Breaking the Silence

I've been absent from writing here for the past two and a half weeks. Although I've been lurking about on my favorite blogs every day I haven't taken time to update this one. Mostly I've been in a contemplative/introspective mood and needed to spend time thinking, processing and "digesting" some of the things with which I'm wrestling--spending less time talking and writing, and more time thinking and praying.

There's been the usual stuff, too -- helping tend to my Mother-in-law, planning and delivering six "messages" (I hate the word 'sermon') each week, going to meetings, visiting sick people in the hospital and presiding at funerals.

Some of the out-of-the-ordinary things I considered blogging about, but didn't:

The Mail Spill: I turn the corner in a commercial area of town and there are letters, magazines, and sale fliers all over the place. Up on the right a white station wagon with a U.S. Postal Service logo has been abandoned with its flashers on--no sign of the driver. So I got out and began collecting the letters, bills, bill payments, small parcels, etc., A lady pulled over to help, thinking I was the postal worker. Finally a mail truck rolled up, just as confused about what had happened and the whereabouts of the station wagon driver as we were. We left our collection with him...I just hope none of my mail was in that batch of litter.

My Amazing Son: The report card revealed that while he's not at the top of his class he did raise his grades in every subject over the previous grading period. He was selected by his peers to represent his class for Homecoming (his school celebrates it during basketball season). I drove him for the tuxedo fitting (man, he looked sharp!), was his "audience" as he practiced his speech that he delivered to the full student body during a School Assembly a couple of days before the big event, and took him to get a haircut (it was a great haircut, he looked gooood). He escorted a young lady who is an exchange student from Tokyo, Japan--they looked great and enjoyed their evening in the spotlight.

Medical Incompetence: I had blood drawn for a routine check of cholesterol levels and such, only to receive a phone call a week later that there had been some confusion at the lab and my samples had been switched with another patient. They needed me to come in so they could draw more blood and re-do the lab work. Uggghhhhh!

Inauguration Day: Our area had a (no) snow day, with the local forecast calling for 3-5 inches of the white stuff by mid-morning schools was canceled for the day. The storm materialized south of us and we didn't see a solitary flake all day long--except the meteorologists on TV trying to explain how they could have been so far off with their predictions. Anyway, got to see the Inaugural events; the swearing-in ceremony and the motorcade/walk down Pennsylvania Avenue. Wow! Inspiring! Made me so proud of our nation and democracy in general. It was an incredible event.

Green Screen: Got to experience a first--doing some filming in front of "green screen". Nailed it in one take. The camera man/director was impressed. Good for the ego. Now I can't wait to see the finished product and what the background looks like. The whole thing' was a little disconcerting, like signing a blank check and trusting the person to whom you give it to fill it the correct amount.

At the Movies: I had a funeral in the morning into the early afternoon, and my son had a half-day of school--early release for Patent/Teacher Conferences. So we both took the afternoon off and went to see "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" . We laughed until we hurt. Stupid humor. Remnant laughter, where you just think about a scene hours later and bust out laughing, leaving those around you wondering what's wrong with you. Kevin James plays the lead character with such sincerity and a straight face that just looking at him makes me laugh. The funniest scene was the citizens arrest in the Victoria's Secret store. Stupid funny.