Good afternoon.
We didn’t fly and rent a car like some
suggested we do. We took our time and
drove. We went a total of over 4,400
miles, but were able to stop here and there, look at this or that, and
generally took a rather leisurely pace to get there and back. I think the longest we were in the car driving
somewhere was about 7 hours. Of course,
that also included several stops for gas, the restroom, and just to stretch.
I won’t bore you with what all we saw
and did. I will say that we saw the
Flight 93 Memorial, the Gettysburg Battlegrounds, the Louisville Slugger Bat
factory, the Hershey Chocolate place, and other places of interest. We took the Mount Washington cog
railway. We picked apples at an apple
orchard. We saw a maple syrup “farm,”
talked with the owners and came home with one pint less than a gallon of maple
syrup. We found that there is a town
called Jay, New York that boasts one of the longest covered bridges in the
region. We brought along some knick-knack
type things that we picked up in gift shops.
We also bought some books for the wife to read.
And we saw some rather amazing sights
in terms of foliage and scenery. But , if
you want to read more about all of that, you can do so when I’ve finished my
memoirs of the trip. Ask me for the
link.
But I will tell you that each of the
two Sundays we were gone, we attended church services at a Church of Christ in
the community where we had spent Saturday night. The first Sunday was in Endwell, New York, a
smaller community just west of Binghamton.
The second Sunday was in Poland, Ohio, a suburb of Youngstown. Each of those churches were unique; yet each
filled our spirits and refreshed us as we traveled.
The New York church had an attendance
of about 15 people. It clearly was
struggling to stay afloat. The minister
there was concerned that he may have to find other work. Yet, the people there were friendly,
welcoming, and seemed to enjoy each other’s company as well as ours. We shared communion with them, prayed with
them, and took in the lessons that were taught.
It was somewhat difficult for me to leave there as I knew that in a
short time, that church may no longer be active. I felt for those who would have to make that
decision.
The second Sunday in Poland was a little
different in that the congregation there numbered about 70 on that day. Again, the people were outgoing, friendly,
and welcoming. They were much more
active, having had a get-together just the evening before, feasting on wings
and sides, playing outdoor games, and enjoying one-another’s company. We didn’t have to make much of an effort to
introduce ourselves as they were outgoing in nature and made us feel
comfortable from the beginning.
I tell you about these two churches to
also tell you that if you believe corporate worship is important, then it should
continue to be important even if you are away from your home congregation. You should be able to find some place while
on the road where you can meet with others and share in the worship of our Lord. Even if you’re somewhat introverted as we
both are, most people in most places will make an effort to make you feel
welcome.
All in all, it was a somewhat tiring,
but enjoyable time seeing places that we had never seen before, and probably
would never visit again. We’re at that
stage in life when some of the things we see and do are the last times we’ll
see and do. And that’s OK. We’ve lived a long and blessed life together,
the missus and me. We’ve seen a lot,
done a lot, and enjoyed the life that God has given each of us.
We’re not ready to kick the bucket
just yet, though. We have, if God wills,
some time yet to continue to see and do some things we’ve always wanted to see
and do, but until now haven’t had the time or the resources. One of these days, we’ll pass this life on to
someone else, but for now, we are thankful and grateful.
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