Things I learned on vacation:
I should take them more often.
I should always forget the power cord to my laptop.
It is a great time to delight in my wife.
GPS technology is really cool to have in a strange country.
I miss my peeps when I'm away.
Painting, drawing, and writing are not only creative, but also therapeutic.
The generosity of God through strangers is overwhelming.
Never go to a chain restaurant when you can visit a local hangout.
It takes three days to disengage.
An hour staring at water is restful, peaceful, and relaxing beyond most anything else I know.
When we were dating 35 years ago, Kathy and I used to hang out at Bob's Big Boy in Phoenix. They don't exist in Arizona anymore. There was one close to where we were staying. The chocolate shake has stayed the same, with the remainder served in the steel mixing cup, but the hamburger didn't have enough secret sauce. But, ooh, the memories...
Kathy believes that if you can't see the opposite shore, it is an ocean, and not a lake. She was emboldened when she saw a street sign called Oceana Drive.
A bunch of overdressed Baptist pastors and their spouses wanted me to take a picture of them together by the lighthouse. Grubbed out in old clothes and sporting three days growth of beard, I tried to convince them I was a pastor, too. The dude who handed me the camera must not have been convinced. When I handed the camera back, he slipped me a card asking me if I knew what would happen to me if I died that night. I gave him a Village business card with our 'upside down cross logo'. He looked at it a long time without talking. Perhaps he'll visit the website and find out I really do love Jesus.
It is amazing to walk through an airport and see someone you once loved and haven't seen in thirty years. He is a pastor in Iowa. He is losing his eyesight and walks with a white cane. We remembered the good old days. Until he had to hurry to catch his plane.
It is good to be home again.
Rod |