Out and About

Last Friday was a dull, gray day. I was on the road at 6:30 a.m., leaving the heavy mist behind when I hit the Alabama line. In Pascagoula, MS, I headed north and west. I saw the remnants of Katrina along the road: piles of broken branches, trees uprooted, household debris -- trikes and mattresses and bathroom vanities -- piled in cairns and waiting to be picked up. Huge diesel trucks were plying the highways, their tall, plywood-enhanced boxes filled with trash. Southern Mississippi is a somber place in the wake of Katrina (and Rita), but life goes on there. Despite the blue FEMA roof tarps and the broken toys, the people were picking up and rebuilding. I drove past the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg and headed for Jackson when I joined I-20 West. It's a long drive from where I live to Shreveport in the NW corner of Louisiana. I arrived, safe and tired, after 5 p.m.

It's always good to see my sister, even though it's hard to believe this little lady who has been married longer than I have used to be my baby sister. Jen came along when I was eleven and my mom was sick, so I spent a lot of time playing mom with a real life baby. I changed diapers, prepared meals, dressed Jen and put her to bed. She is definitely her own person now and all grown up, but it amazes me how the tender spots in the heart persist. Same goes for my brother, Andrew, though I don't get to see him very often. Now, he's a big, handsome man that works for a bank. Then, he was the skinny, sometimes fearful, little boy who wore Garanimals and liked to play with Tonka trunks. I don't have any children of my own, but I've always felt like I did at one time.

I'm so proud of my sister. She's working full time now as a receptionist for a company that repairs helicopters. They've been busy; all the storms this year have brought in plenty of business. Jen says that she greeted one of their Japanese clients in his own language and her boss was impressed. Jen has also started back to college and is struggling with math this term. I remember my own struggle with algebra all to well. We're just not math people. Ironically enough, my brother who couldn't balance a checkbook when he was younger now works for a mega-bank. Go figure. Anyway, one of the things we did while I was there was clean up the room Jen and husband Randy use for an office and make a quiet space for her to study. We bought a desk lamp at WalMart and hung a velour blanket for a curtain. Now, she can go in there and study when Randy is watching anime.

Jen and I enjoyed shopping on Saturday. We had lunch out at McAlister's, home of deservedly-famous iced tea (sweet, but not too sweet). In the evening, Jen made spaghetti and we all sat down for a yummy dinner. Jen fell out of bed and badly broke her wrist a while back, and it hurts her from time to time when the pressure changes. I didn't realize how bad the break was until I saw her arm AFTER the brace came off; she has scars from that thing that looked like a torture device. Saturday night, her wrist was bothering her, so she went to bed early and I slipped away to read some in a novel I'd brought along.

The next morning we cleaned up the office and got ready to go to church. Jen goes to a large Methodist church that has two Sunday services, one traditional and one contemporary. Jen goes to the second because she sings with the worship team. She's always had a beautiful voice and sang with the college choir in Bakersfield. The songs chosen were worship choruses and the music seemed curtailed and disjointed. There are many Big Churches in the South. I don't know, there may be Big Churches everywhere, but I've seen huge behemoth brick buildings with massive spires along every interstate. I imagine they have hundreds, possibly thousands of worshippers at these churches and I wonder if building Big Churches is a good idea. Maybe it would be better if, when a congregation reaches 200 or so, some of the members leave to start another church. They could still be affiliated with the "home church," but could reach out in a different area and meet needs in a new community. It seems to me that Big Churches require bigger and bigger buildings, more pastors and staff, more maintenance, more of just about everything. Could the resources be used in a more efficient way? Could we be better stewards? Jesus did more with a lot less.

The other trend I've noticed is that large denominational churches are splitting down the middle when it comes to worship. Many of them now have "traditional" and "contemporary" services which inevitably leads to two congregations that meet at different times and have no real contact with each other. I've been to both traditional and contemporary services in which the worship didn't "work." Traditionalists who sing hymns written in the 15th century; contemporary worshippers who sing snippets of choruses over and over and over. Some will say that this division is a reflection of what the religious consumer wants; we live in a world, let's face it, where worshippers (or seekers) are shoppers and they will go where they feel their needs are met. But, still. Our former, small Presbyterian church had two separate services years before going to a single, blended worship service on Sunday. Was everyone pleased? No. Was the struggle worth it? I think so. Blended worship that utilizes traditional hymns (with words we know and use today) and newer hymns (like the ones coming out of Ireland) seem, to me, to be the best compromise.

When I returned on Monday, I found out that the pot bellied pig had shown up again. The pig turned up over on our property when my husband was working on the trailer. He tossed her an apple core and she followed him back to the motor home. That was not a good idea. My grandfather got his rifle and shot her to protect his turnips and collards. I felt sorry for the pig and wish she had just gone off into the woods and lived on roots and shoots. But, then again, she was someone's pet. She'd probably dined on pig chow and table scraps before she was dumped in the woods. In other creature news, two large snakes have been spotted, one on the dam and another behind the barn. My father says the snakes will come out now, during the warm part of the day, to look for a hole to spend the night. It is very cool and foggy when I walk in the mornings, but still I say a prayer for protection. Doesn't hurt.

Good news: our trailer was inspected and approved yesterday! We should have the power on today or Monday and then we'll make what will be our final move for a while. We have toted all the stuff from the barn (except Ed's tools) over to the trailer; next week I will start unpacking and putting things away. We have already picked out a spot on the wall near the front door for my grandfather clock, the beautiful clock that came to me from my grandmother, through my father. Ed said the inspection went well and the inspector told him that his plumbing work looked better than some contractors' he'd seen. Kudos for Ed who has worked so hard the past two months getting our new home ready for occupancy. I'm proud of him, my honey and my hero.

Guess that's the news for now. We are still having warm, sunny days in Florida (highs in mid-80s), but we have been able to open our windows at night and enjoy the cool breeze. We look forward to sitting on our porch soon, relaxing in the evening with a view of the lake.