The Power of Yes, And

Did I really graduate high school twenty-five years ago today?

This was occurring to me as I was reading -- I should say re-reading -- Warday (more about that another day) and with high school graduations all around my area as well as doing some necessary housecleaning yesterday, sometimes tossing what was beyond repair (like my gold honor graduate cord that I wore with my maroon cap and gown a quarter-century gone) and tossing and shredding old papers as well as donating some excess we had, time is just marching on and we can't stop it.

Nor would I if I was able to. This weekend Martha and I were delegates from Bethany Lutheran Church at our annual Western North Dakota synod meeting, and for this year's meeting (last year's was in Bismarck, our state capital) we didn't even have to travel far. In fact, we traveled further to get Sarah and Jeffrey over to Martha's parents' house where they'd spend the day and night Friday than we did to get to the Grand International, and it was great!

Today's title comes from one of the presentations given by a minister all tying into the overall theme of stewardship, formally "Living In God's Abundance". How everything we have (not just the money) is way more than we think it is, and how by holding onto more we are becoming less, and not in the right or Godly way. The synod business wasn't actually that long -- most of the annual meeting was spent viewing exhibits of what different ministries do and eating well!

Food is always a good attractant -- shortly after the synod assembly got out we picked up Sarah and Jeffrey and a few hours later got to go to Pastor Janet's son Peter's graduation party held AT church. We ate, and it's where we got that photo of me playing the guitar wearing the jester's hat and Jeffrey with the saxophone and Sarah with the big glasses and Martha with the pink hat. We could set up a street band like that, I was thinking 'round New Orleans ;)

Sunday was church, Subway for lunch, playing at one of Minot's many parks (Riverside Park, the one across the walking bridge from our house), treating the household to Cold Stone Creamery -- loved The Pie Who Loved Me, cheesecake ice cream with crushed Oreos and fudge -- and dragging them out of Barnes & Noble (usually it's the other way around, they have to get ME) before mowing the lawn which was growing and growing again. Did a great job too!

More about today ... tomorrow!

David