Activity and Rest

If the purpose of a Sabbatical is to rest and be renewed, then I think I can call this Sabbatical an unqualified success. We had a wonderful week with my brother Toby (at right) and his wife Linda. In the course of things, I got to spend some significant time with my other brother Scott (at left) and his three children. And for the first time in several decades I got to see my brother Toby's three grown children. What a joy! We ate well, slept late, saw and experienced much, reminisced for hours and days, saw other members of the family, and enjoyed it all. Just a few glimpses:

• We went to the Constitution Center in Philadelphia and saw a wonderful presentation about the Constitution. We spent hours looking around the exhibit hall seeing and reading about the history of the Constitutional Convention and the history of the Constitution itself. The picture at the left is the only place in the Constitution Exhibit Hall where taking pictures is allowed. It is in a room with life size bronze statues of the signers of the Constitutional Convention were displayed. Joanie and I got ours with the president of the Convention - Guess Who? That's right, George Washington. His 6'4" stature easily outdistanced himself from everyone else in the room. We could have spent many hours going through the hall. We tried to go and see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, but the lines were too long and we had already seen them on previous trips when we lived in Pennsylvania. We did get a few shots of Independence Hall, however.
• A Phillies Game with fireworks going off directly over our heads (even the paper casings were falling on our heads - it was amazing), Dinner with the whole family (we wished our boys could have been there but Toby, Linda and Scott are coming to Jonathan's wedding in August) at the place where Toby and Linda met 25 years ago, visits with family members, my Uncle Warren's funeral, a visit to the cemetary where my parents and grandparents are buried, and a look at the Atlantic Ocean (in the background above - my cousin lives on the beach block in Ventnor, N.J.) made for a full week. And, oh yeah, several Philly Cheestakes were consumed!
• Tomorrow I get to preach for Doug in his church here in Talmadge, Ohio. He is doing a great work here. He and Susan (a fine preacher in her own right!) have been here for nearly 15 years and have made great relationships and have a great impact on the church and community. I am so very proud of the two of them. They are both amazing people. What an honor to have them as part of our family.
• The boys are preparing for the big week next week. Joel is still taking classes at Anderson, packing up all his belongings for storage for a year, planning all the last minute details that are part of a wedding ceremony, and generally going crazy with everything he has to do. Jonathan isn't far behind. A fender bender yesterday (with Maria and her mother in the car) has not made things smooth for him. He continues to search for a job that will enable him to go to Seminary and work full time. Pray for him as he plans his wedding, a new apartment, and all the preparations for life without Joel and with Maria. Times do change.
• We are nearing the 3/4 way of our Sabbatical. While I have enjoyed the rest and relaxation involved, I am starting to get antsy to return to work. I will use August to get back in the swing of things as we prepare to head back to California the day after Jonathan and Maria's wedding.