Thinking about God while keeping my feet (& wheels) on the ground!
Georgia Bound!
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Got up this morning and walked around down by the marsh. Needless to say it was beautiful. After I broke camp, I loaded up. Not liking the look of the hazy sky, I put the rain covers on the bags. Wet luggage is something that I learned how to deal with the hard way in 2017. I took off for Georgia headed to Kingsland which is south of Savannah.
I road to Mt. Pleasant and decided to have breakfast. I met up with Jim Brown who recently moved to Mt. Pleasant from Greeneville, TN and was a member of St. James. We chatted over breakfast and enjoyed some coffee. It was great to see him again.
When I got to West Ashley, I stopped for gas and it started to spit rain. (Glad I covered the luggage!) I donned my rain suit and off I went. The whole ride was periods of wet, dry, rain, wet, rain, dry, rain (you get the picture).
I was able to connect with another friend from my past, Amy Cadawader and her family. Amy and I have known each other for at least 53 years. From elementary school on. We’ve kept up over the years. The last time I saw Amy and her family was 2015 on a vacation to Florida when I came through Kingsland. They picked me up for dinner after I had a chance to dry off, have a much needed shower, and change. Seafood! Yummy, coastal, Georgia, seafood!
I’ve said before that this sabbatical is about re-connections and relationships. It’s not just about reminiscing about the past. I am intentionally connecting with folks, who through the years have supported me, prayed for me, cried with me, laughed with me, helped me, as well as people who I’ve influenced, prayed with, cried with, laughed with, etc.
As followers of Jesus, we are “communal,” which means our relationships with one another matter to the point that our faith depends on it. I’ve heard it said that people are in your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Many start out as reasons for a season, but often end up lifetime connections. I cherish these connections in my life. They give me great joy.
This past few Sundays, we’ve heard the bulk of the farewell discourse in the Gospel according to John. (Chapters 14-17) Jesus prays… “As you Father, are in me and I am in you, may they (speaking about his disciples / followers) also be in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me.” As believers, we are part of one another in Christ, part of the movement or faith community we call the church. We are part that is left in the world to prepare the world for reconciliation, when all creation will be made anew.
Challenge to St. James: Think about creative ways to build long lasting relationships. If we are truly part of one another in Christ, it should be pretty easy to find a starting point. I’ve seen several new faces on Sunday morning. Please make sure that we take the time to get to know them and they get to know us.
Challenge to Self: Continue to reconnect throughout the sabbatical and throughout your life. The people you are connecting with are made in the image of God and you are part of them and they are part of you and you both are part of God in Christ.
Today I headed to Freeport, FL to see more family. My cousin Keith (retired COL USAF) and his wife Kim and my uncle Roland (mom’s brother) and aunt Julieanne live in Freeport. The day started off with breakfast with an old friend, Rusty Burke. Rusty and I attended Frederick together in the 80s (yes, over 40 years ago!). He runs a Karate school in Tallahassee. It was great to see him. The last time we connected was 9 years ago when I came to Florida for a short vacation. After a short time with Rusty, chatting and catching up, I headed out to Freeport. I thanked the good Lord it wasn’t raining. I believe it’s rained more this trip than it did all of the 2017 trip (but I did have some significant rain days). Anyhow, it was a beautiful trip until the last 10 miles, then rain! 🌧️ I arrived in rain gear, and was greeted by my cousin and his wife. It was great to see them, spend time with them and catch up. We went over to see my uncle and aunt and then went back to their home an...
This morning I got up early and loaded the bike and went to breakfast at Starwood Cafe. An alumni acquaintance from Frederick Military Academy saw the post on social media with Mark Monroe yesterday and reached out. His name is Tony Seid. He is a class of 80 graduate (missed each other by a year) and lives in Allen, TX. Tony met Susan and I at Starwood. It was great meeting him in person and I look forward to carrying on the conversation in August at our school reunion. Ken (‘85) with Tony Seid (FMA class of ‘80) After breakfast, I road to Oklahoma! (Warm ride, but dry!) I stopped in Norman, OK for a late lunch with a classmate from FMA, Jesse Nelson. Jesse and I connected in 2017 when he was in San Jose California. He is an Oklahoma University Graduate and moved to Norman a few years ago to be near family connections. It is always great to see Jesse and talk about all the shenanigans we got into when we were at Frederick. He took me on a brief tour around the OU Campus that he is very...
I’m not sure the complete reason for the infatuation I feel for the Historic Route 66. When I traveled 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica in 2017, I spoke a bit about the “sacredness” of the road… about how traveling the road connected me to something from the past and something other than myself. I prayed the Litany of Supplication at the 3rd Corner of these contiguous United States, asking God to guide us to peace and reconciliation. One of the main treats of today was meeting up with my classmates and friends, Pete Ince and Bobak Montemedi. It was very cool to get together with them at Ye Olde King’s Head, a restaurant on Santa Monica Blvd. just up from the West End of 66. Pete, Bob, and I graduated from Frederick Military Academy together 40 years ago. With this as the year of our 40th, and them not able to make the reunion in August, I felt it was a real honor to see them. We enjoyed stories of yesteryear and bringing each other up to date with what’s going on in our lives. Like...
Today I road to the first corner (Key West) to pray a litany I prepared for the four corners. Today’s ride was ~120 miles there and 120 miles back from Homestead, FL. The keys were amazing. The weather ranged from 84-93° (warm in the direct sun!) I noticed a few things. One was the amazing colors. The water seemed to be different colors in different places. Another thing that I noticed were the old dilapidated bridges. Some were used as fishing piers and some were just falling down. One actually had a tree growing up in the middle of it. The last thing I want to point out that I noticed were the boats. Hundreds and hundreds of boats. In the water, at the marina, pulled by trucks and cars. All sizes, all shapes, all kinds. I’m starting the feel the clarity and freedom that I feel when I ride. It’s euphoric. Knowing God created all things, I wonder why the wonderful vivid colors were reserved for places like Key West and Key Largo and Long Key… and the multitude of all the key islands I ...
I made it to Goose Creek State Park campground to meet up with my mom and dad in order to celebrate his 79th birthday. My dad’s sister (my aunt Hope) and my cousin Rob were here camping also. My sister, Angel, and her husband, Jason, drove down from their house near Raleigh. Today was a beautiful ride day! I started off by attending worship at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Salisbury, NC. It was an Episcopal “standard” spoken Rite I service at 8 a.m. I call the 8 a.m. service one of the only sacred cows that the Episcopal Church has left. You can change the world, but don’t mess with the 8 a.m. service! I don’t care if you have 4 people there! (Just kidding!). I arrived at Goose Creek SP at about 3:45 p.m. in time to gather with the family to celebrate dad’s birthday. It was pretty cool to have me and my sister there with him as well as his sister. I spoke yesterday of the importance of family connections. It’s pretty amazing how when you’re back together as a group, regardless o...
For some reason, I can't think about Seattle without the crazy theme song from Frazier running through my brain. Well, I guess now that it's running through your brain if you've ever seen the show, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Guess where I am!! That is correct, today I rode from Camas, WA to Seattle, WA to meet up with and stay with some more friends. It almost seems that I have more friends in the Pacific North West than I do in the East. I first met up with Cathy Banks on the South side of Seattle. We met for coffee and to catch up. Cathy and I actually went to Chesapeake Demonstration School together. CDS was an experimental elementary school in Chesapeake Virginia in the late 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Cathy and I lost touch after I went to Frederick and she moved to Florida. She and I were in school together from 1st to 8th grade. It was great to catch up with Cathy after 36 years. I then went to meet up with Jenna Ingersol. Jenna is like a second daughte...
It has been an incredible (and an incredibly HOT 🔥) weekend! Kingman, AZ, with temps at 112 degrees and Las Vegas, NV with 122 degrees!! I have never ridden in such heat! I described it on Facebook... Riding a motorcycle in this heat is like riding a lava flow in a convection oven through the armpit of hell. Keep in mind that my bike is "air cooled" which means, hot air don't help too much! Glad the Harleys are tough!! The bike performed very well... only praises for the Road King! However, I did stop in Henderson at the Harley dealership and bought a cooling vest. It works wonders... You wet it down and wear it under a mesh riding jacket and it acts as a "swamp cooler." The heat was beat! The first stop on the way to Boulder City and Vegas yesterday 7/15 was of course, Hoover Dam (aka Boulder Dam), put up in 1933 in the Black Canyon of the Colorado river on the boarder of Arizona and Nevada. It was a magnificent site. It took 6 years to build it (1931-193...
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