Blessings galore

Sunday it was up an off to Franklin so I could lead worship for Barry Conover. He was gone to Nashville for a short vacation. One of the elders and his wife were there to meet us. It is a blessing to experience the love of the Christian fellowship. Just before the service our friends Tom and LuAnn Jones walked into the church. I had invited them but thought they were likely still on their trip to the Maritime Provinces. The people were appreciative and kind after the service. They seemed interested in inviting me back next season. Tom and LuAnn invited us for dinner. We followed them home and enjoyed wine and shrimp cocktail for an appetizer. Tom prepared a tenderloin on the barbecue while we viewed the pictures of their trip accompanied by Newfoundland music. It was a real blessing to be reunited with them. We will miss them in Texas. We hope we can have them for dinner this coming week because we don’t have much time left here in NC before we leave, and we have two for sure and one more possible group of visitors during October. I must confess that I consumed far too much wine and let Evelyn drive home. Since we had totally blown our diet we went for broke and stopped to buy some chocolate fudge and candy. We will resume the diet tomorrow. We had popcorn and watched Desperate Housewives and snatches of the Chargers football game with Drew Brees. It has been fun to eat many things today. We don’t think one binge will ruin us.

Monday we slept in because we had stayed up too late last night. We cleaned up, and then Evelyn decided to walk the lake. I like to walk first because I sweat easily and feel dirty the rest of the day. I can’t shower again due to fear of wearing holes in my skin. We walked and did computer work before coming home for lunch of no-nothing soup. We wanted to conserve our points for the evening’s dinner with Pastor and Lisa. We spent some time cleaning the house and preparing the ettouffee. I did most of the chopping as usual. We waited until nearly seven for them to arrive; she is an optometrist in Asheville, and she had made it clear that she couldn’t arrive before 6:30. When they did arrive, we visited a short time and got right to the meal. We had a very warm visit with them which ended around 9:00 because she and he have to go to work the next day. We remember what is was like to go out during the week. We watched TV and cleaned up the kitchen. We had saved some ettouffee for Wednesday with Tom and LuAnn but had some left over from the evening. I will go to Hendersonville with John and Barry tomorrow for a circuit meeting where I hope to become known as available for pulpit supply for next summer.

Evelyn took me to church to ride to Hendersonville. John, Barry and I had a nice ride there. One of the members of Our Savior was supposed to go with us but couldn’t. We had a meeting at which I met one of the pastors from Greenville, SC wearing a Via de Cristo cross. That is quite unusual among LCMS pastors. We did not get to talk much during the day but may communicate regarding Kairos via e-mail. I was able to pass out a few calling cards to some of the pastors. We had lunch provided by the church staff consisting of quiches of various contents. I liked the one with spinach quite well. I have tried to call Kelley RV to prod them on to repair of the coach. The man from HWH returned my call, saying they were willing to replace the room slide solenoids and the rear jacks but would have to wait to learn whether the extended warranty people would insist on rebuilt ones or would permit new ones. I must call Kelley to make sure they are communicating with the company now so HWH can send them the parts. If they don’t, I am concerned that it won’t be repaired by the time for us to go to Purdue for the football game on the 8th. I called and Denise said the parts would arrive tomorrow. Further she said the extended warranty company had not balked at all about replacing the rear jacks. Praise the Lord. This is the same company that I thought did us dirty on the refrigerator repair. Perhaps it was totally the fault of Texas Trader in LaFeria. Regardless that is good news. There is no reason the coach should not be finished when we arrive the 7th. I learned a pleasant surprise when I got home: Evelyn walked alone while I was gone. This is very good for her but she dislikes doing it. I was proud of her. We went to the potluck/Bible study at church. We continue to thank God for the blessing of Pastor John Greene. I did mention to him that Evelyn felt somewhat slighted by not being invited to last Saturday’s LWML tea in Franklin. He will mention it to some of the key women.