Transition To Paradise: The Week In Thanks

School wasn't completely out this week.

Fictional school was out. Our 12-performance run of Spelling Bee kept Hidden Blog flush with photos and comments, and was a merry ride from start to finish with a tremendous small group. We averaged around a hundred visitors per performance, more than enough to get the walls bouncing with laughter of all ages. Considering that I'd started training for the Bee in January, last Sunday marked a new, clean page on the calendar.

I spent a couple hours tutoring a student. A few others have expressed interest. This will likely be a quiet, steady trickle of activity through the summer, leaving plenty of time to conjure up plans to boost the business with gusto in the fall.

High school activities colored the week. As mentioned earlier I attended a two-day leadership camp. It had the feel of a nonpartisan, fledgling ministry of wholesome values. Most of the feedback for change centered around converting it from lecture-based to activity-based, which opens exciting possibilities for the future.

I spent hours outdoors reading my birthday book from Dena called Start, about launching life into an awesome new direction. I also read a history book about the 1960 Rome Olympics and the many inspirational lessons of gold medalists Rafer Johnson, Wilma Rudolph, and other athletes who fell short of their goals.

I was fortunate to receive some well-wishes from former State Farm co-workers, and a warm reception from many at Normal Community High School and around the neighborhood with congratulations on moving on to this next phase of life's journey.

Spring continues to assert itself as poetically as ever. This week was sprinkled with warm clouds and rain of various thickness throughout, a delightful mix of patchy blue sky and flourishing foliage. Dena and I took it all in one breezy late afternoon after a couple hours of exercise, parking on the front step and sipping water easily, the scent of mowed grass and softened earth registering with each delicious breath. The swimming pool guys are in the process of opening for the summer season, but these last few weeks before then still conjure up the spirit of awakening.

We hit the eastern trail (interstate 74, to be exact) next Saturday to join the rest of Dena's family in North Carolina for a week of true recreation, a thousand miles from the nearest responsibility. God willing it will be a sun-kissed holiday, with the reverent undertone of the ocean tide in our ears. And occasionally, the visions of FIFA video soccer dominance... a recent league championship being another gaudy accomplishment afforded by the blessing of time.

The ministry of the future lies in wait, and we're looking forward to another sensational week of abundance and growth from God's path. May the rains and sunshine fall gently upon the shoulders of us all between the Sundays.