and Lisa ALMOST got
through their sweet tribute to their
mom without crying!

Lisa and her sister, Shannon, and Ed planned a surprise birthday party for Peggy and invited us and the Webers, who have become mutual friends, and Shannon's in-laws, and two dear friends of the Sweeneys from Taylor University.
We were waiting for them at a private room at the Meridian Restaurant in Indy when Geoff and Lisa ushered Ed and Peggy upstairs. I think Peggy really was surprised, which was the first delight of a wonderful evening.
 The food was remarkable. The laughter and fellowship was special. The testimonies offered by Lisa and Shannon and Ed were tender as well as funny. And all of us around the table offered tributes to Peggy. (I even wrote new words to an old tune: "P is for how pleased we are to know you; E is for your energy--you glow! G is for the giggles we've shared with you. Gee, we've had such fun together on the road. Y is for the youthful way you've lived dear: hiking, biking, boating--you have done it all. Put them all together, they spell Peg-gy. Happy birthday, we think you're a doll!")

After dinner we adjourned to Shannon and Craig's house for more visiting, coffee, and a mini birthday cake for me! (Yesterday was the third anniversary of MY 60th birthday!)

Shannon and Craig Lewis's house was the perfect place for picture-taking!

Evelyn, Peggy, and Verna catch up

Lisa, Geoff, and Bill stopped to pose in the middle of a serious conversation.

Larry and Betsy Lewis, Shannon and Craig Lewis . . . and Binkley!

The Sweeney girls, with their handsome husbands and wonderful parents.

We stayed overnight with Bill and Verna, and then the Webers and we and almost the whole party from the night before met at the church where Shannon is events coordinator: College Park Church on the north side of Indy. It was an inspiring worship service, wonderful in every way.

Shannon gave us a tour of the large building, and then the Sweeneys, Shannon and Craig, Geoff and Lisa, and we drove to Taylor Creamery for a superb brunch. The restaurant is tucked into one corner of a huge, working farm. The food is organic and fresh. The time together was as special as the whole weekend had been. Lisa showed me some tricks for using my new camera. 

Two fine and fine-looking people!

We stopped by the little dairy store that's a part of the complex, and then stood in the parking lot and visited for another 30 minutes probably. We were on our way home by 2:00 and arrived here by about 4:00. Just the right amount of time to rest a bit, gear up for the week ahead, and have a nice, long phone visit with Jennifer. We ate popcorn and split my mini birthday cake while we watched an On Demand episode of "Elementary."