Second Weekend of November

What a good weekend this was.

1. Thursday Night with Richard. I have an across the street neighbor who moved here from Montana with his wife in hopes that she would recover from the cancer that wracked her body. But when they moved here she died. And now he's here by himself. He's a self-proclaimed hermit, actually making a sign above one of his doors that says "The Hermit".

He caught me coming into my house on Wednesday night. He wanted to talk...I think he just wanted to be with somebody. He showed me all of his amazing model airplanes and ships and trains. Somehow in our conversation, I found out that he hardly ever has anything good to eat, and I suggested that we eat together on Thursday night.

So I came over and we ate stuffed shells (aubrey made them...but was at class) and watched the first half of "The Greatest Story Ever Told". He got choked up several times during the movie and said that there are days when he can't stop crying when he thinks of how wonderful his wife, Mary, was. He said they were lovers till the end.

After the movie he played some big band music on his CD player and we talked about the war (WW 2) and his history. Then I went home. I like Richard. I wish he didn't have to live all by himself and never see his family.

2. Friday Night with Randy, Lorena and Brendan. Aubrey and I hung out with my good friend Randy and his family. We went to a viewing of Joann's father and then out to Red Lobster for supper. Aubrey and I were thankful we had two gift cards for the place, b/c it's stupid expensive there. But we had a great time talking with them. I mostly joked around with Brendan, Randy's son...he's a funny guy.

3. Saturday hike with Aubrey. Aubrey and I went to Pine Grove Furnace State Park. Geez, it's nice to get away and relax with the most beautiful woman in the world. She's a quality lady. A deep thinker and a compassionate heart. And the weather was beautiful. The hike culminated in a breathtaking view from the top of a cliff that jutted out above the treeline, giving us a perspective on the lake and valley below us.

4. Sunday lunch with Doris and friends. Doris, from church, invited us and other pastor's over to her house. Wow, she is a great cook. My favorite was the smoked pork and the corn pudding. I walked out of that house feeling like it was Thanksgiving or Christmas.

5. Sunday supper with friends, Amy and Jeremy. Aubrey new Amy from Messiah. They are a fun and deep couple. We laughed, we talked about what matter, we laughed some more, we enjoyed Aubrey's great cooking.