Preparing to leave

By Kyle Small -

Well it is less than 48 hours until I board the plane for my eight-week trip to Germany. I was hoping to be more prepared for the language than I currently feel that I am, but isn't this always the case. I am looking forward to a chnage in pace, however. No cell phone, over-booked schedule or home projects (this month alone, Lindsay and I had carpet, vinyl and woodfloors installed, repaired the fron tdoor, replaced a doorknob, and painted the office).

I will miss Lindsay and Grover. She will keep busy with church and connecting with friends; Grover will stay busy with sleeping, barking at birds, and chasing flies. I am thankful that we will not be apart for more that 22 days, since Lindsay will join me at the end of July. We plan to visit Paris, Amsterdam and one other city.

I will also miss out church. It is good to be part of such a wonderful, encouraging group of people. I look forward to visiting churches in Europe, but I will also miss the consistent and welcoming faces of Excelsior. It is good to have a comfortable, place to worship - in the midst of life's chaos, church offers a stable dwelling place for the wondering pilgrim.

I do wish that I could have seen my parents, Kari and Eric, Connor and Carter. This will have to wait until the Fall. I look forward to the upcoming trip, and I look forwar to the joy of returning home.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Moving, Healing, and Times of Transition

By -
Image
               We have a spreadsheet for this season. The final column is for the dog. When I first made the spreadsheet, she wasn’t included. Then the plans were made to pack, travel, and move. Everything made sense until we asked about the dog’s whereabouts. I admit it is nice for the confusion to be about a dog. It’s been a  dogged  two years, yet our family is intact; our home is selling; the children are registered for schools; I get to keep my job; and Lindsay has an incredible opportunity on the horizon. But the real news is some we have been waiting for since February. Madeline had her MRI and CAT scan early in the morning last Thursday. A few hours later the results were available in MyChart. Lindsay called to read it to me. She hadn’t yet read it herself, so we were bracing to hear the words for the first time together. I was so anxious and even as positive words laced the opening lines, I was waiting for the “but.” The report communicated several things: 1. Decreased cervica
Read more

Returning to the ECC

By -
Image
Returning to ECC artwork by Julie Courtney Excelsior, MN We  were reflecting on Ida B. Wells and Sojourner Truth when the email came through acknowledging the activation of my ordination in the Evangelical Covenant Church. I was attending a conference centered on African American Religious autobiographies at the time. Somewhere between a discussion of Sojourner Truth’s words to Douglass, “Is God Dead?” and the autonomous power of Ida B. Wells defending Douglass’ white wife, I saw the email notification. Someone invited the rest of us to hear   Ida B Wells’ words, “Because white people forget Christianity and good breeding when dealing with those who belong to the darker races is no justification for this dark race to do the same. I cannot see it any other way than that the truly Christian, well-bred person is always so, no matter with whom they come in contact.” The decision to activate my Covenant ordination and suspend my ordination in the Reformed Church in American is not without
Read more

Returning to the Mitten - Small Family Update

By -
Image
Running - What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger? I went for a run on Thursday morning at the end of April. I was in West Michigan for a consulting project and enjoying a later start to the day. I left my in-laws house to run a route I enjoyed many years ago. Lindsay's uncle has a home on my West Michigan running route, and I decided to stop to say hello while running. I simply wanted to offer a hug and enjoy some connection. It was a delightful pitstop. I said, "I miss you." He said, "I miss you, too. Come home." His demeanor was energizing and directness a bit unraveling. His words fell distinctly on my ears. I continued running and his words wouldn’t leave me. I kept running and wondering if/how I should tell Lindsay about the encounter. Siri called Lindsay while I continued running. I wasn't going too fast (I couldn't if I tried according to my son). I asked Lindsay, "What if I said when we leave for Bethany we will not be returning to South
Read more