Category: Uncategorized

Last Week

The past week I have spent in Brownwood with my grandparents at their ranch. I fixed some fence and took out some old fence. The fence I fixed was because of fallen trees or where animals such as wild pigs have run through the fence, and the wires are tangled or cut. Periodically we have to drive the perimeter of the fence to make sure there are not any major issues and fix the small ones. We also have to remove old fences at times to keep the cows from getting tangled or cut by the old fences and causing more problems.

Also, yesterday I had a great birthday! Thank you for all the Facebook messages, emails, and texts wishing me a happy birthday! It was great hearing from a lot of people from work and friends throughout yesterday.

This weekend

It is around lunchtime Friday and we are about to head to Dallas. Erika has some Speech Therapy training that is supposed to take 3 hours this afternoon; then we are going to go to dinner. Then tomorrow is Ben’s wedding! Other than that we plan on doing some shopping and something fun such as TopGolf or some other fun evening activity tonight or tomorrow night.

Last Few Days of Sabbatical (Monday and Tuesday)

My sabbatical ends Tuesday evening, and I will return to work Wednesday. Surprisingly I look forward to a lot of the projects I left off and the people I work with. I feel blessed to work at a company where I miss the people and type of work we are doing when I am away.

On Monday, I plan to help Emily Beeksma move into her new house! It was good timing that she closes on her house today (Friday) and needed help Monday moving in while I was on sabbatical.

My service project is coming along slowly. I continue to help Children’s Grief Connection with their website, but their hosting/provider, Neon, is moving slow. They designed the homepage, and we provided our feedback. Once they get it set up where I can help build out the rest of the pages and make tweaks to the site, I will hope in there and help them finish the rest of the pages and some other ideas they have. I hope they finish soon so I can hop in and make a bigger impact on my sabbatical, but told CGC that I would help after my sabbatical was over as well.

My week at Global Samaritan has come to the end but not the last time I will work with these wonderful people.  I enjoyed my time helping at this worthwhile organization.  I witnessed the dedication and the genuine concern for others by the ladies who I saw daily.  It s a daunting task to inventory and document all the items which have been donated by generous companies and entities.  I was still typing up inventory sheets from July (that reflects the sheer volume of goods received into their warehouse!) mostly made up of hospital/surgical/patient supplies.  Kathy, who volunteers daily, has been in charge of entering in this massive amount of data and is a kind and dedicated person. She appreciated all the assistance we at FD have given to their cause.  Ester, who is in charge of coordinating/planning is truly a shining example of someone who, despite some health challenges, carries on to make sure the task is complete.  The other ladies I encountered also worked with passion and dedication.  They all demonstrate the reading of the day in “The Book of Mysteries” Day 255, The Masterwork which clarifies that to accomplish great works the key is… “God must do it.  And you must let Him.” That the secret is “If you live by the Spirit of God, you fulfill the will of God.” These truths are evident in Galatians 5:22. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Thank you Kris and FD to make it possible for me to take a Mini-Sabbatical and help where I could with this outstanding organization!

So week three started off with things getting back to s normal routine after Tim and Bethaney’s wedding. Then Tuesday morning I received a call from Shannon’s sister Janeen that their mother had passed away. My mother in law had been suffering from dementia for a long time and had been in a long term care facility in east Texas for years. Still it was difficult to witness the loss for Shannon and Janeen. We traveled the next day to help Janeen with making arrangements. Luckily they had purchased a preneed a little over a year ago so a lot of the decisions had already been made. I helped where I could. I must say that I felt truly blessed to have worked for FD for all these years- to apply some of what I have learned over the years in a way to make them more comfortable during this difficult time. Although this is a loss here (and a relationship I would have loved to have improved), we count it a victory because we know Connie was a believer in our Lord and Saviour and we will be with her again! I do ask for continued prayers for this family as there are still decisions to make and some of them will be trying.
I have been working with the Jim Ned Valley Heritage Preservation for my service project. I am helping to raise awareness and funds. The Preservation is a non-profit organization set up by a Jim Ned Alumni to help preserve the histories of all the communities in the South Taylor County area. A building was donated to the Preservation by the American Legion for a place to develop a repository of family and community collections like photos, old documents, full community newspapers and articles, yearbooks and more. Through volunteers and limited funds, the inside of the 105-year-old building has now gone through the demolition stage and shows much needed roof repair or complete roof replacement. The rock and brick walls are sturdy with very limited cracking. This area is very close to my heart as a fourth generation Tuscola girl and I love the idea of retaining this heritage for future generations.

I am continuing my daily devotion each morning and I have to say it is still my favorite time of the day!

I can’t say thank you enough to Kris and the Board for allowing me this time. It is a blessing eveyday!

I made it to DFW with no problems.  I had 1:20 mins to wait, before my 10:25 flight, so I found a Chili’s right across from my gate and had breakfast.  With 20 mins to spare I went to the ladies room, called Mona to tell her I was on my way and sat at my gate.  And sat.  And sat.  At 10:20 with no one else around I went to the next gate over to ask about it.  The plane had left 10 min early.  I had missed my flight.  I was DEVASTATED!!  I had not heard a sight page for the flight boarding or leaving at all.  In tears I went to Customer Service to see when the next flight would be.  While talking to a woman who was more concerned with going to lunch than my flight, to my dismay the next flight didn’t leave till 6:30 pm!!  There were 2 possible earlier flights but they were not definite.  I was put on standby for those 2 and put on the 6:30 flight.  I went to a chair sat down and cried for 15 minutes with Mona in my ear telling me to calm down and breath.  Once I resigned myself to my fate, I promised Mona I would pull myself together, check on my suitcase which was on the 1st plane and just relax.  We hung up.  I cried a few minutes more then checked on my bag.  I found a Starbucks Lounge wait in, set my phone alarm for 2pm (30 mins before the 1st possible standby flight) settled in and fell asleep.  The other 2 flight didn’t make so I had a late lunch, went to my new gate at 4:45, did and early check in and stayed there will time to board the plane.

I arrived in Norfolk at 10:15 EST, retrieved my long waiting suit case and walked out of the airport.  There she was.  My best friend, My sister, My long distance partner in crime,  Mona Carter.  I walked over to her and we hugged, cried and Praised God that we were Finally together.  It had taken 15 years and all Frazzling day!, but we were finally together.

WARNING – Long post ahead.  Its been over a week yall. You knew it was coming!

Now that I finally have some free time in my life, I figured it was probably time to make my first sabbatical post.As you can image, my first week of sabbatical our wedding was the #1 focus. I have been planning this wedding since Nic proposed to me in December of 2015. Yes, that is a really long time but I had my heart set on an October 2017 wedding and I mean we really couldn’t complain about all the extra time we had to prepare. My main goal when we started the planning process was NO STRESSING. I did not want to end up a ball of tears on the floor the week before the wedding because I had so much to do and no time to do it.  I bought a little here and there and tried to space out the big things like cake, flowers, etc so that the week before the wedding would be stress free. I was so happy to accomplish this goal and spent my first week of sabbatical finishing up the small things. Surprisingly, the week actually went SUPER SLOW! I think I was probably just really excited for the wedding and after waiting for what felt like forever, I was ready for it to be our turn.

For those of yall who didnt know, our wedding was on a Sunday.  There was actually another wedding that was happening the Saturday before ours. Because of this, we were not going to be able to decorate or even bring any of our stuff to the Grove until Sunday morning.  This was really the only stressful thing about the whole wedding.  It takes about 20ish minutes to drive from our house to The Grove.  Knowing we had a very short time frame and also knowing we were going to have to make a few trips back and forth to get all of the decorations, cake and flowers, we decided to get smart and rent a cabin. Copper Cabin is an Airbnb and is literally 1 mile from The Grove.  We were blown away with how awesome this little place was.  It was filled with charm and the owners were so sweet. They even went as far as leaving us everything we needed to make sausage/meat spaghetti.  We probably could have lived out there. The link to the cabin will be below. Check it out!

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/17773872

Anyway… we were able to bring all of the decorations to this cabin and when Sunday morning rolled around, we were going back and forth 2 minutes instead of 20! That, along with all the help from our family and friends was the only reason we were able to get that place decorated.  The Grove is an absolutely beautiful place.  I fell in love with it the first time I walked through the gate and with it decorated up I really could not have been happier.  Everything turned out exactly as I had pictured it and I really would not change anything.  The weather was fantastic the entire day. Dan was a real blessing to have officiating. Dan if you are reading this, Nic and I really cant thank you enough for how special you made our ceremony.  Between the BBQ, chocolate foundatin, photo booth and cake Nic and I had a blast and we hope everyone else did too.  Our wedding went off without a hitch and there is not one thing I would change.  It was literally perfect. And the best part of the whole thing? I got to marry my best friend. After we left the ceremony, Nic and I went back to the cabin to wait for everyone to bring back the decorations. We sat on the porch on metal rocking chairs, looking at the stars and that is really when it sunk in.  I cant speak for him, but I seriously could not have been any happier at that moment, looking back at the day spent with our family and friends. I cant wait to see what God has planned for us next.

Now that the wedding is officially over, the second week of my sabbatical will be focused on cleaning up and getting reorganized.  This week, I will also be working with Camp Able to get ready for the Under the Stars event on Saturday. If you arent doing anything on Saturday, you should definitely come out! Its promised to be a fun night filled with great music and good food! $9 gets you in the door AND helps feed a horse!

Id like to thank everyone who came out to our wedding on Sunday. It really meant the world to us to have you there!

P.S  I would like to point out 1 very major thing.  There was NOT ONE giraffe in that entire wedding.

Sincerely,

Alyssa Alvarez <3

Hola,

Over the past eleven days I have been overwhelmed with the kind of love & hospitality that can only be found when in the presence of precious family & friends. As you all are aware, I spent Sep. 30 – Oct. 2 with my cousin. The time spent hanging out & playing with baby Audrey was so sweet. The innocence of a child is such a beautiful thing. I cannot imagine the weight of the responsibility in rearing a child. Having to find the right balance between equipping them to be independent & sheltering them from the ugliness that exists in our world is such a difficult task. Being able to disconnect & vicariously indulge in the innocence of my baby cousin’s world was a much needed retreat from the norm for me.

My night in the tipi was fun! It was pretty much just camping. I had a great time learning about Native American culture and going stargazing. The morning after the tipi experience, I was able to check out the Grand Canyon which was amazing. I had a hard time grasping the sheer immensity of the canyon.

From Oct. 4 through today (Oct. 10) I have been staying with my family in Newbury Park, California. The days spent here are always bliss. I was telling Drew & Taylor a while back that explaining my family gets confusing in a hurry. To simplify, my father found his birth mother in ’08. The people who I’m staying with are the youngest of his three sisters & her family. Being told you have a bunch of extended family that want to meet you can be kind of an intimidating thing as a teenager. You’re worried about getting along, and anxious about what kind of people they may be. However, my father’s reconnecting with his mother has been one of the most treasured blessings in my life. My aunt, uncle, & their kids have always had a special place in my heart, and it had been too long since I had visited them. I saw this sabbatical as a chance to catch up & get some much need quality time in. And that is just what I did. I was able to cheer at several soccer games over the weekend, enjoy the beautiful nature in Malibu & Thousand Oaks, and simply hang out. Oh, and I visited some neat record stores too. I am so happy I was able to make this trip happen. Despite being a little bummed about leaving, I feel so full of love & hope leaving this place. Plus, Austin City Limits Festival is this weekend so there’s no time to be blue! I’ll catch y’all up on my adventures soon.

Al

Fall is in the air, and I guess you could say this is the autumn of my Sabbatical.  This is my favorite time of year.  I love the crispness in the air.  One of my old football coaches used to call it “hittin’ weather”.  I can’t say that I do much “hittin'” any more, but I’m sure going to enjoy the next few months.

I started my Sabbatical with a pretty good list of things I wanted to get done while I was off work.  I am happy to report that each item has now been checked off my to do list as well as a few items that weren’t on the list.

I got a little ahead of myself with my reading.  I have finished my daily devotional book (God’s Promises) as well as my other book (The Fred Factor).  God’s promises transitioned from how to handle things you may be going through to how to live your life as a Christian and into “God’s Plan For Salvation”.  As I stated in my previous blog, I think this would be a good reference book if you were looking for scripture to fit a particular subject.

I love “The Fred Factor”.  It is my favorite of the motivational books I’ve read, and there isn’t a close second.  I love the fact that I don’t feel like the author is trying to sell me another one of his books or a program at the end of every chapter and that it is based on a real life person and situation.  When I wrote my last blog, I had read through chapter 4 which is the first chapter of the 2nd section.  The first section defines what a Fred is.  The second section explains how to become a Fred by discussing such things as the importance of building relationships.  The third section uses Fred as an acronym to explain how to develop other Freds – Find, Reward, Educate, Demonstrate.  The final section discusses what’s going on with Fred the postal carrier (the original Fred) and “The Fred Spirit”.  The book is well written and easy to read but also is timely and substantive.  Mr. Sanborn incorporates some great quotes to make some of his points.  I highly recommend this book.

This is the last week of my Sabbatical.  Reality is going to pay me a visit Monday morning.  I plan on dedicating the bulk of my remaining Sabbatical to down time.  It’s time to recharge the batteries and gear up.  I mentioned my mom in an earlier blog.  She has been in San Antonio staying with my sister for the last 6 or 7 months and has had numerous doctors’ appointments.  She is supposed to come home some time this week.  I’m looking forward to returning to some sense of normalcy.

Until next time, ciao for now.

This time tomorrow I will be in the air on my way to Norfolk, VA to spend a week with my best friend, Mona Carter.  This journey has been 15 years in the making and I am soo excited I CAN’T STAND MYSELF!!!!

Mona and I met online on a Vin Diesel fan site. ( Yes I know but it’s ok, Trust Me! {:^D )  We became friends on the site and started talked off site as well.  This went on for about 5 years and after the site closed we remained close.  We have been there for each other through some dark days.  She was not a Christian so I shared my faith and the promises of God with her.  She begain to do the same and became my sisters as well as friend.  This made our friendship even deeper and opened up another dimension for us to grow together.

We will be attending a seminar about Women’s ministries and administering to women in crisis.  We will also be volunteering at a Women’s shelter for at least 16 hours as part of the seminar.  We are both so excited and can’t wait to serve the Lord together, worship together then CUT UP FEROCIOUSLY!  In a perfectly respectable manner of course. (prayerfully)  {:^D !! {:^D !!

Day 19 – Sunday, October 1st

My aunt invited us over to eat lunch after church. It was great to spend some time with family and not have to cook.

Day 20 – Monday, October 2nd

I organized our once-chaotic bathroom cabinet while listening to an audiobook. It is so nice to have functional space!

Day 21 – Tuesday, October 3rd

I spent most of Tuesday getting ready for our trip to Florida, but in the evening, my sister and I went to the Dittos for Kiddos consignment sale. I consigned some items this year and we got to go early. I bought Jonas a shopping cart, which he absolutely loves! It was great spending time with Rachael too.

Day 22 – Wednesday, October 4th

Haley and I went to lunch and then later Allison came over and showed my pictures from her trip. It was so nice to catch up with friends. That evening, Dave and I went out to our friend Kyle’s house and I captured this beautiful sunset. What a gift!

Blessed? YOU BET! Everyone says it, but it’s true- what an amazing gift 30 days is!

I was beyond blessed to spend 2 weeks on an amazing vacation with my parents in the Seattle area. My dad is a planner (I come by it honestly!) and loves maps, so he had each day organized by area town. He also had all our public transpiration worked out which allowed us to spend as much time possible enjoying the sites and and not spending all our time getting there. The Chihuly museum was one of my favorite things we did in the city. He’s from Tacoma, WA which we were also able to visit. They have a public bridge there with some of his glass sculptures, so that was an added bonus!

After traipsing the city for 4 days my feet and legs were worn out! I was a little worried how I’d do with my 1/2 marathon after all the hill climbing we’d been doing. I never knew streets could be so steep! Thankfully, I had picked the flat (compared to the rest of Seattle and NOT Abilene, TX) Orca Half Marathon. It was about 5 min over my PR. However, it was 2hr 29min which made it under 2 1/2, so I was pleased with my results. I did not see an Orca, but it was by far the most beautiful run I’ve ever done! And later in the week I got to “ride” an Orca….

We spent some time enjoying God’s beautiful creations which was a nice change of pace from the hustle and bustle of the city. We visited Mt Rainer (a volcano!) and even though it was overcast and we couldn’t see the top, it was a beautiful day full of waterfalls and even a bit of snow. We enjoyed some coffee by a fire at a lodge in Paradise, WA while looking out the window at snow on the ground in September- that’s a memory to treasure! We spent a couple of days at Olympic National Park from mountains to the rain forest to the beach! Such variety and ample opportunity to see God’s creativity and to take a moment to rest in the quiet of nature. Even the roar of the ocean is a quiet compared to the hurry and buzz of every day life.

We made our way to Canada via ferry where we ran into friends from church! And while in Canada we met some people from Texas that knew a friend of my parents! Small world. Another highlight of the trip was having High Tea in a garden in Victoria, BC!

To end the trip, we got to go to church with Anna Robbins! We had lunch, saw her stunning view, toured her home town and learned about native plants! We also got to see Jyl Lopez on our drive back to Abilene after flying into DFW. It was wonderful to hug their necks and fun to see 2 remote offices 🙂

This was an all around amazing trip. I feel so blessed by FD for the time off and my parents for the memories. And best off all, I’ve had time to recover from vacation before returning to work. This period since the trip has definitely been a time of rest and it’s been incredible!

So begins my mini-Sabbatical. Thank you Ray for the blessing prayer you prayed with me on Friday for my send-off.  I began my day as I do, early in the morning (5 am) as I have always been an early riser.  I sit out on my front porch waiting for the sunrise and listen to the world.  There is the soothing sound of the wind blowing gently through the trees and the comforting sound of the crickets telling me that all is well.  I read the day 251 in The Book of Mysteries by Jonathan Cahn so graciously given to us by Kris.  This day’s reading is appropriate as it is titled The Miracle World.  The story is asking us to imagine the world without light – to always live in darkness.  The miracle is that the sun, through the grace of God, rises each day to chase the darkness away.  I think this is telling us to be mindful of the beauty of the world and that this beauty reflects the love God has for each of us.  Without the light, we would not be able to appreciate the gift we have been given and without God we would only live a dark life. Today I begin my service to Global Samaritan Resources and I will hold this day’s teachings in my mind as I am taught how to record the inventory for this outstanding organization.  I think that they are playing their part in bring the “light” to others in need.  As Psalm 19:1 states “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”

I finally saw the sun again!  For a brief 45 minutes this past Friday the sun appeared from behind the clouds!

I have been at my parent’s house this past week, and although it hasn’t rained a lot there, it has rained some every day, except Friday and Saturday(today).   I have been building a “hot-tub” house for my Dad this week.  My Dad is soon to be 84 years young, and was out there helping me all day long,  between rain showers.   He is a joy to work with, but this week has tested my patience.  Not meaning that he is “a pain to work with”, but rather patience as in my dad has one “speed” (slow), and my “speed” is quite a bit faster than his!  But we still managed to get the little house framed, roofed, and siding installed.   They decided to add a couple of windows (a change to the original plans), but we can do that later, no problem.

I am back in Abilene this week to work with Habitat For Humanity for a few days, yes probably building a house, and also at the Habitat “ReStore” store for a couple of days.   Some people may think that I have not had any “restful” time with all this house building.  But for me, this type of activity is very relaxing.  This sabbatical is not only for resting the body, but for also resting the mind and soul.  Creating and building is my way of resting my mind.  I can let everything else on my mind just go away for awhile, and then focus on the one project.  And the tired feeling at the end of the day helps me to sleep better at night!   Now that I’m on the subject of sleep and rest, I don’t believe I am getting ‘exactly’ the required 9 hours of sleep per day….bed time at 10:30 pm, up at 7:30 am, a one-hour nap after lunch, and a nap after dinner….(my Dad likes to nap, so I might as well too!)

Next week I will be returning to my parent’s to finish the inside of the hot-tub house.  Walls, ceiling, flooring, and some painting.   Here’s some pics to-date. More to come later after the final product.

— Foundation —

— Day three —

–Day Five — (windows to be added next trip)

Sunrise one morning….look closely….yes, it’s starting to rain.

I am continuing my mission of being mindful of all the blessings God has given to me. It has definitely been an eye-opening experience and one I plan to continue after my Sabbatical.

Day 15 – Wednesday, September 27th

I had the change to consign a lot of Jonas’ baby stuff we don’t need anymore in the Dittos for Kiddos sale. I spent Wednesday adding tags to my items and then got to spend a little time shopping at the mall. I do most of my shopping online so it was quite refreshing to walk around a bit and try on shoes.

Day 16 – Thursday, September 28th

 I am very thankful that Jonas had a good day at school. He is still adjusting to being in my mom’s class and sometimes gets a little overwhelmed with emotion, so a good day is a huge success.

I also worked with my assistant director for the Christmas musical I am directing at church and we now have an outline of the acts. I can’t wait to see the kids share the love of Jesus in our 3rd annual Christmas Variety show!

Day 17 – Friday, September 29th

Dave and I went to a wedding and my sister babysat for us. I love having my family close by so Jonas gets to spend time with them and Dave and I get to out alone now and then.

Day 18 – Saturday, September 30th

I tried my new pressure cooker to make dinner tonight. It cooked a chicken from frozen in an hour and a half and it was so tender and juicy! I am definitely a fan!

The last week has been an amazing week and challenging week as well. It was amazing because I got to spend the weekend at the ranch with grandparents and extended family and my wife shot her first deer with her bow. It was very relaxing as well as fun working on things around there which included taking a bone out of cows mouth (meant to get a picture of this).

Cows often chew on anything from bones, turtle shells and sticks. Sometimes they can get them stuck in their mouth, and we have to put them in the pens and squeeze shoot to take the bone out. We also had to mow the roads and areas around the house. As it rains a lot, the grass grows tall; then we have a few weeks of no rain, the grass dies which it makes vulnerable to grass fires. It was great to get outdoors and spend time with family.

The beginning of this week I spent moving my grandmother into Wesley Court Retirement Center. This is something that was not planned as part of my sabbatical, but I spend three solid days packing, organizing, and moving. I know my first post I discussed I wanted to spend a lot of time with my grandparents. While being at the ranch, I spend a lot of time with my dad’s side; this gave me almost a full week with my mom’s mom who lately has been lonely and health declining. Being on sabbatical has allowed me to be there to help her move, keep her stress down and make the process as enjoyable as possible.

This weekend I am heading to the ranch again. Next week my plans are not solid yet, but I will spend time hopefully back at the ranch. I’ll be updating again shortly!!

The second week of my sabbatical involved preparing for and attending the wedding of our oldest son, Timothy. It is hard to believe that he is old enough to marry.  He was almost one when I started working at FD. Time sure flies!  He married a sweet girl he met his freshman year in college. She truly is the answer to this mother’s prayer as I have prayed for his wife almost since he was born. We are bless to have her in our family.

I am so thankful for this time to help where I could and to spend time with family and friends and focus on these important relationships. 

First, I just wanted to say how saddened I am about the devastating news from Las Vegas.  My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, their families and their loved ones.  I will restrain myself from getting on my soap box too much (difficult as it may be), BUT I will say that I am thoroughly disgusted by those who choose to politicize such tragic events instead of just trying to be a comfort to those who are suffering.  As I like to say, “politics” – “poly” from the Latin root word meaning many and “ticks” which are blood sucking parasites.  OK, I’ll step down now.

One thing I’m really enjoying during my time off is having the time to take care of all the things you never have time to do when both spouses work or for single parents…  So far, we have had a gun safe delivered, met the cable company at the house to upgrade some equipment, gone to the AT&T store and reworked our account, met an electrician at our lake house, and soon to meet the DISH people at the lake house to upgrade some equipment.  This to do list has been growing for awhile.  It’s been awesome to finally have the time to take care of this stuff.

I have refrained from writing about my devotional book until I was far enough into it to have an opinion to express.  The book is entitled “God’s Promises”.  It is basically a compilation of biblical scripture.  There is no text other than category headings and Bible verses.  The 1st section defines Jesus and the role he is to play in our lives.  It says, “Jesus is your…”  Every few pages has a different word following this opening phrase.  “Jesus is your Savior” which is then followed by scripture to substantiate it.  The rest of the section works the same way.  After Savior, the rest of the words are “Love, Lord, Peace, Forgiveness, Deliverer, Fellowship, Example, Companion, Brother, Guardian, Security, Sufficiency, Fulfillment, and Everything”.  After each word are a couple of pages of scripture to prove the point.  The 2nd section works the same way.  It says “The Bible is your Infallible Authority, Deed of Inheritance, Guide for Life, Stability, and Strength”.  It seems that the 1st 2 sections use scripture to establish the authority for the role that Jesus and The Bible are to play in our lives.  I have read the 1st 5 1/2 sections so far.  The remainder of the book seems to use scripture to explain how to handle specific situations you may encounter in your life.  The 3rd sections is “What to do when you feel Discouraged, Worried, Lonely, Depressed, Dissatisfied, Condemned, Confused, Tempted, Angry, and Rebellious”.  The 4th section is “What to do when you are Experiencing Fear, Mentally Disturbed, In Need of Courage, In Need of Patience, In Need of Peace, Lukewarm Spiritually, In Grief, and In Doubt About God”.  The rest of the book, or at least the sections I’ve read so far work the same way – giving categories of things you may be going through and providing quite a few Bible verses to help you get through them.  I think “God’s Promises” would be a great reference as a guide to daily living.

I have accomplished most of the things that I set out to accomplish when this journey began.  I have about a week and a half to do the rest.

So until next time, Ciao for now.

I am writing this on the last day of my sabbatical. It has been a really great time, and has seemed to go by pretty fast. My last blog was done in the middle of our cruise. Since then, we visited Quebec city and Montreal as the final two ports. Quebec city is a really interesting place. I had been there for a meeting decades ago, and saw some of it then, but we had a really good time walking and touring the old city for a whole day this time. The old city reminds me a lot of old European cities that I see on television. It has a lot of fairly narrow cobblestone type streets and a plethora of small shops, restaurants, galleries, etc. that make for a great walking tour. The various outdoor musicians added to the experience. We first took a bus ride that gave us an overview and some history, then spent several hours walking the streets. It was a thoroughly enjoyable time.  The weather was in the 40’s and 50’s, so it was quite a reprieve from Austin heat.

The last port of call, where we debarked, was Montreal. We had never been there before, except for the airport. They have an old city as well, but it didn’t really seem much like Quebec. It was a lot more metropolitan and huge. The old city did not seem much like a place to do a walking tour. We did a bus tour around much of the city. The Notre Dame cathedral was a truly awesome place, but very dark inside. Maybe it doesn’t have a lot of electricity. We also got a great view of the city from Mount Royal (Mont Real). Whereas Quebec was a very quaint and unique place to visit, Montreal was mainly just a big city and didn’t quite live up to our expectations. All in all, the cruise was a really good time, providing both quaint, pastoral settings on the eastern seaboard and quaint, city settings in Quebec.  As a plus, all of our travel plans went off without a hitch, even American Airlines!

My sabbatical has been very enjoyable, though different than I expected.  Going in, I was expecting that I would have to find things to do.  In fact, I was having to find the time to do things.  I made the mistake of having a list of 11-12 things to accomplish, or at least kick off, during the 30 days.  I finished or started seven of them, so I made some pretty good progress, but at the expense of having a lot of time to simply chill out and reflect.  I was able to do some of that, but it was less than I was intending.  I was overly ambitious in setting too many goals and expectations of what I could accomplish in 30 days.  Part of that was I wanted to get out of town for a while rather than just staying at home for 30 days.  We did that, and had a good time doing so on our cruise.  Between planning, preparing, traveling and cruising, that took probably 10-11 days, or about a third of the time.

The book that I am reading as part of the sabbatical is called Letting Go by Dr. David Hawkins.  To paraphrase the book jacket, the author talks about various ways of surrender that can be done in the midst of everyday life.  The idea is to remove inner blocks to happiness, love, joy, success, health, etc.. It’s a rather long and thorough book, and I am almost half way through, so there is more to come.  I have found it to be very insightful and explains things in a bit of a different way that sometimes leads to an aha! moment.  I highly recommend it to anyone who would like to have a better insight into why they act or react the ways the do in various circumstances.

Looking back, 30 days goes by pretty quickly.  Also, a lot can be done/experienced in 30 days!  I am very grateful to have had this time to go off in a somewhat different direction that usual.  It has been a great and rewarding experience.  I wish to thank Kris for coming up with the idea (which originally sounded pretty far out), and the board for approving and endorsing it.  People whom I talk with outside the company are all totally floored that a company would do this for its employees.  Well, that’s just one more thing that sets up apart from the rest.  I feel very blessed to be a part of this company, as I’m sure all of you do as well.  I don’t expect to be employed during the next sabbatical opportunity (I should have retired by then).  So, this is a bit of a bittersweet signoff.  Best of wishes to everyone.  I hope you had/have a wonderful sabbatical as well.

Hey y’all,

So this morning (Oct. 1) I woke up to the same disgusting news we all did. As a result of the recent violence, I will be forgoing my stay in Las Vegas & will be heading straight to LA on Wednesday after my night in the tipi tomorrow. My condolences & prayers are with the individuals & families of those who were lost & injured last night. It’s been a grim ~24 hours. I can’t help but feel a mourning in my soul for this loss of human life.

Al

The “stop doing list” has come up quite a few times recently, and while it makes sense, it can be a very difficult concept. This might be the most beneficial part of my sabbatical. As I prepare to come back to work, I have marked several things off my “to do” list, and feel very accomplished. I have spent time with friends and family, I have gotten back out into the community, and I have helped those in need in our community. But I have also worked on my “stop doing list”.

In our society, we tend to go, go, go. In the beginning, I mentioned that I am not the best at resting. So, at some point in the evening, I have to just stop, and sit down. While reading “Losing Control and Liking It” it talks about the what if’s, and how you don’t have control over them. This just creates more stress. I have to let go of the what if’s and put them on my stop doing list, this frees up time and stress. This book also brought my attention to perfection and it’s need for it to be on my list. This can go so far, from Emily wanting to fix her own hair to the girls picking out their clothes.

Will and I took the girls to the San Antonio Zoo this weekend. When asking the girls which animal was their favorite, we were reminded that they are two completely different people. Emily’s favorite animal was the bats. Sarah, on the other hand loved the giraffes. While this sounds cute, we actually missed the giraffes and didn’t walk all the way back to find them. She procee to tell us how she played with them, rode on their backs, and laughed together.

Emily’s favorite part of going out of town is not the destination, while she did love the bats at the zoo, but the hotel. I found a hotel with an indoor pool so we could go swimming after the zoo. The water was a little chilly for my taste, but the girls had a blast. The girls might kill me when they’re older, but the picture below shows how wore out they were from our fun day! I did put Sarah back in the bed fully, just had to get the picture first, like any good mom 😊.

This month has allowed me to accomplish so much, but my favorite part was the time I had to devote to building memories with my family. See you all tomorrow!

This is the last day of my vacation after my Helpers of People leave.  I have been working for a long time, and this is the first time I have been off for two weeks straight.  After delivering Meals on Wheels the first week, my husband (Darrell) and I went to San Antonio and I spent some time with my daughter (Michelle) and all three of my sisters (Cathy, Janet and Sandra).  I haven’t been able to spend much time with my daughter this year, and it was really nice to see her.  I am very close to my sisters.  We are not only sisters but also good friends.  I love spending time with them and catching up on their lives.  I also went to a birthday party for Darrell’s Mother while I was in San Antonio.  Both of Darrell’s sisters and their children and grandchildren live in San Antonio, so I was able to see most of his family also.  We came home Tuesday in time to take out my foster friend.  He has autism and we have been taking him out once a week since 1990.  He also spends Christmas and Thanksgiving with us.  I spent the rest of the week relaxing, reading and getting some things off of my to-do list.  I feel more rested than I have all year and it was great to get some things accomplished at home.  I want to thank my co-workers for taking care of things at the office so that I could take some time off without worrying too much.  I work with a great group of people and I feel very blessed to work for such a great company.

Well folks, the time has come for me to depart from this wonderful workplace for the next 32 days. As I so often am, I was reminded once again of just how great of a workplace this office is this morning. Sure, our facilities are nice & the benefits very generous, but it’s the people we employ here that truly define our culture & atmosphere. I elected to have a private send-off with Ray & Dave this afternoon as oppose to a company-wide send-off. I know, SHOCKER. Oh, you mean that super introverted dude that sends out the production reports elected NOT to have a company-wide send-off?! Yeah, big surprise. However, this morning, Drew was excited enough to be rid of me for the next few weeks that he brought breakfast burritos for he, Stokes, & I to celebrate my departure. Before we dug into our breakfast, I laid out my sabbatical plans for Drew & Taylor. You all will eventually read the details of my excursions, but I figured it would be a good idea to share my plans for the first few days here.

Tomorrow morning (Sep. 30), I will be departing for Aurora, CO to visit my cousin (Sandra), her husband (Dalton), and their one-year-old daughter (Audrey). I will be visiting with them from Saturday through Tuesday morning. I am SO excited to spend time with my family & especially to get to know my new baby cousin! You can find a picture of the precious child below:

Isn’t she the most beautiful little girl you’ve ever seen?? Anyway, enough bragging. Tuesday, my adventure continues as I wonder into the Arizona wilderness to see the Grand Canyon with my own eyes for the first time. In addition to seeing the GC, I will be staying a night in a tipi. Yes, you read that correctly. A genuine, Native American tipi. I know I know, I’m a hippie. No apologies here, though. I anticipate having one of the best views of the cosmos in my life to date. Stargazing on Oct. 3rd will certainly be a night to remember as the area where I’ll be staying in is located in rural AZ with, I imagine, very little light pollution. I anticipate excellent conditions given the desert climate at the beginning of Autumn! I’m excited to enjoy the nature & admire our Creator’s masterful hand throughout my road trip, but especially in AZ. You can find a picture of my humble abode for a night below:

My road trip will also include a stop in Las Vegas to meet my dad for a Wednesday night church service…just kidding, but he is there on business so I figured I would crash with him for a night since I am in the area. The stark contrast between staying in a tipi in the middle of nowhere to taking the Las Vegas strip for the first time should be a pretty big culture shock. Again, I am excited to soak in the experiences. My other stops include Los Angeles, CA to visit some family, Austin, TX for Austin City Limits Festival, Laredo, TX to visit my grandparents, and College Station, TX to celebrate my sister’s Ring Dunk (R.I.P. her innocence)! I’ll catch y’all up on the remainder of my road trip as the days expire.

So back to why this place we call “work” so is great. After laying out the details of my trip to Drew & Taylor, Drew offered to pray over me & my adventures. He called in Addison, Lori, & Nadene, and they all laid hands on me for a blessing. I cannot express my gratitude for this simple, yet meaningful gesture. The sincerity of our people & the love of Christ that is on display daily is why I love coming to work here every day.

Finally, I would like to thank Kris & all those who have had a hand in making these sabbatical opportunities happen with this company. I look forward to a unique, rejuvenating learning experience as I explore the West. When you find the time, please keep me in your thoughts & prayers while I am on the road. Even as I write this it is hard to believe the time has come, but I am excited. I will miss you all, and I’ll be back soon.

Peace,

Alec

1 hour and 30 minutes until I embark on my first sabbatical.  Thank you Kris and FD for this amazing opportunity!!!

Please enjoy this giraffe photo.

Wedding pictures to follow!!!

Week 2

Last weekend I spent the weekend with a few guys from work, Ben and Steven (Kiki) from MIS. We went to Austin to celebrate Ben’s bachelor party. I typically spend most of my weekends either at the lake, ranch or with family. Austin was a whole new world to me. It also didn’t help that it was the “Pecan Festival” I think what they called it which was an art festival downtown. We can just sum up most of the people/environment – weird. Maybe I should stick to small town Abilene.  I had a great weekend with the guys, met some of Ben’s friends from Dallas/Hardin Simmons and got to relax with the guys.

This week has been a change of pace. While the first week I got tons of things done on my todo list, this week I had a sinus infection so I have been moving around the house slower. The weather also has had me stuck indoors so I’ve had a hard time with resting, but it has forced me to do it which I think is God’s plan. He knows if the weather is nice, I can find something to work on, I’d do it.

My service project is moving but moving slow. The company Children’s Grief Connection decide to go with signed the contract early this week (Neon), which means we have the ball moving, but now it is time to organize photos and content for the site. I created a sitemap for Coral and the team at Children’s Grief Connection to show them the current number of pages they have. On the first call, they thought they had 6-8 pages. After running the sitemap, they have 138 pages. You always forget about those pages that are 2 or 3 levels deep. They’ve talked about combining and removing some pages. Neon is going to set up the site with the first 4-6 pages, then I am going to convert as many as I can from their current layout to the new site.

This weekend

This weekend is opening deer season! Wahoo! As I get older, I enjoy deer hunting more and more. I enjoy relaxing with nature and having no outside world distractions. I also have enjoyed listening to audiobooks while I hunt to relax more and pass the time. I also enjoy hunting season because I get to see my dad side of the family, grandparents, uncle and aunt and cousins. During most of the year I might see them once or twice, but during hunting season I will most likely see them every other weekend.

Next week

I still am trying to figure out my plans for next week. One thing that came up last week unplanned is my grandmother will be moving into an assisted living center (Wesley Court) on Tuesday. She currently lives in Fairway and has been widowed for about 5 years and is having trouble take care of the house and herself the last year or so. Being on sabbatical, I can help pack and move something with my mom during the day Tuesday, then when the rest of the family gets off work Tuesday evening we can move furniture.

Wednesday, if all goes as planned, I hope to get back to the ranch to spend some time hunting and relaxing with family. I also have a few projects around the ranch I’d like to work on such as fixing some fence, taking some cows to auction/vet, and other things to help my grandparents out.

The work/school week can get so busy and turn into just a blur if we let it. Our girls get the worst end of it at times, by the time we pick them both up from their respective places, get home, eat supper and get ready for bed. Therefore, I’ve tried to use my sabbatical to break up that monotony, make week nights fun and productive, and hopefully create habits that will carry on after my sabbatical ends.

Disney Scene It was so much fun when we had our Swat Tournament at work, but we hadn’t taken the opportunity to play it at home since I’d bought the game. Emily, my oldest daughter, is only 5, and still too young to have seen most of the shows associated with the first edition. She has been dying to play the game, but having played it many times at work, I knew that it took quite a while and kept putting it off. So recently, I knew what we had to do. It was a beautiful rainy day outside, and Will made some pizzas so we could get supper out of the way. We sat in the living room and played Disney Scene It. Emily did awesome! She asked for a little help on some of the questions, but her proudest moment was on all play when we were supposed to be finding the missing item, and she shouted “MAGIC BEANS! It’s the magic beans!” This was the correct answer, and she beat Will and me to the answer without a doubt. She did not win, but told her dad good job and asked to play again, which made my heart swell.

Emily and I baked chocolate chip cookies tonight. We waited until after supper to try them. They are absolutely delicious. However, when bringing them to the table, Emily brought me the one with the least amount of chocolate chips and said it’s because I “don’t really like chocolate very much”. Will and I quietly laughed and we enjoyed our cookies. One day, Emily will realize that it’s not that I don’t like chocolate, but that she loves chocolate.

Emily’s school had an Open House that we attended, and it was completely student led. Emily didn’t know beforehand that we were going, so she was excited when I told her. It was a student led event. The school is doing The Leader in Me, so I was highly impressed. The principal of the elementary is one of Will’s classmates. From the time we walked through the doors, the students were directing traffic, holding doors, and helping out. Emily showed us her classroom, her stations, what she’s been learning and answered all our questions. They served a meal afterwards with students as the servers there, too.

Children can teach us so much that we have forgotten or given up on. They always ask the question. As adults, we often stop asking after a few failed attempts. When I first started working for FDLIC, I asked my dad to switch over to direct deposit, his bank is in Abilene so it made sense anyway, but his answer was always the same, “I have to go to Abilene to make deposits anyway,” or “I’m going to an appointment and can just stop by the bank”. I was at the funeral home picking up Emily (she rides the bus to the funeral home since Will and I both work and someone is always there), and Ryon told me to tell him again to switch to direct deposit, so I did. Which version of his norm did he give me this time? “Sure.” Sure! All it took was asking one more time, using someone else’s name, and signing him up right then when he said “sure”.

My hope is that when my girls are older, they remember us sitting in floor playing games, they remember baking, they remember the colored bags from Meals on Wheels and the smiles they received, and they remember falling asleep in Mom’s arms while waiting on the car to be fixed. I also hope that I never forget the love that I see in their eyes, the compliments they give me on a day I don’t wear makeup or get dressed up, or the hugs they give.

Week one is almost done.  This is my second sabbatical (Thank You Kris and FD!) so I know the feeling of being away from the office for a while.  But for this week, it still feels like vacation-mode.  I’m sure the feeling of “joblessness” will hit me again soon (HA).

This week I have been visiting my sister & brother in-law, nephew and his wife, and niece and her husband, that all live in Stinnett, Texas.  A small town about 60 miles north of Amarillo.  I helped out with some repairs on their houses and yards.   Actually not as much yard work as we had hoped for, because it has rained a bit every day that I have been here (5 days straight).   I haven’t seen the sun since I started my sabbatical!

We all needed this time together here in Stinnett, and it has taught us that we need to spend time with each other more often.  I am leaving today (Friday), and going to Wellington to stay a week with my parents.  Dad has a new hot-tub/spa thing that is currently in his garage. I am going to build him a “hot-tub house”, as he calls it, off the patio in the back yard, weather permitting.   Hopefully pics to come next week.

It’s now 7:30 am, time for some (more) coffee and some reading and study time.  I enjoy the early mornings.  I am alert (after a cup of coffee), and the world is still mostly quiet.

From something I read a long time ago — “Quiet the mind, and the soul will speak”.

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As I write this on Thursday, we have been at sea since Saturday evening. Both time and internet time are at a premium on the cruise, so I’m writing this on a sea day. We flew into Boston on Friday with the intention of doing a private car tour of Boston on Saturday morning before boarding the ship. A day or so before, the tour company canceled our Boston tour because of a car being in the shop (!). This is the sabbatical of the cancellation. We are on this cruise because our pilgrimage to Italy was canceled by the tour company (sigh). We also had one of our scheduled shore excursions canceled (after we had boarded the bus) due to bus mechanical problems, but were able to take an alternate tour that was fun. I’m taking the approach that all these cancellations are because we were not meant to do that thing at that time for some reason. Nothing to be gained by being upset.

Our cruise began in Boston and ends in Montreal. So far, we have been to Bar Harbor, Maine, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Sydney, Nova Scotia and Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (famous for Anne of Green Gables). Each of those places has been somewhat different, and we have enjoyed them all. We have never been farther northeast than Massachusetts, so it’s a new experience for us, and a visit to places we will probably never see again. Other than Halifax, which is a larger seaport, the stops have been quaint and idyllic places where the pace of life is slower than what we are used to. It’s interesting to imagine what life would be like there, but being on a cruise ship timetable does not really lead to experiencing the slower pace of things. Still, we have chosen excursions and time in port so that we were not under any particular time crunch. The weather has been warm, but I still cannot help but think of the bitter cold that is in place here for up to six months of the year, and marvel at the fact that people choose to live here. The sea water even freezes in some of the bays. It’s great in the summer, though! As much as the heat in Texas can be bothersome, I’m thankful that we don’t experience the bone chilling cold that is a fact of life in these parts.

It’s pretty chilly cruising the St. Lawrence Seaway right now, so we are not spending any time at the pool. This is a small cruise ship, and we are not finding much to do on our “day off”. It’s a good time for reading, writing and reflection. We are in Quebec city tomorrow and land in Montreal on Saturday morning. Both of those will be quite different experiences from what we have seen on the first part of the cruise. The Quebec old city is very European in feel (been there once before), and Montreal has an old city with a similar flavor. So, we are looking forward to seeing both of those. We return home Saturday evening, and will be happy to experience being in a bedroom that’s probably three times the size of our cruise cabin!

Last week was productive & fulfilling.  Jennifer and I delivered Meals on Wheels.  During the 5 days we delivered, we ran 3 different routes, making a total of 43 stops, and delivered 64 meals.  “…It is more blessed to give than to receive” Acts 20:35.  We really enjoy delivering Meals on Wheels mostly because of the personal interaction.  The amount of effort it takes to give and be a blessing to someone wanes in comparison to the amount of joy you receive by doing it.

I have started reading “The Fred Factor”.  The basic premise of the book is that the author, Mark Sanborn, moved into a new neighborhood.  He heard a knock on his door.  He opened it to discover his new postal carrier, Fred Shea.  Fred is an over-achiever to say the least.  He goes way above and beyond the call.  Fred offers to hold the mail while Mr. Sanborn is away on speaking engagements and even retrieves a package that was delivered by U.P.S. to the wrong address.  Mr. Sanborn “…concluded that Fred-and the way he did his job-provides a perfect metaphor for high individual achievement and excellence in the twenty-first century”.  He has identified 4 principles that he learned from his postal carrier that make up the Fred Factor.  1) “Everyone makes a difference”.  2) “Success is built on relationships”.  3) “You must continually create value for others, and it doesn’t have to cost a penny”.  4) “You can reinvent yourself regularly”.  In the chapters I’ve read so far, he goes on to discuss other “Freds” he has come across and how he makes a point to let their employers know when someone has really gone above and beyond the call.  I found this particularly interesting, because it is something I do as well.  I believe in rewarding extraordinary service.  He then discusses how management can incorporate those principles into their organizations.  More on the book later.

As I said in my 1st blog, My mom was in San Antonio and Jennifer & I were going to help her celebrate her 85th birthday.  We had a great dinner and party at Mi Tierra.  I grew up in San Antonio, and Mi Tierra has always been my favorite Mexican food restaurant.  It’s touristy, a little over-priced, kind of tacky, and WONDERFUL!!!  We had a great turnout and a great time.  My mom took the 5 candle off of her cake and put it in front of the 8 so it read 58 instead of 85.  Gee, I wonder where I get my goofy sense of humor.  The weekend also afforded me an opportunity to bury a hatchet or at least take neutral corners with someone.  We’ll just call it a work in progress and leave it at that.  But the weekend was about my mom.  Happy birthday to one of the 2 most important women in my life.

Last week, my husband Darrell and I delivered Meals on Wheels.  On Monday, the first two people on the list did not answer the door.  We deliver Meals on Wheels in the FDLIC route rotation, but we have never had anyone not answer the door.  I was worried that we were not getting off to a great start.  We called the Meals on Wheels office and told them the names of the people who did not answer the door.  I was really worried that something had happened to them, but we delivered to the same houses later in the week and they were home.  I was wearing one of my Alzheimer’s Memory Walk shirts on Monday and one of the men we delivered to commented on it.  He said that his wife was featured in a news story about Alzheimer’s the previous Saturday and that they participated in the Memory Walk that day.  I love talking to the people to whom we deliver meals.  Some of them do not have much contact with other people, and I am sure they are lonely.  I have always loved to visit with older people.  My grandmother took me to nursing homes with her to visit her friends and my church’s youth choir sang at nursing homes often.  Last week was wonderful.  The last couple of years have been really challenging for me and I really needed some time away from my normal routine.  Last year, my Mother died, my former boss for whom I worked for over fourteen years died and one of my sisters almost died.  This year, I have been working a lot of hours for a very demanding client.  It has been very stressful, and the time away has been great.  It also made me feel good to do something for other people by delivering Meals on Wheels.

WOW! The first week of my sabbatical really flew by!  The first day, I attended the wedding of my best friend’s daughter.   It was beautiful and emotional. Such a blessing to see the beginning for a sweet young couple.

The rest of week one had me busy finishing chores in preparation for our oldest son’s wedding.  More about that in my next blog.

I certainly got plenty of exercise going up and down the steps to our basement! I logged over 10,000 steps everyday last week!

My daily devotional is Trusting God Day by Day by Joyce Meyer.  On Friday, she asked this question: in what areas of your life does your mind need to be renewed?  I can really feel Him working with me during this time to spend time resting and renewing my mind….I guess this is exactly the right time for me to take my sabbatical.  I kind of struggled with that just before I left. 🙂

I miss my work family but I am feeling good about having this time off and so thankful for the opportunity!

The premise of the One Thousands Gifts Devotional I am currently reading encourages thankfulness and becoming more aware of God’s grace in our everyday lives. With that in mind, the following is a reflection on what I have been grateful for during the first two weeks of my sabbatical experience.

Day 1 – Wednesday, September 13th

I am very thankful to have had the time to devote to my son, Jonas. The first day of my sabbatical was his birthday and Dave and I took him to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. It was wonderful to be able to let him get ready at his own pace, instead of rushing him out the door. Sharing pancakes with him on his birthday was a delight.

I also managed to gather items for Jonas’ birthday party and meet up at Beltway Coffee with Allison. It has been ages since I’ve been to coffee shop, so enjoying her company on the comfy couch was a treat.

Day 2 – Thursday, September 14th

Waking up with a sinus headache that dragged into the afternoon, I was thankful to be able to sleep it off  while Jonas was at His Little Kids MDO, under the watchful eye of my mother. I am ever grateful for her wisdom and insight, especially with the challenge of having her strong-willed grandson in her class this year.

I am also thankful for my book club ladies’ quick action when I showed up and announced I had spilled a whole gallon of sweet tea in the floorboard of my car. Our book club is always a special time for me, and I blessed to have made so many friends because of it.

Day 3 – Friday, September 15th

I was blessed to be able to go to the free Needtobreathe concert at ACU with my husband, sister and cousin Melissa. The weather was great for an evening out and Jonas had a great time at his Nana’s house so we didn’t have to find a babysitter. Always a blessing!

Day 4 – Saturday, September 16th

Saturday was a busy day, starting with the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. My grandfather died from Alzheimer’s, so this organization means a lot to me.

The rest of the day was devoted to celebrations. Our family went to a 1-year-old’s birthday party and then had Jonas’ later that evening. Jonas and his friends had a great time hunting dinosaur eggs, eating cake and other delectables, and getting nice and sweaty playing. I am grateful for the laughs and smiles of children. 

Day 5 – Sunday, September 17th

Jonas got to open his gifts from family after church. Another day appreciating the delight of a child.

Day 6 – Monday, September 18th

I could never say enough how thankful I am for my parents. I told my dad that we wanted to upgrade Jonas from a toddler to a twin bed and several hours later there he was with his trailer loaded up with the bed he had in storage. 

Day 7 – Tuesday, September 19th

I am grateful to have my sister here in Abilene. She moved up here from San Antonio and it is wonderful to have her around. On Tuesday, we went to an Arbonne Holiday Showcase together and had a nice visit with our friend, Laura, and with each other.

Day 8 – Wednesday, September 20th

Jonas had his 4-year-old check-up on Wednesday and did great! I am thankful for a healthy active boy!

Day 9 – Thursday, September 21st

I hadn’t seen by best friend from college since Homecoming last year, but since I have the time off from work, Jonas and I were able to make the trip to College Station to see her and her family. Driving that distance is no joke with a preschooler who doesn’t like to be confined, so I was very grateful for his Kindle and headphones and my audiobooks.

Day 10 – Friday, September 22nd

On Friday, Jonas and I woke to the delicious smells of fresh muffins that Melissa’s husband Francis had baked and then had a great day playing with the kids. I loved having the chance to invest in my relationship with Melissa and her family.

Day 11 – Saturday, September 23rd

We left Melissa’s after another delicious breakfast, this time French toast. It was a wonderful visit, but also wonderful to come home and sleep in my own bed. 

Day 12 – Sunday, September 24th

I am so thankful to the Lord for an amazing church family.

Day 13 – Monday, September 25th

I am grateful for the rain and getting things done.

Day 14 – Tuesday, September 26th

Jonas has a little bit of a cold so we are having a nice quiet day inside. I am very thankful for modern medicine that can help my boy feel better and soft blankets to snuggle under.

Well, when I thought that I certainly had a plan for serving, it completely changed days before.  I was going to assist at a local nursing facility with whatever their needs were and even if it was just to sit and visit with the residents.  Instead, my own dad and stepmom had urgent home repair needs, and so did my mother and father-in-law, and so did my oldest son and his new bride.

Just a couple of weeks ago my son and his wife had just moved in to their new house.  They were there less than a month when a thief kicked in their front door during the day when they were at work.  They stole many important documents as well as electronics and personal items.  Now my kids felt very unsafe in the very house in which they are to build their new life together.  God has blessed me with construction and painting abilities from days of my youth.  So, i was able to replace the front door jamb with an ultra-secure door armor, and then repaint inside and outside in a way that totally hid all reminders of what terrible event took place.  Glory to God!

My in-laws have been in their home for 25 years and had smoke damage to paint and wallpaper from a wood burning stove through the years.  Once again I was able to strip paper, texture walls and paint so that they could once again enjoy the very home they host so many events in for the family.  Glory to God!

But perhaps the greatest gift during my time on sabbatical, has been the ability to “serve” my own dad with plumbing crisis, fence repairs, electrical issues, and any other thing that i could assist with that could let me have more time with him.  Here’s a little to the back story……..We had been estranged for almost 10 years until a couple of years ago.   I was once the middle child of three boys.  My oldest brother, John Jr. died in a car accident in 1981.  My youngest brother David, died after a 12 year battle with cancer in 2003.  My dad, who is not a Christian, has lost two children and has no hope of seeing them again (even though they were both believers).  He feels that when someone dies the lights just go out and it ends.  I tried to “preach” to him so much at the passing of my second brother in 2003 that he felt I was judging him and that angered him.  I was insensitive and not allowing for parental grief either.  I completely botched any evangelistic attempt to reach my dad with unwise words and fueled also by my own grief.  What he really needed was just to be loved on and reassured.  I failed in every possible way.

Fast forward to a couple of years ago when he received one of those scam calls that sounds like a grandchild calling his grandparents saying they are in jail and need $3,000 to get out.  This rattled my dad and forced him to call me after almost a decade to make sure that my son was OK.  We began talking again and most of our dialog has been pretty superficial.  But this month was a time for me to call him every day, see him 3-4 times per week and to just serve and honor my dad the way I should.   We have had some pretty deep conversations (still not about salvation though) and very nostalgic moments of watching home videos, looking at photo albums and him sharing his childhood memories of growing up in south Texas.  We have really deepened our relationship again and the greatest thing is, he is accepting of my love.  He also realized that it was easier for him to shut me out for fear of losing a 3rd son, rather than ever risk having to suffer that loss again.  I have received the second chance to “get it right.”  I will go forward just loving unconditionally with no agenda and leave the rest to God.

For this, Glory to God!   And a big thank you to FDLIC for creating this opportunity.

Tomorrow I officially start back to work.  My sabbatical has been just what I needed – I feel rested and revived and ready to go.  What a great gift to have 30 days off.  I am so grateful to work for such a wonderful company and with so many wonderful people.  While this time off has been great I have really missed my DIG family and can’t wait to see everyone tomorrow.

Thank you Kris and the Board of Directors!!

The Superlatives of Lucky

When the kids were growing up and before they were smart enough to know that hanging out with Mom and Dad wasn’t cool, like many folks, we too would play the game of “I Love You”. And, upon saying so, the second response would be, “No, I Love You More” and, this game would finally conclude with the last person usually stating that “I Love You…The Most” , and then bustling out of earshot so you know you had the last word. You can’t do any better than that. So this little scenario would play out for a moment until the next time. Like Tic-Tac-Toe. Mindless fun, repeated over and again.  In that game, you couldn’t do any better than “most”. Not then. Not even now.

I am a very lucky guy, from before the day I met Debbi, to having the opportunity to raise two great kids. Luckier still, to have been saved by the blood of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in August of 1997. For, it is down this path of “lucky” as I’ve called it, to give it it’s real name Providence.

We’ve been lucky to have the employer that we do.   Funeral Directors Life Insurance Company, graced with leadership which allows for the  freedom to express ones  love for Christ and couple that passion with being ‘prayer warriors’, devoted to lifting up those who are sick and or hurting. And,  there are many who are, sick and hurting. Just follow those prayer warriors.  Pretty lucky.

I am still processing all of what occurred on my sabbatical.  True to what I was told, the sabbatical transformed from start to finish.  We can make our plans to our hearts content but God directs our path.  Our prayers and the answers we receive through the Holy Spirit help us to work through all of what we do and become.

I get my joy in doing.  And, tending to Debbi’s needs (which continues but diminishes daily), as well as our 2017 Stillwater United Methodist Church Parking Lot Build were the big rocks of what laid before us.  Praise God for allowing me to accomplish both.  It is with gratitude to FD for the opportunity to have done so.

In conclusion, and, to quote Lou Gehrig on July 4, 1939 ( and I paraphrase) ….”I’m the luckiest guy on the planet’. But, we all know what luck really is, don’t we?  And, just remember, God loves US the most.  You just can’t do any better than that.

Respectfully,

Steven

Testing out the blog. Trying to get all my DIGicon-Ducks in-a-row before I leave on this wonderful Sabbatical ! Thank you Kris and FD!

It’s hard to believe that my sabbatical is almost over it has gone by so quickly.  This past week has been extremely restful and slow-paced.  I’ve spent lots of time with Jeff, completed a few home projects and finished a book called Visioneering by Andy Stanley.  This book was a perfect follow up from our recent management conference.  The book is essentially about discovering your personal vision and is written around the story of Nehemiah and his vision to rebuild Jerusalem.  Over and over throughout the book Andy Stanley repeats the phrase that a vision is something that “could be” but most importantly “should be”.  I can’t say that I have discovered what my personal vision is yet, but I am leaving myself open to whatever God puts on my heart.  This week I have also had a chance to attend some of my grandchildren’s sporting events – it was baseball on Monday, tonight its football and Saturday its soccer.  Kids sure are busy these days!

Kickoff Sunday Sermon

At church, we are currently going through the Ten Commandments. If I paid more attention, I would notice that the 4th week (this last Sunday), would be the Sunday of my first week of my sabbatical. The 4th commandment is “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” It was the perfect setup and what I needed to hear to get my sabbatical off to the right start. Before my sabbatical started, I had something planned every weekend, a todo list of over 12 things I wanted to get done around the house or on our cars and other odds and ends. Jarred, the preach at Southern Hills, talked about how in today’s culture, people have a hard time taking a break and resting. It was very convicting because I am the type of person that has a hard time sitting still and always wants to be working on and improving things.

Plans

Like I said, before Sunday I had many plans. Every weekend was full of Weddings, guys trips, trips with my wife, and of course – opening deer season weekend. My weekdays consisted of getting done the todo list which consisted of cleaning the garage, kitchen cabinets, helping my dad do some marketing for one of his houses that’s on the market, work on Childen’s Grief Connection website and am taking two grad school classes. I also plan to spend time with my grandparents.

I also plan to spend time with my grandparents. My dad’s side lives on the ranch and is getting older, so they need help with managing the land which consists of feeding cows/horses, checking fences and many other odd and end things. I plan on heading out there when the weather cools down a bit. Also, spending time with my mom’s mom which has been widowed about five years ago, but lately has had small heath issues and is getting lonelier as her friends get older and not able to spend as much time with her. Both of my grandparents mean so much to me as they taught me many life lessons and both gave me life-changing job opportunities growing up. The ranch I learned to weld, drive tractors, 4-wheelers, and jeeps around the age of 7 (probably not legal), build fences and enjoy the outdoors. My mom’s side owned an oil and gas company which my grandfather (that passed away 5 years ago) taught me so much about business and the oil industry.

How It Has Gone So Far

Children’s Grief Connection

The first few days have been amazing! We started the website discussions with Childen’s Grief Connection. They are hiring a third party to host their website and adding a CRM (Client Relationship Managment) software into the website and their business. This will allow them to track campers/donors/volunteer information easier. They are also adding an e-commerce part to the website. I’m also helping build part of the website for a fundraiser. They have been using another third party software to collect donations, but taht software as raised their rates from $30 per month to over $250. We are hoping to have the new software up and going which should get their fees back down to a more manageable place for a non-profit.

Homework, Book Study and Trying to Relax

I have begun part of my todo list but have also decided to take off a few things and try to relax more. I’ve also decided to do all the thing I want to get done-such things on the todo list and class work during the day, then spend the evenings relaxing and giving more attention to my wife. With grad school, most evenings we get home, eat dinner, then I do homework 2-3 hours per evening and have not been able to spend the time in our relationship that I wish to. Being able to complete my coursework during the day has been amazing for our relationship! We are beginning the book “The Five Love Languages” this week and look forward to spending more time with each other. I’ve also decided to combine a couple of my trips and have a couple weekends of relaxing or not scheduled and see what happens.

As weird as it may sound, I do miss work – especially the people, but also the challenging projects, working with sales managers, talking funeral homes, and that busy feeling. I enjoy challenging myself to see what I can get done in a day and that high of success – when I complete a project, have a successful campaign or sign up another funeral home with Social Media Management.

I hope to have another post soon with the more information on the website for Children’s Grief Connection and update on how everything else is going!

I’m still “working” toward getting to the point where things slow down for me. Maybe “working” is the problem. I’ve already discovered that having an extensive list of things to try to accomplish while on sabbatical is not a good idea. Yet, the list is there and I’m “working” on it. There’s that word again. I do feel like I have had the physical rest and rejuvenation part, just not as much on the mental part. This weekend we leave for a cruise from Boston to Montreal. This will take me away from my list and from most other distractions (e.g. grandkids), so I’m hoping for and expecting some mental relaxation.

Last week I did a service project at the St. Vincent de Paul service center. This center serves the homeless, and currently serves refugees from hurricane Harvey. My expectation going in was that I would be working in the intake area for homeless. It turned out that what they really needed me to do was help stock the food pantry because of all the donations of food for the refugees by the local parishes. So, I spent a few hours a day moving food items from a shopping cart to the pantry shelves. This was not what I was intending to do for a service project, but, hey, service is not about me. As you might expect, this was a little bit tedious and boring, so I had to keep telling myself that what I was doing was benefitting people less fortunate than me in their life situations. Since the food donations actually exceeded the available shelf space (eventually), there was a little bit of creativity involved in figuring out how to arrange each of the different areas of the pantry to hold more food. That helped with the boredom part. It would be a stretch to say that I felt incredibly fulfilled by this service work, but I do see it as service work helping those who need help. In that respect I feel a sense of fulfillment.

This Friday we are off to Boston, and I’m looking forward to a further change of pace and some true relaxation.

In my 1st blog I talked about my friend Chris.  This is the only picture I have of the 2 of us.  His mother was kind enough to send it to me after he passed away.  This was taken in 1989 during the after party of his wedding (#2).  That’s him on the left.  I suspect most of you know that handsome guy on the right.  R.I.P brother.

There is a poem entitled “To A Mouse” by Scottish author Robert Burns.  The premise of the poem is that a mouse has built a nest in a farmer’s field.  The nest is necessary for the mouse to survive the winter.  The farmer inadvertently plows over the nest.  Knowing this ultimately will lead to the death of the mouse, the farmer starts apologizing to it.  While you may not be familiar with the poem, there is a good chance you have heard a more modern English translation of one of the lines from it.  “The best laid plans of mice and men go awry” or “The best laid schemes of mice and men oft go awry”.

That line describes part of the beginning of my Sabbatical.  In June of last year, Jen and I were driving back from The Woodlands where we had attended a concert.  My phone rang.  It was Chris.  He was the first friend I made after moving to Abilene in 1979.  I met him on the first day of school my junior year of high school.  When I say friend, I don’t mean one of the 800 people who “Like” some goofy video you post on Facebook.  I mean the kind of friend who always has your back – the kind of friend you can trust with your biggest secrets.  Chris was my best man when Jen and I got married.  I was his best man twice.  Neither time took.  Apparently I was better at being a groom than a best man.

Chris was calling with bad news.  He was sick – very sick.  He had end stage liver disease.  The doctors told him that best case scenario he might live 5 years but that even a cold could kill him.  One of my big Sabbatical plans was to go to Florida to see my friend one last time.  That plan came to an end on May 22 when his sister called me to tell me my friend, my brother, had died.

While I mourn the loss of my friend, I do have a new Sabbatical plan.  And it is a plan that I’m looking forward to.  On September 25, my mom will celebrate her 85^th birthday.  We have a big party planned at my favorite Mexican food restaurant in San Antonio, Mi Tierra.  I will do a follow up after we return.

We have started our service project which is delivering Meals on Wheels.  We have delivered twice so far.  We got off to a bit of a rough start on Monday as 2 of the recipients didn’t answer the door.  I called MOW per their instructions.  It always bothers me when they don’t answer the door, and we have to leave.  Obviously, the hope is that there’s nothing wrong.  Day 2 went much more smoothly.  We had a different route with twice as many stops (13 to be exact), but we didn’t have any issues.

I didn’t take a Sabbatical in 2010, so this is my first experience.  I expected going into it that the service project would be my favorite part.  It’s always a blessing to do a little good for the hood.  It doesn’t necessarily take a huge effort to brighten someone’s day.  A little effort and kindness can go a long way.

It is 11:03 pm.  If I’m going to get the required rest, I should wrap this up.

Ciao for now.

I’ve always considered myself lucky to have grown up in a small town, and now I am excited to be raising my daughters in a small town. Yeah, there are not many places to eat, but we learn to cook, we know how to entertain ourselves, and we know pretty much everybody.

When it came to choosing my service project, the first thing I knew for sure was that I wanted mine to be in Winters. It’s been a while since I worked in Winters, but when I did, I used to deliver Meals on Wheels. I enjoyed getting to see everyone on my route smile when I brought their food, or answer their questions, or just have a little laugh. Therefore, I chose Meals on Wheels, which has changed quite a bit. We used to cook the meals in Winters, then deliver them, rotating each week by church. Now, Abilene’s Meals on Wheels Plus has taken over our community when we didn’t have the means to continue. We still rotate weekly by church, but each day is also rotated as far as who drives to Abilene to pick up the meals for Winters and Ballinger. Ballinger meets us in Winters to get their meals, and they pick up every Wednesday. My mother-in-law and I went together to get the meals on Tuesday, which gave us an opportunity to spend time together.  While it makes you a little sad to think of these people in their younger days (I knew most of them before they were “elderly”), it also made me so happy to see that they would be waiting by the door, on the back porch, or watching their favorite T.V. show because that means they are doing good! My grandparents recently moved into a nursing home because they don’t know who we are and can’t take care of themselves, and because my grandfather had his mind the longest, he wanted to take care of my grandma and wouldn’t let us get them Meals on Wheels.

I also joined my dad at Lion’s Club that week, something else I haven’t been able to do in quite a while. The program was given by Larry Collom, one of our EMTs. He and his wife who is also an EMT had gone down to Houston as some of the first responders. It was amazing to hear him tell the tales. They were often the first people at the shelters and helping transfer people to hospitals, or to the doctors and nurses set up in the shelter who could render aide to these people. One of the shelters had an entire makeshift ER setup. The thing that stood out the most was not the amount of people, it was the people who were there by themselves. Anytime they moved or were transported, they’d grab both their trash bags to carry with them, which were now all their possessions.

Our Sunday School subsides during the summer months, and starts back up again after school starts. We’ve added an extra classroom this year so I can continue teaching the kids I had last year without holding them back for the younger kids in the class, and I am stoked. We are learning the meaning behind Lord’s Prayer, how to use the Bible, and have the same weekly Bible Lesson as the other three classes. One of my Sunday School students is the daughter of Emily’s kindergarten teacher.

I love that I know the people I deliver meals to, I love that I can join a Lion’s Club meeting just to hear a good program, I love teaching kids in Sunday School that I know.

6 days in!

Here’s a quick recap by the numbers:

91 : approximately how many cupcakes I baked (for an Alz bake sale and a dinosaur birthday party) AND the age of the line dance instructor at the Rose Park Senior Center where I joined my mom for a few exercise classes. I want to be as spry as him when I’m that old!

                                                                        20 : the number of pieces of chalk we used! I enjoyed my week helping the Alzheimer’s Association in preparation for the walk which included decorating the path with sidewalk chalk!

95,000+ : dollars raised for The Walk to End Alzheimer’s!!! The goal was $93,000!

0 : the number of to do lists made. Ha that’s not true….

4 : how many power naps I’ve enjoyed. One of which happened while holding an almost full mug of coffee! I’ll work on longer naps during the rest of my sabbatical 🙂

5 : the number of friends/family I don’t get to see often that I got to love on with my extra time off!

2 : the dementia care facilities visited. My parents and I were able to visit a couple of care facilities as options for my almost 98 year old grandmother. She’s still living in the house my dad grew up in! It’ll be a hard transition, but one place seemed like a great option with lots of activities for her.

15 : the number of days I’ll be in Washington (Seattle area) and Canada adventuring with my parents! Starting Tuesday 9/19.

I’ll leave you with this quote from a book I just finished.
“I chose to. I can leave myself to rot in the past, spend my time hating people for what happened, like my father did, or I can forgive and forget.”
“But that’s not easy.”
“Oh, but my treasure, it is so much less exhausting. You only have to forgive once. To resent, you have to do it all day, every day. You have to keep remembering all the bad things. I would have to make a list, a very, very long list and make sure I hated the people on it the right amount. That I did a very proper job of hating, too: very Teutonic! No, we always have a choice. All of us.”

I finished my Max Lucado three book compilation today and the final book in the series was In the Grip of Grace. In each of the three books I found a particular phase that stood out from the rest. In this book it was, “For all we don’t know about thorns (those areas where we fall short), we can be sure of this. God would prefer we have an occasional limp than a perpetual strut”. In the next paragraph he writes, “the parachute is strong, and the landing will be safe. His grace is sufficient.”

I enjoy Max Lucado’s style and the way he phrases words to clarify a message. As I near the end of my sabbatical I have asked myself if I have contributed enough, rested enough and generally followed the rules enough to be a good employee, worthy of the gift of sabbatical. I can go over each area and feel that I could have done more… even the resting, but in the end I know there is His grace.

When I left the Maderia Rehabilitation Center today after visiting a friend I realized how fortunate I am to be able to feed myself, walk without a walker, read a book. My friend is recovering from a fall and subsequent neck and shoulder injuries that have left him with speech, swallowing (no eating or drinking for over a month so far), cognitive and balance issues. He was jogging a mile per day prior to the accident, so you can imagine the emotional challenges that go along with the physical. I have been visiting to provide some support but feel bad when it is time to leave. Prayers for his recovery are welcomed.

I am grateful for the time I have had to help others. For the time to help myself grow spiritually. Time by goes so fast I commit to working more on these areas of my life during the other 6 years and 11 months!

Kevin

The Lumber awaits cutting on Friday before the big Saturday

Saturday and the sounds of hammering ensues.

One house frame is erected to allow for people to write prayers, blessings and affirmations on any of the exposed framing.

The Journey Begins For The Selected Families

…grow apple trees, and honey bees, and snow white turtle doves.

Yeah, I took liberties with one of the words in the title.  The song actually says to “Buy” the world a home.  But, for the purpose of our Blog, we’ll go with build.

Through the several adversities encountered in the organizing, preparation, execution and delivery of these frames,  God did indeed provide.  Prayers were answered on so many levels.  And, yet we fallen people still wonder how can this ever take place when faced with insurmountable problems.  But,  God was and is present in all of what you see.

Over 300 sets of “boots on the ground” volunteers from several churches, high school and collegiate athletic teams,  and service clubs participated.  I had someone ask why we solicit for the volunteers outside of our church.  And, was it because we couldn’t garner enough support from within.   We had over 100 of our own congregants present and accounted for.  But, the point of all of this was to spread the  project around and give others a chance to shine on a project such as this.  We could have done all of this with the 100+ Stillwater United Methodist Church people.  But others needed to feel engaged in putting a roof over the heads of  two fortunate families.

Lastly and most important the church is responsible for securing the funds to pay for all of this.  And, we do this by soliciting for donations in hopes we can get the $15,000 needed to complete this project.  Many of these resources come in the form of sacrificial giving from within and outside the church.  But, none of this would have been possible without the generous consideration given to “The SUMC Parking Lot Build” by The Director’s Foundation of Funeral Directors Life.  Thanks ever so much Kris Seale and your team of heroes who consider the best places to use the resources that they can provide.  None of what happened on Saturday, September 9, 2017 would have been possible without mutual approval of The Director’s Foundation to do so .

And, as a postscript, I want to be able to add to this blog with some photos of the finished homes and each family selected.    These homes were being used by The Fuller Center out of Americus, GA at a site location in Alabama.  Millard and Linda Fuller were the folks who started Habitat for Humanity.  And, in 2005 the Fullers parted company with Habitat and started anew.  Millard has since passed away, but his legacy continues through the Fuller Center.

Respectfully,

Steven

I can’t believe it’s already been 30 days since I began my sabbatical journey. I’ve been beyond blessed.   The last 2 weeks I’ve spent resting, reminiscing and spending time with my grandbaby.

My sweet granddaughter, Kleasy

I’ve continued with my daily devotional Love Out Loud by Joyce Meyer. It has really been hitting home and I’ve enjoyed it immensely. I read The Same Kind of Different as Me.  I really enjoyed it and can’t wait to see the movie when it comes out in October. It’s amazing how God uses people from such diverse backgrounds to bring people together.  I plan on reading the sequel, What Difference Do It Make?  My Mom has the book, we just haven’t been able to put our hands on it yet. Hopefully I’ll locate it soon.  I’ve also been able to read several novels during my time off.  I love reading, but sometimes I  get so busy I don’t get to read as much as I would like.

During my time off, I took my mother to her hometown of Holliday, TX to visit the graves of her parents and her sister. I also drove her around town to see the changes in the years since we used to go visit my grandparents. I also went to see my grandparents graves at Drummond Cemetery near View and my Dad’s grave at Elmwood Memorial Park. It was nice to just sit and remember the good times we had. I miss them all, but know I will see them all again someday.

My Maternal Grandparents and my Aunt Mary’s graves in Holliday

My Paternal Grandparents graves

My granddaughter, Kleasy, next to her namesake her great great grandfather Kleas Parmelly

My Dad’s grave at Elmwood Memorial Park in Abilene

I’ve really enjoyed being able to take this sabbatical. Thank you Kris and FDLIC for giving me this opportunity. I would also like to thank my co-workers in the accounting department for taking on my responsibilities so that I could take this time off. I know they did a great job.

Got back late yesterday from Wichita, KS where my mom lives.  She is on her third bout of cancer and last November she had to have emergency surgery for a ruptured colon that has taken her a long time to recover from.  The last time I saw her was Mothers’ Day weekend and that visit was a little troubling as it seemed like she had lost her desire to fight so I was anxious about this trip.  Mom has always been very independent.  She is very quiet and to herself and has a hard time letting people in especially when it comes to personal issues like her health.  We talk at least twice a week and I usually visit at least two or three times a year.  The most frustrating thing is I always feel like there is nothing I can do to help.

This trip was just what I needed and I believe it was what Mom needed too. She really opened up to me and we had some deep conversations like “why do bad things happen to good people”- that’s a tough one.   She had made so much progress since the last time I saw her and I am thankful that she has her fight back again!  I am grateful for my stepdad  – he has always been like a father to me and he takes really good care of my mother.

We all take so much for granted – most of all our health.  I realized how blessed I am at my age to still do the things that I can do physically.  I also realized how blessed I am to still have my mother in my life.  She is the strongest woman I know and I love her very much!

Well Linda and I had the vacation of a lifetime over the past 10 days.  It was scheduled for a week on Royal Caribbean and the week before we left it was completely reconfigured as to where exactly we would travel.  The Bahamas, Puerto Rico and St. Thomas were not going to work so we ended up shifting to the western Caribbean and stayed as far from hurricane Irma as possible.  We had planned the original trip (Linda had planned… just for the record) to be on the same trip that we had taken on our honeymoon, but with what we knew others were facing we had no complaints.

We watched CNN Caribbean on the ship daily to keep updated with the storm and and within four days we received word that we would not be able to return to Ft. Lauderdale on Saturday.  It was right in Irma’s path and our trip was going to be extended for at least 3 days.  Well okay… if we have to!  For some it was a real problem, but with my being on sabbatical and Linda owning her own business it was not causing us the problem that many on the ship were facing.  Six hour drives to airports from Costa Maya (added port of call), and then later in the week Cozumel with a much shorter drive allowed many to catch flights back to Ft. Lauderdale.

Listening to fellow passengers talking to loved ones that were in harms way was very moving and called for frequent prayer.  As the the storm changed paths we heard that our niece and nephew that live in Ft. Lauderdale were headed to stay with my two sisters in Tampa.  Only to hear the next day that Tampa was now going to be hit harder than the East coast.  As you now know the storm spared the homes of both of my sisters and my neice and nephew made it back to Ft. Lauderdale without incident.  No power for a few days when they returned but as of last night all of my family in Florida has power restored.

It was impressive to hear how Royal Caribbean was responding with four of their ships providing either supplies or housing or both.  They allowed us to contribute financially and they matched all charitable contributions.  The hospitality was great to start but when everything started to unravel they kicked it up a few notches with Call centers that provide free internet and phone calls to family, airlines and many employers.  It wasn’t nearly as much about the food and drinks provided as it was the true concern and effort that every crew member we interacted with displayed.

We got back last night and this morning I was back at Mathew 25 Ministries working to keep the supplies moving to the disaster relief teams for both Harvey and Irma.  It was so crowded today that it was very difficult to keep the product flowing.  As fast as we could load the “gaylords”, a type of box on a pallet, they would back up because M25M didn’t have enough forklift drivers to move them into the trucks.  Finally I asked if I could help and due to a “super disaster” type of clause in their rules I was able to help move the product faster.  One fire fighter from Wright Patterson AFB said that he had just returned from Florida after a week in Texas, and the reason he was unloading a trailer full of supplies at M25M was that it was considered one of the best charitable organizations in the country.  That felt great hearing that from someone that was on the other side of the shipments just a few days prior.

I’ll be back at M25M tomorrow and I am sure the pace will still be AMAZING!

Greatfully,

Kevin

So many times during my work week, when tasks start or already have piled up, house projects call, the unexpected phone calls come, etc. it seems that time alone with God is the thing that suffers most.  This is the worst possible “sacrifice” of all for me!  When prayer life is strong and regular, my focus on all things is better.  My faith in God in all things is more secure and natural, hearing His voice comes easier.

This month on the “You Version” Bible app, I have been going through a 30 day devotional titled “Prayer, A Holy Occupation” by Oswald Chambers (usually an author way over my head) as part of my renewal.  God has also reminded me through this that He is the Lord of numbers as well since I received the most powerful teachings during day 4, 8 and 12. (I think God loves to throw those types of things in to see if we pay attention)

Recap:

Day 4 – “So many of us limit our praying because we are not reckless in our confidence in God. In the eyes of those who do not know God, it is madness to trust Him, but when we pray in the Holy Spirit we begin to realize the resources of God, that He is our perfect heavenly Father and we are His Children.    Reflection:  What should “reckless belief” cause me to do today?

Day 8 – “It is at first difficult to learn a new and better way of breathing, consequently we are conscious of it for a time, but it is merely consciousness of what will by habit become an unconscious act.  So in the better and new way of breathing spiritually in prayer, we shall be conscious of forming the habit, but it will soon pass into normal spiritual health”  Reflection:  Is prayer as natural to me as breathing? How can I make it less of a conscious act and more of a natural response to God in my life?

Day 12 – “Prayer is not to be used as the privilege of a spoiled child seeking ideal conditions in which to indulge spiritual habits without constraint.  Prayer is the vita breath of Christians; not the thing that makes us alive, but the evidence we are alive.”   Reflection:   Do I pray so that I will be spiritually fit, or do I throw spiritual fits when I pray?

Being a sabbatical “veteran” I had some idea of what to expect from the first week. Last time it took me about a week or so to get my mind to slow down to a more relaxed and even contemplative state. I told myself that, knowing that, I would see if I couldn’t speed up the relaxation process this time. Didn’t happen. My first week seemed to be as hectic as any other week. I found myself wondering how I ever have time to work full time. Of course, seven years ago I didn’t have four grandchildren. That makes a big difference in how my time is spent.

I entered my sabbatical with a list of twelve things I wanted to accomplish during that time (probably a mistake). These are things that have kind of been on the back burner awaiting “a round tuit”. You know, I’ll do that when I get around to it. So far, I have only partially done two of them. So, I think I’ve adjusted my expectations. I’ve decided I won’t put pressure on myself to get a certain number done, just what naturally flows. In the second week I have a service project at the St. Vincent de Paul service center. This will be a good change of pace, but does cut into time available to do things on my list. I’m already thinking I could use two sabbaticals.

I had a backup plan for my service project and it was a really good one, too! I was going to physically work side-by-side with the inspiring team heading up our Yankton Food For Thought program (details later in this post). And we all know by now that my plans keep flying out the window while I learn to be still and follow His plan.

Since I was placed on the injured reserve list of sorts, I did indeed have to be still. That was for medical reasons, too; however, I soon learned, it was most importantly for spiritual reasons. I learned that I could have limited physical activity during my day as my body heals yet my mind would be running a marathon of thoughts and flooding my heart with turmoil. You know, those kinds of thoughts: “What if I had…”; “Maybe I could just…”; “I should have never…”, and on and on. I had a list of thoughts and emotions longer than I care to admit. But God’s own words tell us to be still, to not flinch in our faith no matter what disruption or trouble this world may bring.  I was reminded of this in my reading, and that’s when I was still and waited with a quiet mind and an open heart for His direction. His direction came and it was perfect!

I began to use the blessings God has gifted me in the areas of Marketing and Learning and Development to serve Yankton Food For Thought which supports two programs for students and families in need.

1. Sack Pack Program – Serves over 400 students weekly to provide weekend meals that are nutritious, shelf-stable, and child-friendly so every child has a better chance of being successful in the classroom.
2. School Food Pantry – Students and their families, who are in need, receive the opportunity, twice each month, to “shop” for food items at the School Food Pantry.

Here’s what we know: If kids are hungry they cannot learn at their full potential. That’s why the program is aptly named Food For Thought. A hungry child cannot learn and education is key to breaking the cycle of poverty. If this program can provide the most basic need, which is food, to children and their families, hopefully we can start stabilizing lives.

This is where my servant heart led me, and my work with Yankton Food For Thought will continue well beyond my sabbatical. The new branding umbrella for these programs is just launching and my opportunities to make a difference are limitless. Education about this program is vital and making this program a part of our city’s culture moving forward is critical. I am blessed to serve in this way as God planned. I know that, soon, I’ll be amid the physical work as well to help make this program a success – but in His time, not mine.

During my mini Sabbatical, I achieved a dream goal I set when I started cycling in 2005 by doing the Hotter N Hell bike race in Wichita Falls, TX.

This year, I decided to just go for it.

There are several from FD that cycle and tackled Hotter N Hell this year.  Mark Owen conquered the 100K (62 miles) along with Steve Bassett, Harry Drew, Bill Wimberly, and Doug Ray from Legacy Group.

Mitchell McLean, and his brother, Marc, and Patrick Messersmith conquered the 100 miles.

And let me tell you:  Those guys are impressively fast cyclists.  I am so proud of our group from Funeral Directors Life.  I thought we did really well.

I absolutely enjoyed the entire race experience.

I was very impressed with the volunteers.  They were incredible.  They are out there all day, and their cheery attitudes and helpfulness really made a huge difference.  You can’t have a great race without a wonderful group of volunteers.

I had an amazing two weeks.  I enjoyed my time at Meals on Wheels and getting plenty of rest.  Thank you, Kris, and the Board for this wonderful opportunity.