On the Road Again

 

Dear Friends

How do you spell “Road Trip”? A road trip can mean different things to different people. For me, it includes state and national parks and monuments, finding the Episcopal church, the city park and the local newspaper in every town we pass through (the smaller the better) and, of course, local landmarks and food. Even some obvious “tourist traps” can be fun.

The two week road trip to Oregon which Kathleen and I just returned from also included delightful meetings with people, including some we had never met. We knew we would be seeing Kathleen’s niece in a community theater production of “Dracula”, set in the fields of a vineyard. We knew we would end our trip with the dear folk of St. Dunstan’s, Carmel Valley, people we were just getting to know in person before the pandemic hit.

But we did not know we would meet a ranger at Crater Lake who loved the story my dad heard and shared about a ranger telling a couple who jumped out of their car at an overlook of the lake and, after a quick look, saying “Is there anything else to see?” We had quite a nice visit and I promised to send her my dad’s Crater Lake poem, one of many he wrote about the parks.

However the biggest surprise was arriving at St. Alban’s Episcopal church on our first Sunday on the road and finding an old house on a mostly vacant lot. Just as we were about to take a picture of "The Episcopal Church Welcomes You" sign and drive on, (there were no cars around) a deacon who had walked to the church emerged from the front door and invited us to stay for the Morning Prayer service being held later in the living room. 

We hit it off well and invited her to dinner a few nights later at the resort we were staying, finding so much in common. We will be staying in touch. To top it off, just 30 seconds after Kathleen posted a picture of the 12 person congregation on Facebook, a seminary friend messaged that one of the parishioners in the picture was her sister-in-law!

Road trips can take us many places and bring us many experiences, including meeting new people we will not forget.

John

 

Making the most of moments

 

Dear Friends

One of the joys of my retirement has been, when in town, being a volunteer chaplain at our local hospital, Corona Regional Medical Center. Needless to say, the dress code has changed in the past year!

What has not changed is the opportunity to simply spend a few moments with newly admitted patients, and, if they would like it, to offer them a prayer. (I have fun sharing my regret that I can’t preach a sermon for them, because their insurance will not cover it!)  Almost everyone agrees to a prayer and seems to appreciate the brief visit.

Some words from Meister Eckhart remind us of the importance of the daily contacts we make with others, including very brief ones with people we have never met and may never meet again:

The most important hour

is the present. 

The most significant person

is precisely that one across from you right now.

The most necessary work

is always love.

May God help us recognize ordinary opportunities to share and connect with others. We may take them for granted, until we see the joy they bring to others…..and ourselves.

John