We started out the week a little closer to paradise, at least weather-wise, with Jack and his girlfriend Kate in Santa Monica California. It was our first time to the West Coast since our honeymoon, and the Pacific Ocean kept things as temperate as we remembered it.
Jack and Kate were a happy couple. He pitched a couple of winning softball games, gave us a tour of the pier and beach. They got us into a gym to work out. We took in a spectacular comedy club competition. They took great care of us, and they tell a great story of how they met.
The Pacific Ocean reminded me of how vast and uncertain the risks were when Christopher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic five hundred years ago. Knowledge of food, medicine, and navigation were much poorer. There was no guarantee of there being any land in the distance, so there was a decent chance that it was a starvation death journey. And I'm so thankful that they planted seeds that nowadays have blossomed into this great America.
Our flight to and from home was smooth. The weather cooperated with our short layovers, enabling us to leave fairly late morning and arrive early evening. Air travel has come a long way in its efficiency during the last ten years. Now that we're used to removing shoes, traveling without carry-on liquids, and bringing our own food aboard, it's easy to think of the many hours saved by the luxury of flight.
Despite taking the week of from tutoring, I ended with two more new students on the block. I may set a season high of tutoring hours by the time next week is over.
Alabama continued to roll on undefeatedly, and the Cardinals have eked out a 2-1 World Series lead. In less than a week fantasy basketball will heat up.
It's remarkable how crisis-free the last several months have been. Our families are all in stable or above health. Our home's avoided gas or water leaks, major car malfunctions. Our work has been low-stress. Compared with the poverty simulation I went through a week ago, where single parents, crime, or other random acts can lock someone into an endless loop of helplessness and struggle. A memorable phrase from the short Bible study Dena and I have been attending says:
"Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for God will be with you wherever you go."
The calmness of the summer has backed that kind of faith.
And now the calendar has turned to fall. Germs are all around, but we've been healthy. And going on dates. And mostly at peace. I heard this morning a quote that "a culture of mercy leads to a culture of life." May this upcoming week be a merciful one!
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