Busy February

Things have been pretty busy for February. For a short month, lots sure did happen.
I started a class at Andover Newton Theological School and that's taking a lot of time but it's worth it. I am learning a lot about worship, the church liturgical year, and how to make the two of them more meaningful and worshipful for God. Pretty amazing stuff.

On one Saturday night, I had the wonderful pleasure of attending the Boston Ballet's Romeo and Juliet with a friend from church. WOW o WOW what a wonderfully breathtaking performance. The Orchestra was amazing and the dancers were marvelous. I unfortunately don't have any pictures, well because, I could not take any. I figured I better not try.

Then my good friend Laura came up to visit for a long birthday weekend. She wanted to see snow and sure enough, she got it. 9 inches later, we were traveling around Boston and west there of to see some of the world.

On Friday, we trekked through the falling snow and traveled to Overlook Farm, one of the learning centers for www.heifer.org program. We saw some cows, goats, and new little baby goats. I am holding one of them. How cute is she? Or how cute is he? Not sure which one but it sure was cute. We also saw some baby yaks, but didn't know we saw them until later on. Please take note: don't go to a farm in the mountains of Massachusetts, without a hat and scarf. You just might get another sinus infection (for doing the same stupid thing you did in December) and possible bronchitis. stop laughing!

Anyway, then on Saturday, we went to the place...where everybody knows your name. Yes - we went to Cheers, had a great time, saw the bar where Norm sits, and enjoyed a warm and dry atmosphere. haha

And lastly on Saturday, we went to see a funny funny show called Menopause the Musical. Yes, that is right. Even though we are nowhere near that time, it was hysterical! Go to www.menopausethemusical.com to see a few clips from the show. It was a great celebration of "the change" as they call it. They took several well known songs and changed a few words to make it personal to the situation. To see the women in that theater laugh so hard they cry, and then to dance on stage with the actresses at the end - they were embracing the time. It was remarkable to see. For those of you in Richmond, the show is going to be in Norfolk. You should consider going to see it.

My birthday was this past Wednesday. Another year older. I enjoyed dinner out with a couple of people from church and then lunch the next day with my good friend/colleague/boss Charley. He asked how do I celebrate my birthday nowadays. He knows what happened 11 years ago. It's hard to say really. I don't have the advantage of being able to visit my dad as the others do but I get to visit in other ways. My birthday is not like it was 12 years ago and I am not sure it would be different if nothing happened. As you get older, it does not matter so much. What's more important is spending time with people you care about and I did, whether it was on the phone, visits, or meals.

I heard on a recent show a strong piece of advice: Remember this day as 56 years of life (38 years for me) instead of one moment of death. I know that's what Dad would want and so do I.

It was a great month, busy, but good. Now, it's time to focus on March and looking foward to the following:

• Seeing Coach K get win # 800
• a visit from my dear friend Steve who will soon be "Dr. Steve",
• The Acc Tournament
• a wonderful St. Patricks' Day,
• March Madness,
• Maundy Thursday Tenebrae Service,
• Easter Sunrise and Sunday services
• and my first 5K Race.

Here we go!