Paddling… finally!

After our move to Ohio and the reality of Katie’s long legs (e.g. she’ll no longer fit in the hatch of Jeff’s boat!) we purchased a tandem kayak so we could get back on the water. Saturday was the perfect day!  We went to LaDue Reservoir (about 35 minutes away) and enjoyed a great afternoon of paddling.  This was Katie’s first time with a paddle and she did a darn good job!  She also did some fishing with her pink Barbie fishing pole with a lovely pink worm attached.  Of course.

Here are some pictures from the day. 

Katie and Jeff take off!

  

Kerri and Katie

 

A family of Canada Geese

 

Any luck Katie?

 

Fishing makes Katie hungry!

 

and paddling makes her tired!

 

 

 

Girl’s Night at the Movies

I’m not sure where Katie came up with the idea but she has been planning tonight’s event all week long.  We ventured to the neighborhood movie store and picked out two movies: Jump In! and 27 Dresses.  You can guess which one I picked!  Of course, I was pretty sure it said it was rated G but that could be related to the fact I didn’t have my glasses with me and couldn’t quite read the fine print.  Oops!  Jeff was allowed to pick out a movie too but was clearly informed that he would not be allowed to watch with us.  He picked out Simpsons:  The Movie.  Yeah, go figure.

After making some popcorn, pulling out the bed in Mamaw’s room (AKA the guest room) and finding some comfy blankets, Katie and I curled up and giggled for the next couple of hours.  It was hilarious.  Every time there was a kiss on the screen she would cover her eyes – and mine!  At the end, with one final kiss she cried out “puh-lease!”  It was one of those nights I’ll long remember – especially in a few years when she won’t want to be caught dead watching a movie with me!  I am grateful for the gift of this daughter of mine!

Tomorrow is a paddling day and a picnic.  Pictures to follow!

 

Post-Pilgrimage?

Communion at the Sea of Galilee

I’m not sure one can ever be “post pilgrimage” which is the beauty of this experience, I suppose.  I find myself answering the inevitable question, “how was your trip?,” with three words that cannot even begin to capture my two weeks:  it was amazing. 

I began this journey with the words of Herman Haggedorn – keep open, oh keep open, my eyes, my mind, my heart but what became so formative for me throughout the journey in Galilee were the words from the song we sang as we “cruised” the Sea of Galilee – Jesus draw me close, closer Lord to you.  Let the world around me fade away…  Wow, did it ever.  I had identified what I needed from this journey without even realizing it in my application: 

There will always be more that can be done:  people to visit, letters to write, staffing situations to resolve, sermons and bulletins to prepare but what must happen first is the nurturing of my own relationship with the God who has called me to this place.

I was given the gift of making that connection anew.  On our first full-day in the Galilee, Deb (a Lutheran pastor from the Atlanta area) begain reading from Matthew 14:13 now when Jesus heard this…  The tears welled up as I realized that I was here… my feet were on the land, I was breathing the air and I there was nothing I HAD to do other than be. 

Each day was filled with new connections – with my own soul, with the biblical text as it literally came to life as we walked in Holy places (more the land than the churches that have been built to mark them), with pilgrims whose paths we crossed each day (a group from Nigeria became our “choir” as they would often be singing), with the fellow pilgrims in my group (I haven’t laughed and cried that much in a long time!) – it was an experience that will live within me and shape me for years to come. 

I really don’t think the CF Foundation will ever fully understand how transformative this gift is and will be for me.

 

On the plane to Atlanta there was a quote from John Steinbeck that captured the experience:  A journey is like a marriage.  The certain way to be wrong is to think you can control it.  It was a reminder to me that I didn’t need to be in control – and I was surprised how easily I gave that up.  The synchronicity of watching this man on the plane get so worked up with one of my fellow pilgrims as he listened to his IPOD while we were taxiing and wanting to control him was a not-so-gentle nudge that I do the same darn thing in so many ways.  And here I was on a trip where I didn’t have to control others! 

 

Nancy shared a poem with us before we left that concluded with these words:

For each of us there is a desert to travel

A star to discover

And a being within ourselves to bring to life

The gift of life – it can indeed happen without returning to the womb.    

There are more musings to bring to life, including some thoughts about the political strife that you breath and live when walking through Jerusalem.  Those are for another time.

 Oh, and the pictures will eventually be on our smugmug site.  Stay tuned!

 

Pilgrimage

On Sunday I depart for a two week pilgrimage to the Holy Land.  Early in the fall an email came across my screen with an invitation to apply for this experience.  “Might as well give it a try”, I told Jeff.  Along with 19 other mid-career pastors, I will spend a week at the Sea of Galilee at the Scots Hotel and a week in Jerusalem where we will explore different sites each morning.  Each afternoon will be free for reflection, journaling, prayer, and resting.  We’ll meet with our small groups each day and with the group as a whole each evening for reflection.  I’ve done my reading, made my packing list, prayed, pondered and now it is upon me.  To be honest, I’m not sure what to expect.  A friend of mine has asked me two questions:  what am I most looking forward to and what am I most anxious about?  There is so much to both responses that I’ve yet to narrow down an answer for her. 

In the meantime, I keep thinking of this quote from Herman Hagedornn I have used when leading groups and pray that I might use it for myself during this pilgrimage:

Keep open, oh keep open, my eyes, my mind, my heart. 

 

If you are interested, here is my itinerary:

Day 1 – February 17
Depart:  Cleveland to Atlanta to Frankfurt to Israel.  I’m tired already!   

Day 2 – February 18
Arrive at Lod Airport and drive directly to the retreat location in Galilee, The Scots Hotel.. Theme: Thanksgiving and awareness through prayer, listening, seeing. Group worship. Introduction of the big question: “God, why am I here?” 

Day 3 – February 19
Walk a trail to the top of the Cliff of Arbel for a panoramic view of the Sea of Galilee. Visible in the distance are the Plain of Gennesaret, Capernaum, the Mount of Beatitudes and Tabgha.  Descend the trail and drive to Capernaum. Theme: “Walking” as a practice in prayer, meditation, and spiritual formation. Overview of Jesus’ Galilean ministry. Scripture:  Mt. 4:18-22, Mt. 9:33-50. 

Day 4 – February 20
Mount of Beatitudes, Tabgha (traditional site of the loaves and fishes), and the Chapel of the Primacy of Peter (traditional site of Jesus’ appearance to the disciples while they were fishing, “Cast your nets on the other side.”) Theme: Jesus feeds us. Scripture:  John 21:1-24, Mt. 14:13-21. 

Day 5 – February 21
Journey to Kursi on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee (traditional site where Jesus healed the demoniac and cast the demons into swine) and return across the sea by boat. Theme: Stilling the storms of life.  Scripture:  Luke 8:22-25, John 6:16-21.  (I am leading worship this day). 

Day 6 – February 22
Drive through Galilee to Nazareth and, after exploring Nazareth, return by a different route that offers a better view of Mount Tabor (traditional Mount of Transfiguration). Theme: The Pilgrim from Nazareth.  Scripture:  Luke 2:39-40 and 51-52, Mt. 13:53-58. 

Day 7 – February 23
Drive north to Banias (Caesarea Philippi) and the foothills of Mount Hermon. Along the way pass Tell el-Qedah, the site of ancient Hazor. Scripture:  Mark 8:27-30, Mt. 16:13-20 

Day 8 – February 24                                                                                                                 Sunday morning worship. Spend the day in Galilee.  Sabbath rest and evening communion. 

Day 9 – February 25
Transfer from Galilee to Jerusalem.  The drive is not so long, but there are three important places to visit along the way:  Megiddo (Armageddon), Mount Carmel, and Caesarea.  Theme:  “This is the day the Lord has made.”  Scripture: Psalms 120-134. 

Day 10 – February 26
Morning walk into Jerusalem: from Mount of Olives via the Garden of Gethsemane and the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.  Theme: Praying in the Garden, touching the tomb.  Scripture: Mark 13:32-52, Mark 15:1-39. 

Day 11 – February 27
Jerusalem. Garden Tomb, the Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu on Mount Zion, and the Western (Wailing) Wall. Theme: City of David.  Scripture: Mark 14:53-72 

Day 12 – February 28
Morning excursion to Bethlehem.  Theme: “O Little Town of Bethlehem.”  Scripture: Luke 2:1-20. 

Day 13 – February 29
Full day excursion to the Dead Sea (Masada, Qumran, Jericho.) Theme: The two seas of the Jordan. Scripture: Luke 10:25-37. 

Day 14 – March 1
Free time.  Closing service/session for the experience. Theme: The Journey of Faith. Why did God want you here? What is God calling you to do? 

Day 15 – March 2                                                                                                                       Arrival in Atlanta and then home to Cleveland.  Yeah!

 

Fun in the snow!

 It has been a different sort of winter so far – some very cold days (-5 at the bus stop the other day – Jeff had bus duty!), a bit of snow (including the blizzard-like day in December), warm days (40ish), rain, then more snow…  honestly, I’d rather have the snow! 

Last Friday after school we headed out to the local snow sledding hill in the Cleveland Metroparks and had a great afternoon followed by a hot bowl of soup. 

Enjoy the pictures!

Katie and Jeff head to the hill

Ready, set, go!

Woo hoo!

What fun!

Kerri & Katie had fun, too…

 

Merry Christmas!

Katie at the Pioneer early service with her friend, Erin

We’ve had a wonderful day celebrating the birth of the Christ child… Katie slept until 7:30ish (it helps that she was up until 12:30a!).  Her joy was absolutely contagious and we enjoyed opening gifts, eating muffins, going for a walk, taking a nap! and getting ready to leave for California tomorrow. 

So far we are 0-2 in the “white Christmas” efforts.  Ah well, 70 and sunny in So Cal sures sounds like fun!  In-n-Out Burger here we come!

 

Another Sunny, er… Snowy Day in Cleveland!!!

From Southern California, home for 28 years… 

 

To Atlanta, home for 16 years…

 To CLEVELAND, home for a year now…

And we ask ourselves…

Why do people live in a city where it looks like THIS today when the Browns are playing football?!?!? 

Of course, while there is a blizzard going on outside, it IS very pretty…

So far we’ve gotten about 6 inches of snow today.  It’s blowing pretty hard outside.  We had to postpone the youth group Christmas party that was going to be at our place tonight.  So we’re settling in for the night in front of the fireplace with our hot cocoa and espresso.

Our friends here laugh at us and tell us that the novelty will wear off, but for now we actually like the snow and are having a lot of fun with it.  Of course we’ll see if we have to dig ourselves out in the morning!

 

Grateful…

 

 

 

• wonderful church leaders who seek ways to be faithful with the many decisions that come before them… and love to laugh!
• a sunny day
• a first-grader who loves to read – I often discover a pile of books next to her bed that she has read after we’ve tucked her in for the night. 
• a short commute!  I’m not kidding – I absolutely love that (although I don’t listen to near enough NPR anymore!)
• friends… here… there…
• opportunities to travel

Tonight Katie and I sat on the couch and listened to “Grateful” while flipping the pages.  I couldn’t help but get a bit teary as I watched and listened to my daughter sing:

I’ve got a roof over my head
I’ve got a warm place to sleep
Some nights I lie awake counting gifts
Instead of counting sheepI’ve got a heart that can hold love
I’ve got a mind that can think
There may be times when I lose the light
And let my spirits sink
But I can’t stay depressed
When I remember how I’m blessed
Grateful, grateful
Truly grateful I am
Grateful, grateful
Truly blessed
And duly gratefulIn a city of strangers
I got a family of friends
No matter what rocks and brambles fill the way
I know that they will stay until the endI feel a hand holding my hand
It’s not a hand you can see
But on the road to the promised land
This hand will shepherd me
Through delight and despair
Holding tight and always there

Grateful, grateful
Truly grateful I am
Grateful, grateful
Truly blessed
And duly grateful

It’s not that I don’t want a lot
Or hope for more, or dream of more
But giving thanks for what I’ve got
Makes me happier than keeping score

In a world that can bring pain
I will still take each chance
For I believe that whatever the terrain
Our feet can learn to dance
Whatever stone life may sling
We can moan or we can sing

Grateful, grateful
Truly grateful I am
Grateful, grateful
Truly blessed
And duly grateful

Truly blessed
And duly grateful.

~John Bucchino

 

 

 

One Year

One year ago today we were driving north, vehicles packed to the gills, listening to the Ohio State-Michigan game.  Katie slept most of the way in the back of my car.  Jeff and I would call each other occasionally to check in.  Stops for coffee, snacks, bathroom breaks and dinner kept us going.  We slept in our new house that night in sleeping bags and awoke early the next morning to open the door to Erik and crew to unload our stuff. 

 One year. 

 It is good to be settled in a new place.  We still get lost, still discover new  places, and still have plenty of boxes to unpack (surprised?). 

Home… Whittier, Oxnard, Decatur, Smyrna, Suwanee, Solon.  It is good to be home. 

 for the record, yes, we still miss our Atlanta gang…

 

Happy Halloween!

Lots of trick-or-treating happening at the P-D household!  Katie was… a princess.  I know you are all surprised.  This year it was Belle.  Belle, Mom and Mamaw had a great time touring the neighborhood and getting all sorts of goodies.  Meanwhile, Jeff – aka Linguini, the chef from Ratatouille, handed out the goodies dressed in character.  Belle, after a dozen or so houses, wanted to return home to be Linguini’s sous chef.  Here are some pictures of the evening.  Enjoy!

 Belle and Linguini

 Linguini, his sous chef and Remy – in the tongs…

the loot!