Thinking about God while keeping my feet (& wheels) on the ground!
Couple Days in McKinney, TX
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Yesterday (6/18) after a very long and HOT ride (100°) to the Dallas Fort Worth area of Texas. Yes, I cheated a bit. It would have taken 7 hours to “go around” on back roads away from the interstate (and possibly avoid some heat). But, I had plans and needed to arrive in McKinney, TX by dinner time so I took I-35 North 🤷♂️. I finally arrived in McKinney at 5:30 p.m. to stay with a long time friend, Susan Bastian. Susan and I met in California when we were camping next to each other in the summer of 1983. She was with the Gibbons family (Beth Gibbons Tripp to appear later in this story!) Susan attended Johnson & Whales Culinary Institute in Charleston, SC when I was at the Citadel. I was the “guinea pig” and sampled her new culinary creations. We lost touch, but reconnected on social media several years ago. She’s been a great friend for a long time. We went out for a special dinner when I arrived (she’s a foodie and a chef, so good food is what she does!). Today, (6/19) we went to German Night at her father’s retirement home restaurant.
Susan invited me to stay 2 nights so that I could catch up with another friend, Mark Monroe, today. He and his wife have 3 daughters who all live within the surrounding Dallas area. Mark and I attended Frederick Military Academy together. He graduated the year before me and was Battalion Commander (cadet COL) his senior year. Mark was one of my great friends in High School. We even spent spring break together in Houston, TX after his family moved there from Chesapeake, VA. Over the years, Mark has tried to introduce me to all things “Texas.” This time it was a Brisket Lunch today (6/19)!
One of the main intents of this sabbatical was to reconnect and renew the meaningful relationships in my life. As an extrovert, my connections to others are what recharges my batteries. Often, with my regular responsibilities, I don’t have time to tend important relationships. This sabbatical afforded me the time to make these important connections.
Jesus emphasized the importance of connection with others and with God. He modeled this through his interactions and relationships with his closest followers (the disciples), his teachings, and his actions. Jesus built strong relationships and practiced love and compassion as he actively engaged the world around him. Therefore, experiencing the fullness of human relationships is one of the most Christ-like things we can do. I am blessed to have so many folks from throughout my life that still mean something to me.
Challenge to St. James and Self: Think about the 5 most important relationships in your life (beyond your spouse, children, grandchildren, etc.). Think about why they made your list and what you learned by having them in your life.
Cibolo, TX to McKinney, TX
Ride: 291 Miles
Reading: Leading on Empty by Wayne Cordeiro
(I haven’t informed an opinion yet. I’m only a chapter into the read)
The last couple of days have been interesting! I left Niagara Falls on Thursday 6/29 and rode to central Ohio where I stayed at Lake Wapusun Campground in Shreve, OH that is run by my wife's cousins, Mark & Lisa Everitt. The night there was rough!! Right after I made camp, a storm front came through about 8:30pm and it RAINED and THUNDERED until 7:00am. My little 2 person REI tent is a CHAMP! I emerged nice and dry. However, I had to pack wet again. (It seems like it's becoming routine!) - see the reflection on packing wet Nonetheless, the ride to Toledo on 6/30 was outstanding! The weather was not too hot, not too cool, not raining. I rode to Signature Harley Davidson, where I met up with General Manager, Kris Friar (another of Kelly's cousins). I was able to spend the evening with Kris and she took me to Tony Packo's, a famous Hungarian Food place in Toledo, OH. I stayed over at Kris' and left the next morning. Guess what... another storm came th...
We are less than a week out from Ken and I beginning our trek northbound on the Appalachian Trail. I think I have packed, repacked, shaken down, and prepped about 3 dozen times. We've been talking back and forth, getting excited about our journey, talking about food and gear and bears and trees (personal joke). I'm not sure I have many concerns. I am thankful that Ken will be with me. He has always felt like the older brother that I never had. We plan to go slow, listen to our bodies, savor the experience, and enjoy the trip. We have both wanted to do this for a long time, but I'm not sure we ever expressed it to one another. It was just brought up in a conversation about a year ago, so we said, "let's do this!" "Going for it" is something that I have always done in life. If you read the 2017 Sabbatical entries in this blog, you will see that I love adventure. The journey then was epic, and this one, though shorter, will be just as epic. I hope you ...
May 1, 2022 It’s our first night. After church, Kelly took me at Amicalola Falls State Park Lodge, where we (Ken aka “Breadcrumbs,” and I) will spend the night. We hit the trail in the am after an 8 am breakfast. We decided to take a ride to the start of the Appalachian Trail at Springer Mt rather than do the approach trail. The lodge is nice. We both repacked our packs and did a double check of all our necessities. I’m looking forward to the journey. I’m thankful that Ken and I are doing this together. We feel the prayers and support from everyone who knows about our trek. I think about how we as humans are social creatures. We need each other. For me, part of what makes church a relevant part of life is the connection to other believers, helping care for one another. I pray that others feel the same way. It’s getting late and the trail is going to be calling early. Happy Trails & Many Blessings! Ken+
I am trying to do things on my sabbatical that take my mind off the millions of things I deal with in my normal routine. What I have noticed, so far, is that I am a creature of habit. I like routine. I appreciate rhythm. So, what happens is that I get into the rhythm for the task... Packing, riding, cooking, camping... it's all a process. What most people probably don't realize is that I like to camp. Kelly and I like to camp. Kelly grew up camping. I grew up camping (thanks mom & dad who are in there 70s and still camp). I also like to ride. However, motorcycle camping is much different. It's like fast backpacking! :) That's the closest description I could come up with. It is a it out of the comfort zone (intentionally). But, I'm getting the hang of it. We do what we like to do, but we should always push the boundaries a bit... Get out of the comfort zone. I'm not sure it was easy for Peter, Andrew, James, and John to leave the fishing trade and...
Woke up wet!! There was a big rain storm last night so I had to pack wet. The tent kept me nice and dry. The morning I had to rig for rain, but ended up being a great riding day. The trip to NY was great. When I got to Gilbert Lake, I was excited that there was no rain in the forecast, so I opened up and hung everything out to dry. I decided to sleep under the stars... I bit nippy to do that at 51 degrees. I have often said that it's not about the destination, it's about the journey. What we do on the journey, the people we encounter, the way we act, the lives we touch, the lives that touch us, the roads we travel, all have a formational piece to them. Our Christian life is about the journey (and sometimes we have to pack wet - knowing the soggy mess will be with us at the next destination.) So much for mixing metaphors. I have the versus in Exodus rolling around in my head every time I put up and take down a tent. The Israelites were a nomadic people when they ...
But do I really feel the way I feel? 🎶 (thank you Marc Cohn - now I have that song stuck in my head!) Well, for me, it was more like "drying out in Memphis." Friday 8/11 was one of the most wet rides I have had. 250 miles in the POURING rain. I was soaked! Luckly the dry bag and the rain gear works. I was only going to stay in Memphis for the evening and head out to Sewanee on Saturday and spend the bulk of the weekend there. However, I was wet and tired, so I decided to stay for a couple of days - mostly to rest and dry out. I didn't take many pictures on the ride because it was so nasty. I spent Saturday sleeping in and not riding. I walked to the local IHOP resturant for brunch and I just chilled... much needed. No, I didn't go to Graceland and I didn't see the ghost of Elvis. Let the poor man Rest In Peace. On Sunday, I did attend worship at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion. Big Place! Lots going on. They have just completed a capital cam...
Before embarking on my pilgrimage, Kelly and I decided to spend the weekend in North Carolina. My maternal grandmother is 96 years old and lives in Edenton and my mother and father live in Hertford, NC. It is so tough to get down to see them because of my work schedule. So, Kelly and I thought that it would be an important part of my journey to go down and connect with family. (After all, it was Father's Day weekend and Friday was my sister's birthday) At Trinity this past year, we have claimed that we are "ONE family under God." I have spent the better part of that year trying to decide what that means. Family is sometimes a messy conglomeration of personalities, ego, and ideas about what is good, bad, normal, and not normal. Families grow together and apart... but the one thing that keeps it all together is love. Love gets us through it. The scripture says, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor...
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