January 31 – “A Visit from the Wordsmith”

We had a visit the other day from Chris’ Aunt Jean and her husband.  Chris and her aunt haven’t seen each other in many years, but they have kept up with letters and subsequently emails.  Chris really looked forward to the letters, and after reading a few excerpts, so did I.   Aunt Jean is quite the wordsmith.  And she had an apparently beautiful home in Washington State.  Many of her letters described her garden full of flowers that exploded with color and beauty. 

They are on a cross-country vacation trip in a little jeep.  It held all the luggage they needed, and they figured by the time they headed back to Washington they might need the four-wheel drive.  What a thing to have to consider.  I’m proud of them for thinking ahead, though.  I remember one of our vacations many, many years ago (long before our wake-up-call-to-all-things-cold life in Colorado) when we were on our way to the Baseball Hall of Fame in New York State (Cooperstown).  As the afternoon began to transition onto early evening, we began to notice an unusual sight.  Smoke coming from chimneys of the houses.  Now it was September, as I recall, and we lived in Houston at the time.  We packed shorts and t-shirts because in the swamps that is a particularly hot and muggy time of year.  Fortunately, though, the ever-vigilant Chris had tossed in a windbreaker for each of us at the last minute.  So, yes, I appreciate planning in that regard.

The visit was a lot of fun, particularly because they were so interested in Galveston and its history.  We drove from our house out to ferry road (“We have ferries in Washington that take people to Alaska”).  We made a quick swing through part of downtown.  Couldn’t get to the Strand, of course, because the streets were blocked off for Mardi Gras.  Then we drove out to the church on the West End to give them a taste of just how big (or little) our Island really is. 

Lunch stop was Salsa’s for some Mexican food.  I know.  Come to the coast and not order seafood.  But the thing was, they had pigged out at a Joe’s Crab Shack the day before.  And besides, Aunt Jean missed Mexican food more than anything since she moved to Washington many years before.  Just can’t find a good taco up there, apparently.  Oh, and we had to help her with her order.  She knew refried beans, but charro beans were a new concept for her.  She gave them a try and they got a big thumbs up.    They were a fun couple, and it’s always great watching Chris’ face light up when she reconnects with someone like that.

1 John 2:9 says, “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.”

Father, thank you for reconnections and long-term friendships and family that is forever.  Amen.