Off to Warm Springs

Emily stopped off on her way from Mobile to Warm Springs just long enough to eat a little lunch and print the directions to the campus. I believe it's around a 2-hour drive from here. She was dreading it a little, finding out what her living conditions were going to be, but she called later and said things were looking good. She had found someone to run with, and some of them were on the way to the grocery store. It'll be a good experience.

Mama and I went to church for the first time in about 3 weeks, and it was good to see everyone. I feel lucky to have discovered Lakeview and feel so much at home now. Another lady who had fallen was back with her brace on after a collision with a dog had kept her down about the same length of time as Mama. The young youth minister who was hit in the eye with a football last fall and didn't know if he would ever see again was there with enough sight to get around nicely. I don't know all the details, but he seems great. We even sang Happy Birthday to the oldest member who is turning 97 tomorrow. She doesn't look like it with her nicely painted fingernails and red suit.

It's nice to look at the choir now and know people - to know Mike and Glen are such good caring guys with a good sense of humor; to know that Libby loves heirloom sewing as much as I do - and has her own business; others I don't know the names of except one is a gardener and that 3 of them belong to the same family. It's taken a year, but I feel like I know so many names now and who most people belong to. The first few months, I dreaded the time after the first prayer for the milling around and greeting, but now I look forward to it. The choir comes down and mingles and sometimes have to be herded back. The sermon today was taken from Philippians 3:13: Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before. Not worrying about the mistakes we make in 2008 but making 2009 better.

I worked all afternoon so nothing special there. I hoped for a nice thunderstorm but didn't get it. Now it's time to read a little before bed. The days pass so fast. I hope to get a lot more done tomorrow. Getting Mike and Lise to help me clean out the garage over Christmas was a major accomplishment, and it looks so much better. And Emily and Ryan got all my Christmas stuff back into the attic except for one rogue box that was hiding in Mama's computer room. Thanks, everybody!