Thinking about God while keeping my feet (& wheels) on the ground!
Couple Days in McKinney, TX
Get link
Facebook
X
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps
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)
On 7/22, I completed Route 66 and road to Mequon, WI to stay with Kenny & Tania Miller, my friends since NC (almost 20 years). I love the Millers. They are great friends. Kenny and I are priest colleagues, even though he is running a recycling business now and not active in parish ministry. It is wonderful to spend a few days with them and think and decompress. I decided over the last couple of days in Mequon, that this is the end of my journey. I will call this the 4th corner, even though it isn’t Maine. From here I will set my sights on home and reunite with Kelly to spend some quality time with her. She and I will attend my 40th High School reunion on August 1st, and Jace’s birthday party at the end of August. I will spend September in a state of rest and small home projects. Some would say that I haven’t rested the past 2 months in my travels, but I have. Everyone rests differently. We may do some simple family stuff here and there on the few days I have left on my sabbatical, ...
Today (7/19), I rode "inland" up into California rather than hug the coast. It was my plan, as much as possible, to go up Hwy 1 as far as I could. Mother Nature had other plans. The recent land slides at Big Sur and the Forest Fires kept me off of the southern coast of California. It was disappointing, but I decided to do other stuff instead. I set a course to the Pinnacles National Park in central California. I was contacted by Ruth Greer, who wanted to catch up with me on the journey. I worked for Jerry Greer who was the Radiological Controls Operations Supervisor at Westinghouse/Bettis Atomic Power Lab in the early 90s at NPTU Charleston. I haven't seen the Greers since I left Westinghouse in 1994, so it's been 23 years. I thought originally that they lived in Utah, and was planning to see them on the return trip, but they had moved to Bakersfield, CA a few years ago. So, I routed today's trip through Bakersfield and had lunch with Jerry and Ruth Greer. It ...
Why Bradenton? I have a bunch of family in Bradenton! I am going to stay with my cousin, Donna, her husband, Robert, and my Great Aunt Mary (Mary is my maternal grandmother’s Brother’s widow). I saw 3 of Donna’s 5 Children, Amy, Erin, and Robbie. Jessica was away with her husband and Sara lives in Georgia. Hopefully I’ll get to catch up with them soon. (Note: forgot to take pics of Erin, Robbie, and their families and Donna don’t like pictures!). Aunt Mary & Ken Cousin Amy & Ken Today, I woke up early and wanted to attend the early service at St. John’s in Homestead, FL. They advertised a 7:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist. However, when I arrived at the church at 7:15 a.m. there was no one in sight. I looked at the sign and they had removed the 7:30 a.m. service time and were only offering 10:00 a.m. and Noon (La Missa en Español). So much for the “Episcopal Sacred Cow that is the early service.” Disappointed, I decided to start making my way toward Bradenton. I was looking forward to s...
I’ve said before that preparation for a long journey is just as important as the journey itself. This time it’s been interesting. I have been preparing the trip, getting my gear together and making sure that I have the right amount of stuff. I’m packing much lighter than I did in 2017, and I feel that will be a blessing. A pilgrimage is about the journey rather than the destination. I want to be "free" to experience the pilgrimage "by the Spirit," so I think it's important not to plan every segment of the trip. There are places I’d like to go that I didn’t have the opportunity to go in 2017 because of weather or other obstacles. I have entitled the sabbatical: A Pilgrimage of Reconnection and Renewal: An Episcopal Priest’s Journey to the Four Corners. Therefore, I will attempt to reach the four corners of the contiguous United States on my journey and offer prayers at the four corners. I have planned out a route that begins here in Greeneville, TN and goes East...
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...
Comments
Post a Comment