CROPPING VS. SEEING THE WHOLE PICTURE (June 27 - July 26, 2023)

Lowell Creek Falls

     After recovering from a light case of Covid we settled into our time in Seward, Alaska.  Seward is a town at the end of the road.  Called the "Gateway to Alaska" it has been an important location throughout the history of the state. From the early settlers to the prospectors during the gold rush, to the building of the Alaskan Railroad it has played a vital role. Today it is the heart of a bustling seaport and tourist trade. 

     This past month has been a mix of ministry and exploration. The weather could have been better. Long-time residents say it has been the coolest start to summer that they have ever seen.  Temperatures have hovered in the high 50's and low 60's with about double the average rainfall.     

     In spite of sickness and less than ideal weather our Seward experience has been amazing. The church here is earnestly looking for a new pastor and have welcomed us into their fellowship during the interim.  This group of "locals" have been instrumental in helping us learn about their community.

                                                               REFLECTIONS

Resurrection Bay Sunrise

     I took this picture of the sunrise over Resurrection Bay while sitting at the desk in our apartment.  The screen in the window gave it the look of an oil painting.  Sometimes things aren't always what they seem to be. As a matter of fact, before "cropping", this photo would have included a gravel parking lot and a storage rental facility.  

     Is the picture above accurate? Yes! Is it complete? No!  I have altered it make it more acceptable to those who view it.  Who wants to look at parking lots and metal buildings when there are majestic mountains and a brilliant sunrise to be seen. 

     I've come to the conclusion that that is how I choose to look at life. I'd rather "crop" the unpleasant and discordant out of the picture of my life and focus on the pleasant and harmonious. Oh, I see the whole picture, but I'd prefer to zoom in on the aspects that will bring joy and peace to my being. It's the "think on these things" aspect of the Bible ("If there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - think on those things")     

     Whether it's people or places, I choose to look for the beauty and crop the unpleasant from my view. Call me an optimist and proclaim that I see the world through "rose colored glasses" and I will say that you are exactly right.  It works for me.

 

     

     

WAITING FOR THE NEXT PITCH (May 27-June 26, 2023)

Seward, Alaska

 

We caught the early flight from Indianapolis to Minneapolis and on to Anchorage, Alaska.  It was about lunch time in the "Final Frontier" so we convinced our driver, Danny, to stop at the world-renowned Burger Man (Artic Roadrunner).  Then, with our hunger satisfied, we began our two-and-a-half-hour drive to Seward!  Danny, a member of the Church of the Nazarene in Seward, filled us in with some of the blanks on the church as we drove by mountains, streams, rivers, lakes, forests, and meadows.  

It was good to be back in what has become our summer state!  In recent years I have served as interim pastor for churches in Soldotna, Eagle River, Juneau, and now, Seward.  This is not something we planned but something we have fully enjoyed.

We arrived in Seward in midafternoon and immediately were impressed with this port city on Resurrection Bay.  We were shown our upstairs, three-bedroom residence and spent the next several hours unpacking and moving in for what could be a four month stay.  After a long day of traveling and a four-hour time change, we were ready to call it a day at 7 p.m. Alaska time.  The problem was that in Alaska in June the sun doesn't set until after 11 p.m and it never "really" gets dark.

In the ensuing days we have met so many wonderful people and taken some time for exploration in our new environment.  Church service went well, a work and witness team from Georgia did their thing, and then it happened.

                                                           

End of Nash Road

                                          REFLECTIONS

The work and witness group headed back to "the outside" and within hours our small congregation found itself immersed in Covid!  That's right C O V I D!  Hadn't heard of a case in months and now half the church, including me, were fighting the virus!

Instead of watching Sea Lions frolic, I am watching reruns of "Foods That Made America Great".  It's one of my favorite programs but, not quite what I was expecting to be doing in Alaska. Instead of relaxing on a rustic bench, breathing in fresh mountain air, beside a tree lined and mountain framed trail, I am sitting on a leaned-back recliner, trying to take a deep breath without coughing.

Life has a way of throwing us change ups when we are expecting fast balls.  The secret is to remember it's a long at bat with several more pitches to come.  There is no need to panic and even should we strike out it's no big deal.  Professional baseball players become All-Stars by batting .300.  That means that 7 out of 10 at bats are failures.  With that in mind, I am going to stand back (well actually lay back) and wait for the next pitch.

I figured it out.  I am going to be here for about 100 days, so if 30 of those days are exceptional it will be an All Star kind of experience.  On top of that, I have an awesome manager and a great team (church) on my side.  We got this!

Exit Glacier Trail

GRADUATE TO COMMENCE (April 22 - May 27, 2023)

Two Brothers

Wyndham Ocean Ridge Resort on Edisto Island, South Carolina, was, again, a wonderful place to stay in the spring.  We will look forward to our return in 2024.  We ended the time with my brother and his wife as our guests.  They drove us to their home in Simpsonville, South Carolina for an overnight stay before taking us to the Greenville, South Carolina, airport for our flight to Springfield, Missouri.

Four Generations 

We jetted to Missouri to visit with my son's family.  While there, we were introduced to our first great grandchild, Aela, and attended the
High School Commencement of Aaron's youngest son, Ethan, and the Commencement for Aaron's wife, Jennifer, as she finished Nursing School.  Following the dedication ceremony for Aela, we flew to Indiana.  It was there that we spent some time at our cabin, took care of doctor appointments, and attended the High School Commencement of our daughter's daughter, Abigail.  That's a pretty busy schedule for two old great grandparents!

Now it's time to pack for our four month stay in Seward, Alaska.

Three Graduates

REFLECTIONS

I have been reminded these past few weeks that life moves on.  My brother is now 84 and I will turn 75 in June.  My grandson is now a father and my son is a grandfather.  Yeah, I know, that makes me a great grandfather. My daughter in law has started a new career.  Two more grandchildren have graduated from High School.  Next week I will celebrate my 54th wedding anniversary!  It's now been 13 years since I pastored a church. We will soon begin our 8th year of retirement.  Time, indeed, does march on.

One of the commencement speakers we heard expressed how much she did not like "slow walkers" in the school hallways but then enjoined her classmates to "slow walk" their lives after graduation. She encouraged them to not rush by the moments that make life special.

If you are younger, with children, I ask you to consider how quickly life is moving along.  Take time to enjoy them as they explore their world.  Be present in their lives.  If you are older, commence to reflect and invest yourself in the lives of those closest to you. Slow down, count your blessings, and challenge yourself daily.

We should never just "graduate". We should "commence".  We should never just end each segment of our lives; we should begin a new adventure with all its challenges and blessings.

To graduate or to commence?  I choose to commence until my final commencement day.

Commencement at Olivet Nazarene College (1970)

MORNING SIGHTS AND SOUNDS (March 29 - April 21, 2023)

Sunrise Voyage

 The last three weeks have been a time of solitude here on Edisto Island, South Carolina.  We've had no guests and have pretty much just enjoyed the quiet, peaceful surroundings that continue to draw us back to this place.  I began to wonder if I really had anything to comment on for this blog.  I felt like we hadn't really done anything worthy of mention.  Then I remembered that every day is a day to be enjoyed, to be cherished.  Just the sights and sounds of the world around us can bring us happiness and memories.

REFLECTIONS

Sunrise Coffee

With that in mind, let me REFLECT on the sights and sounds of this typical morning on "our" favorite island!

I sit on our deck and watch the sun crest the horizon above the towering palm trees.

I listen to the waking world of the marsh just outside our door.  

The squawking of the gulls as they welcome the new day and the sound of a boat as it motors out to that perfect fishing spot let me know that it's going to be another good day. 

 Soon the sounds increase as the distant shriek of an Eagle echoes over the verdant marsh.  

The crows and songbirds begin an aerial war with dissident mutters as one seeks to find the other's nest and the other seeks to protect its territory. With the crows vanquished, the songbirds rejoice with gentile melodious trills that seem to bring everything around them into harmony.

My vision now shifts to the blue waters of the Sound and the expansive low land salt marsh, with its slivers of water, that shelter and feed so many residents.

I see a flock of a dozen snow white Egrets as they wing their way toward the feeding grounds looking for minnows and small crabs. 

An eagle-eyed Osprey hovers in the air as it seeks to spot its breakfast in the waters below.

I listen to the sound of quivering palm fronds as they are kissed by the moist ocean breeze.

A line of pelicans skim the surface of the bay while the ever-present dolphins put on their show in the mouth of the inlet.

And lest you think all is perfect, someone's two-year-old just pitched a fit on their deck.

All of this before 10 a.m.!

THE POINT IS that I was able to enjoy the above.  There are many who cannot and others who will not.  

Some are hindered by blindness and deafness.  Others simply refuse to take the time to enjoy the sights and sounds that are all around them.  

Others are "shut in" and thus "shut out" of sights and sounds that most of us take for granted.

For those of us who have a choice, let us choose to enjoy each day with its own sights and sounds.  Let us never take for granted the blessings of seeing and hearing.

Even the screams of a child can remind us of when we had children of our own.  Children who may have been noisy from time to time, but children who now enjoy this island as much as we do.

Here's a few photos to enhance the words above.

ENJOY YOUR WALK AND KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN (February 28-March 28, 2023)

 

After our friends left Edisto Island, South Carolina, for Michigan, we settled into a familiar routine.  This quiet, peaceful location has been a regular spring stop for several years.  Time at the Wyndham Ocean Ridge Resort is spent enjoying beach walks and walks along the jungle-like walking/bike trail.  My hunting instincts are satisfied by, almost daily, photo safaris for white tail deer and bottle-nose dolphins.  Add to this some of the most amazing sunsets and the warmth of the South Carolina sun and you can easily see why we cherish our extended spring stay here.  With no "chain" restaurants, our culinary desires are satisfied by local eateries like; the Sea Cow, Whalley's, and Pressley's at the Marina.

A week-long visit with my daughter's family from Indiana was time well spent with special people in our lives.  Our two teenage granddaughters each brought a friend, and a great time was had by all. Now they have returned to the cold Midwest and we are on our own until the first part of May.

REFLECTIONS

My morning walks, down the beach, are not only for necessary exercise but are an intentional outing to seek out the elusive bottle neck dolphin that call the Atlantic Ocean, the St. Helena Sound, and the Big Bay River home.  These beautiful creatures bob their way through the water in search of a breakfast or lunch of the plentiful bait fish that frequent the area. They are not "fishing" for recreation.  They are "fishing" for survival.

As we walk through this life, it should never be simply because we must.  It should be a walk, an adventure, of intentionality.  It should be a journey keeping an eye out for an opportunity to find a group or individual who is endeavoring to find a way to survive.  

The goal of our life walk is not to capture a moment of time on film but, a chance to make a difference in someone's life. They are out there! Many times unseen but close. enjoy your walk but keep your eyes open.

"I FEEL LIKE A SCHOOLGIRL" (January 26 - February 28, 2023)

Edisto Island Sunrise

Wes and Marcia Bittenbender at Botany Bay

Our time in central Florida came to an end on February 25 as we headed to South Carolina to finish our "winter". This time we would be on Edisto Island (WYNDHAM OCEAN RIDGE) until May.  Long-time friends had joined us for our final week at WYNDHAM CYPRESS PALMS and, together, we made our way to the Carolina Low Country. Our time in Florida was everything we had hoped it would be.  The weather was always warm with more days in the 80s than 70s and plenty of sunshine.  The resort was excellent and the staff accommodating.  It will always be one of our favorites. But there's just something special about Ocean Ridge and Edisto Island. It's not for everyone but it is for us. It is a place that we treasure.

REFLECTIONS

The six-and-a-half-hour drive from Kissimmee, Florida, to Edisto Island, South Carolina, was nearly completed.  The road trip, with four weary travelers crammed into a small vehicle with all their luggage, was coming to an end.  As we made the final turn unto route 174, we knew that in a matter of thirty minutes or so we would arrive at WYNDHAM OCEAN RIDGE.

It was then that from the crowded back seat that I heard my wife of 54 years proclaim; "Every time we make that turn, I feel like a schoolgirl".  I am not exactly sure what she meant but I believe it was an expressed outpouring of anticipation of what was to come.

We have made that turn many times in the past 38 years and, after the first time, every time we feel like we are coming home. It's hard to explain but, for us, there is just something very special about our South Carolina Island.

Our friends will leave in the morning to head back to Michigan.  Other family members will show up later but in the meantime, we will just be at home.  We'll watch the dolphin play in the Sound, we'll walk down the shell covered beach, we'll watch both sunrises and sunsets (you can do that on an island), and we'll soak it all in. I have already booked several weeks for next year.  However, at our age, who knows what 12 months will hold.  Until then, we will cherish each moment.

What is it, where is it, in your life that you feel "like a schoolgirl".  Where is it that you genuinely look forward to being?  Find that place, that special place, go there often while you can, and be blessed.

Edisto Island Sunset

 

LOSING TRACK OF OTHERS (December 26, 2022 - January 26, 2023)

A Cypress Palms Sunset

                                                               

For the last thirty days we have been enjoying our life at the Wyndham Cypress Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Florida.  After the holidays and our ministry time in Alaska, it was nice to be able to just do nothing and do it well! My time was spent with morning walks, swimming, setting in the sun, and visiting the hot tub.  We did have some visitors as my daughter's family managed to slide out of Indiana and spend a few days in the sunshine state.

My brother and his wife came over from their winter place on Casey Key for two days.  It is always special to be able to spend some time together.  Gary is nine and a half years older than I am and has been the best big brother I guy could ever ask for.  

We have both been married for 50+ years.  I guess we are the exception to the norm these days.

                                         REFLECTION

     Sometimes when you are living in Florida you forget that winter exists.  You get so used to every day being sunny and warm that you lose track of the fact that it is cold and snowy in other parts of the country.  That happened to me yesterday when, while sitting on our lanai in 80-degree weather, I read that all three of my children would be experiencing a winter storm with high winds and up to ten inches of the white stuff (snow).

      It was a reminder that our response to situations in our lives change as we change.  I'm still me but, am a me that would no longer enjoy getting bundled up to go outside and shoot hoops.  I still like basketball but only what I can comfortably "watch" without much effort.  

     It was a reminder that in the midst of our personal journey we shouldn't become so wrapped up in our own world that we lose track of what others may be experiencing.  While our world might be filled with sunshine and palm trees, we need to always remember that there are others who may be struggling with storms.  There may be others who may be snowed in and unable to escape their surroundings. 

     The point is that whether we are "in the storm" or "in the calm", we should always be aware of others and their world.  The "Good Book" says it this way; "Rejoice with those that rejoice and weep with those who weep."  Wherever this day finds you, be thankful and be thoughtful.