MIDWEST MEANDERINGS (October 9-November 10, 2017)

We left Alaska after an eight-week, awesome adventure and headed back "outside" to the lower 48 and eventually found ourselves pillowing our heads in a lovely guest apartment in the home of Janice Kirkpatrick Edwards and her husband, Terry. They now live in Bethany, Oklahoma, where Terry pastors the Providence Church of the Nazarene in Oklahoma City and Janice is a Realtor.  While there we had dinner with other college friends; Don Neal and Dr. and Mrs. Don Dunnington.  Our ten day stay was perfect.

We left Bethany, Oklahoma with the Dunningtons (Don served much of his ministry as the Dean at Bethany Nazarene University) and wound our way on the back roads through Arkansas and Missouri until we arrived in Branson.  There we spent a couple of days visiting and planning some future times together before we were deposited in Republic, Missouri at my son, Aaron's, home.


There we enjoyed our grandsons, trips to football games, band competitions, and Wilson's Creek Battlefield.  We are blessed to have the wonderful family that the Lord has given us, and these two weeks just proved how very special they are.  The boys are growing so fast, with the oldest, Austin, already off to college.

We headed north to Eldon, Missouri, where I held what may be my final Revival.  The church there is pastored by another college friend, Jerry Frye.  We had wonderful services, and Sherry and I enjoyed being housed in the "Dry Creek Cabin".  Owned by a couple in the church, it sits in the middle of 500 acres of forest and fields.  Deer, cattle, and turkeys make daily visits and, at night, the stars shine brightly in the darkened skies.  It was one place that I had hoped to take Sherry, as I had stayed there twice before.

A quick flight to Indiana, a drive to the "Point", switching from Alaska clothes to Cayman clothes, and a visit to Monical's Pizza in Avon, Indiana with our grandaughters, and it was off to the airport for the next leg of our retirement adventures.

Overall, it was a busy month but one with many treasured times.

REFLECTIONS

While in Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, I saw this white tail deer standing in a flowing creek.  She was just cooling off and standing perfectly still.  Sometimes, we should do the same.  Just find a place, a time, when we can get away and simply reflect.