A project is never really done, is it? But here’s the deal. I had estimated that about 1 year ago (April 2011) I’d be done with our kitchen remodel, and I’m proud to announce that 1 year later than my original estimate I’m ready to post pictures.
Let the record show, though, the kitchen has been pretty well done since August, with some finishing touches throughout the fall.
Let the record also show that my father is amazing and helped with so many steps along the way. The kitchen itself is a regular reminder of how helpful, knowledgeable, and instrumental my dad was in making it all happen. Shall we see a few pictures?
We were eager to get started, so our before pictures already show our old cabinets off the wall, but here’s our humble beginning:
We removed half the wall between the kitchen and dining room you see above. We aslo moved the door in the picture above to make for a better passage to the laundry room and back door and also accommodate for the bar stools.
Next up: demolition.
And careful and progressive reconstruction…
And texturing the kitchen wall to match the dining room…now that they’re connected.
Annnnnnnnnd…..the final product! Including Jess’ great homemade floating shelves.
Jon Wasson is a smart man.
I first met Jon at the Duke Divinity Convocation and Pastors School. Jon was there just like me and some others from Youthfront to simply learn. We weren’t connected to Duke, but recognized it would be a great weekend to learn. We heard from N.T. Wright, Andy Crouch, and Rob Bell. I’m still benefitting from stuff I learned there.
Jon continues to be a smart man and is headed to Princeton Theological Seminary soon. Eventually he’ll be one of those big name Christian thought people that you will be proud to have met at a conference one time. I mean, the dude already has his own .com.
Last week Jon tweeted this:
I immediately retweeted and added I could not agree more. That’s how the Twitter syntax works, you know…you put one of these | in after you quote a person, and then you get to say whatever you want.
Speaking of getting to say whatever you want, this is one of the great forces of the internet right? Especially as it relates to social media. As you can see above, there were a couple quick responses to the tweet. To be fair, Barret later added this:
but David’s point is well taken. You can do whatever you want with social media and yes, you can be annoying, but is annoying wrong? Is being completely forthcoming and honest on Facebook the wrong way to use it? I say yes. I say yes for many reasons. First, let’s make a distinction.
Jon’s words are carefully chosen such that he is making a claim about a person’s emotional stability. This is more than just an annoying status, or one of those “worst day of my life” proclamations. I haven’t talked to Jon, so I can’t be sure what he has in mind, but the emotional stability part for me is people who repeatedly and regularly post about how bad their life is. These people seem to only use social media to cry out to anyone who will listen: “I’m hurting”.
The problem with this is that social media isn’t the place to carry around an open wound. While you may receive the occasional sympathetic response, compared to true relationship, where a person can be present with you while you are hurting, to do this in such an incomplete way online is more pathetic than sympathetic.
It’s true we are made for relationship. But relationships online are only partial facsimiles of real relationship. When you tweet something to your few hundred followers that is personal and real, you aren’t having a conversation. You aren’t able to be on the receiving end of that communication to see a person’s reaction or hear their feedback. You can guess or assume what your friends may think, but the feedback loop is broken.
We all crave feedback though, don’t we? I do. I do more than I should. And online, what can you do to illicit feedback if the typical everyday tweets aren’t getting you there? Up the ante. Suddenly you find responses if your statuses are so raw, outlandish, or pointed that it forces people to react. The reaction can be both negative and positive, but regardless, you’re getting a response. This is like a drug. It will never pay out what it claims, and eventually leave you in a desolate place, more alone than when you began.
I wholeheartedly argue that you can use social media in the wrong way, but maybe not wrong in the sense that I am annoyed by your statuses. I think you can use it wrong because continued use in a destructive way renders you less than the person you are made to be. Frequent and sustained partial interactions will eventually cloud your perception of what a true interaction is. I worry for people in my life who seem to be on this path because of how it will hurt them. So, it’s not wrong for my sake, it’s wrong for their sake. There’s a reason we are instructed to guard our hearts. Everything flows from there. It’s important to take great care with what we expose and to whom.
Because of my role with Youthfront, I get to have lots of wonderful relationships with high school and college students. This is one of the great joys of my life. I have also had several personal (face-to-face) conversations with people about the way that they present themselves on Twitter and Facebook. I think these venues are more volatile and powerful than we recognize. It’s too easy to send something out and not understand how your message is received. It’s too easy to say something you wouldn’t say to a person face-to-face. This is also why cyber-bullying has become so rampant and hurtful.
I love Twitter because it gives me glimpses into people’s lives and days. It helps me to be in relationship with people because I can ask questions about experiences people have had when I do get to talk with them in person. It’s a wonderful way to stay connected, but like anything, it has a dark side. We must be careful to not elevate social media into a place that says anything goes, and all is fair game. It isn’t.
May we make Proverbs 4 our prayer. May we heed the words spoken ages before social media existed and ages beyond our lives or understanding:
23 Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.
24 Keep your mouth free of perversity;
keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead;
fix your gaze directly before you.
26 Give careful thought to the[c] paths for your feet
and be steadfast in all your ways.
Jesus, it’s so hard to live like you.
It’s 2012 after all. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about leadership in the last few years. I honestly have never really considered myself a leader until recently. Even when I was (by title) a leader, I didn’t know what it meant to be a leader. I still don’t. I have thoughts though. Here’s one for today:
Even if you are a great leader: inspiring, care-full, kind, slow to speak, educated, relational, whatever—if you are focused on your goals and busy (as many leaders are) with all of your commitments to the point where you can’t waste time with people, you lose.
There’s so many times when a leader in my life has said to me “hey we should get together” when we both know the reality is that once the person has finally finished all tasks for the day he or she disappears—fried—spent. It’s not a lack of desire to actually spend time with me, it’s that the rigors of the leadership tasks have taken everything the person has. There’s simply nothing left. It’s Isaiah 5:8
8 Woe to you who add house to house
and join field to field
till no space is left
and you live alone in the land.
There’s no margin. And without margin, you can’t waste time. Not with your family, and certainly not with your coworkers. Yet, isn’t it in the wasting that we find true relationship? Isn’t it after all of the business conversations and let’s-get-this-done meetings that our posture actually changes and we’re open to relationship and engagement in a true way?
Can you imagine board room Jesus? Or even busy church leader Jesus? Can you imagine Jesus calling meetings and strategizing, or thinking about who to hire or fire, or what programs to end or begin? Maybe…
But can you also imagine Jesus—tired—after a long day, going to a remote place where he can simply rest and hang out with people? Jesus did this a lot. Sometimes crowds followed him (and he provided food), other times it was just Jesus and the disciples, and still others Jesus would disappear to be alone (a whole other blog). One thing is certain: Jesus wasted time with people, and this may be the best way to show people you care…more than giving them a better 401k, or having a 15 minute check-in meeting, or giving them a cool project to work on, or taking them to a 30 minute lunch. Waste time with people. See what happens. See how your heart grows.
Jesus, it’s so hard to live like you.
August!
It seems everyone knows this by now, but especially given the nature of this little blog, if ever there was a notable milestone to mark, this would be one. Jess and I will be parents soon. This is wonderful news for our family, and we’re excited. This Thursday she will already be 16 weeks, and our due date is August 16th. Many preparations have begun already, and many are to come. Most of these relate to our house, or procuring items that have been foreign to us until now (crib, changing table, car seat, rocker, breast pump, bottles, clothes clothes clothes, wall decor, stroller, high chair, toys, etc. etc. etc.). Speaking of the house, I am still planning to put up some finished pictures of our kitchen soon.
Remember that project? Per my post last February…this project was to be finished in April. April 2011. Well…it definitely wasn’t. But it came in under a year for sure. Actually the kitchen has been functional since last summer, but something happened along the way…
I guess I got a little bit addicted to remodeling. Actually, here’s how it happened:
Really excited to begin —-> Really vexed by problems —-> Learning how to do stuff —-> Solving problems —-> Gaining experience and enjoying mastering each little step —-> Getting some good help from friends / dad —-> Finally have a functional (but not finished kitchen) —-> TOTAL BURNOUT….(if it’s useable, and I’ve devoted all my free time to it for a while, why not just use it and get to the rest whenever it feels good?) —-> Kick in the pants from Jess to FINISH —-> Slow but sure progress/finishing touches —-> well…that’s still happening…and I like it!
Pictures forthcoming…
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This will be the last post this summer about Youthfront Camp South. If you’re tired of hearing about camp, I apologize. If you’re tired of hearing about my life outside of camp, you’ll just have to wait until next summer ;-)
Tomorrow we share our last day together. Cabin leaders finished up on July 30th and we have had the last week and a half with our eastern orthodox friends renting the place, and now a free youth worker retreat where full-time youth workers and their families are welcomed here to enjoy all aspects of camp and get to hang out for a few days. It’s been a blast.
Last week while conducting an exit interview with one of our staff we began to talk about what is special or different about Youthfront. One of the things he mentioned about summer staff was that it really felt like Youthfront was not a place that tried to force anything on kids or create an unhealthy environment, but rather, one of openness and willingness to engage with kids in whatever place they come here in.
I said “yeah…that’s right”
Of course there is a tension there. We want kids, in some cases, to be confronted by a loving God who sent Jesus to be in relationship with us and be the perfect sacrifice on the cross, bearing the sins of the entire world on his shoulders. This message, does not always come when kids find it most convenient or when they are ready to stop texting or talking with friends and finally listen. Sometimes it breaks in. We want to be receptive to the Holy Spirit and its ability to move above, around, behind, or beside us as we share life with kids here.
But the environment we work to cultivate is super important.
And we don’t always see results.
But even that is important, because results are what we as adults are looking for. It’s not what kids are searching for. It’s not the kind of work Christ is inviting us into either. But results are tangible, shareable, sellable…
It’s hard to fully describe to anyone what we try to do here. What happens here also takes time to grow in a person before it can even be put to words.
Here’s what we don’t try to do (anymore):
Create a busy place that has the most energetic and funny speaker, the loudest and craziest worship band, the newest and best attractions, or the ability to set kids on fire to go back to wherever they came from and really do it this time.
Instead, we try to s l o w k i d s d o w n .
We’re lucky enough if they can spend a week here in the summer, and if they do make it here amidst all the work responsibilities, family trips, sports conditioning, etc. etc., it’s time for a break. It’s time to slow down and listen. It’s time to be in a place where God is present in a multitude of ways. It’s time to be in a place that doesn’t expect you to look or feel or act a certain way, or give a certain answer, or be able to explain, in 30 seconds, exactly what happened to you while you were here and how you will be different leaving here.
It’s time to awaken, to what God may actually be inviting each of us into, before we go out and simply serve or do something.
So we participate in fixed hour prayer, experiential learning, 600 acres of trails and sacred space, stations of the cross, group conversation, worship through music, drawing, collage making, question-asking, and prayer. We hear from a storyteller who helps us to see and interact with God’s story in ways that perhaps we have not understood before. Then kids share with each other what they’re thinking, feeling learning, and the ways that God is speaking to them during these times.
And so no, it’s not a mission trip, though we try to think about our world and how we can participate in the work of restoration, it’s not a camp high, though if kids leave here with a renewed or new passion and zeal we’re glad, and it’s not a place where we have set the dials so kids will have to fit into a narrow window of what it means to be a Christian.
It’s retreat, listening, opening, and asking. It’s finding God where God may be found and listening for the voice of the Holy Spirit. It’s a place in kid’s lives where they are enlivened and enriched, sometimes transformed, but always formed.
And here’s what I mean, really, when it comes to real kids.
1) I’m having a Facebook conversation as I type this with a camper who was here two weeks ago. I followed his cabin as they participated in an experiential approach to the stations of the cross together. This young man did not engage at all. While his whole cabin stood around each station and read together, prayed together, and engaged in a hands-on experience, this fellow just sat on a rock and stared at the ground. Other kids started to notice asking…”why isn’t [so-and-so] participating?” to which his cabin leader gracefully replied discreetly “it’s alright…you don’t need to worry about him…” I’m not sure if this kid did anything that appeared to be meaningful while he was here. But I found him towards the end of the week hanging out in the Snack Shack with his cabin leaders and a few other guys, and I just said hi. A few days later he requested to be my friend, and now we chat whenever he’s on Facebook, and he’s asking me about all of the worship songs we sang, and where to find them online. He’s telling me about his passion for art, and has shared one of his sketches with me. I would not be surprised at all if he joins teen staff while in high school, and summer staff in college. I wouldn’t be surprised if he directs this place one day.
2) A couple years ago a girl shared during a response gathering here that she had come to camp a couple years prior and had really been considering suicide that summer. She was in a very dark place, and had made up her mind that the next time her parents were not home she would go through with it. She continued to share that during that summer at least one of her parents was coincidentally home with her each day until she left for camp. During one of the worship times, a line from a song awakened her: “You’ve called me out of death, you’ve called me into life…” She changed her mind. God found her here, and she stood to testify two years later to the riches of God’s grace and restoration. I guarantee you I did not pick that song with her in mind, and I did not notice this transformation take place that night. I only heard about that initial spark years later.
3) This summer, in the midst of sharing a really traumatic life experience with some close friends, I was walking up to the chapel for morning prayer when I noticed a teen staff girl weeping loudly. I stopped for a moment to ask if she was okay, and she told me that a friend of hers had just been admitted to the hospital after attempting suicide and that she was having a hard time believing in a God who could let that sort of thing happen. I shared with her that my friends were going through a really hard time too and that I was having the same difficulty believing. We prayed together for her friend, and talked a little bit more before I left and completely lost it. I remember walking aimlessly, not sure what to do or where to go, weeping, and asking God…”why?” This girl returned a few weeks later to teen staff and thanked me for the time and told me how important it was for her to be able to share from the real place that she was in and not have someone try to fix her or be concerned that she was doubting. Her church environment, unfortunately, did not allow her that kind of space or ability to express herself.
There’s more. And there’s more than just me. Each day cabin leaders are engaging with kids and hearing their stories. Each day our teen staff supervisors are sharing life with teen staff and helping awaken them to the reality of God’s kingdom on earth. Each day we’re sharing meals together, reading scripture, discussing, and praying. There is something very special and unique that happens here, and it has nothing to do with me. It has everything to do with a community of people that opens itself to be honest and passionate about a relationship with a God who is honest and passionate about us.
Today is July 5, 2011.
It’s nearly impossible to believe that the first six weeks of my second summer directing at Youthfront Camp South are over. The staff here are wonderful people. We found ourselves feeling like we had known each other for years after a few short days together. After two weeks of orientation, we welcomed nearly 700 young people into this environment. I often tell people that the most rewarding part of my job is to know that somehow the work I do gets transformed and translated into something spiritually significant for those people. Somehow, kids come here and are awakened, renewed, and welcomed into a meaningful relationship with God because of the life and work of Jesus. Somehow I get to be a part of it.
We are now on hiatus. While we try hard to practice sustainable working rhythms here at camp, the work we do is exhausting. It’s an incredible gift to have some down time in the middle of the summer. About 7 of the staff have chosen to hang back here at camp and join in some practices together. Over the next few days, we’ll be praying together regularly (morning, midday, evening), preparing meals, working on some stone masonry and a few small projects, and reading and discussing a book. Our rhythm is simple:
Following this week we will welcome the Hispanic youth of Kansas City for our Hispanic week, and then some true youngsters (3-5 graders). Then we have two high school weeks and our cabin leaders head home. We have yet another week after that where a group of Eastern Orthodox churches rent our space and have camp here, and then we host any and all full-time youth workers to come and enjoy camp with their families. Following that my church (Jacob’s Well) comes for our annual Pilgrimage and then I’m home free.
This summer has been different than last. I have been much more tired. Worn down. I don’t think it’s because I’m a year older and thus a year more fatigued. There are simply new challenges, new burdens to bear, new situations to navigate, both in, and outside of camp, that leave me feeling very exhausted. I thank God for this week of rest in community, and I cling to the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Jessica is working hard too—every Saturday and Sunday night—so that we can be together at camp each week. Last night was our 4 year dating anniversary. It’s funny, because we both realize that married people do not really celebrate their dating anniversaries, but we like to remember, nonetheless. It’s hard enough to believe it will be two years in November, yet hard to believe it’s only been 4 that we’ve been together. She is the love of my life and it feels like—as my mom pointed out on facebook—that we have always been together. Touche mum!
Well this will be a mixed bag for sure.
This past weekend I had the opportunity to help lead a retreat for a handful of youth workers at Youthfront Camp South. This came at the end of a busy and exhausting week, and even though I was facilitating the worship times including a lectio divina and an awareness practice, it was as much a time for me to retreat as it was for those attending. Saturday was beautiful and sunny with a gentle breeze, and it was about 73 degrees outside. I led an aural awareness. This is essentially a chance to be still and listen to what is happening around you. It is a way to become aware of something you may not normally perceive. I first experienced this kind of thing with my friend Ron Martoia who is brilliant at leading and facilitating this and many other awareness practices.
After trying to be intentional about our breathing, posture, muscles, and releasing tension, we laid still for 25 minutes. I framed the time around some wisdom from Thomas Merton:
“My life is a listening. His is a speaking. My salvation is to hear and respond.”
The responses following were amazing to hear. First we focused simply on what people were literally hearing during the time, then moved to thoughts and observations about how the experience might connect with their lives. Finally we talked about possible invitations or promptings from the Holy Spirit as a result of the experience. Another way to ask this question is how might we wake up to the kingdom realities that surround us but may not be perceived? This is tied to one of the first messages Jesus preached: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. Repent literally translated here is metanoia: to change one’s mind or to embrace thoughts beyond the present limitations. Awareness practices are a doorway to this kind of transformation.
Following the experience I engaged the group in some discussion about what we try to do at South in terms of the environment we try to create. One particular question was very interesting to me. I’ve heard it in different forms before, but a youth worker asked: besides meal packaging at camp, what do you do here that is outward-focused?
I told this person that I have thought quite a bit about what we can or should engage in at South that is missional or outward. There certainly seems to be a growing desire from youth and their leaders to do something. My response was first that the physical location of South creates some limitations to what we are able to do locally, but I do not view this as a bad thing. I went on to describe, as we had experienced in our aural awareness, that it is important to have time and space in our lives to simply sit still. Without an awareness of the Spirit’s movement and God’s in-breaking kingdom, what do we think it is we are supposed to do? I do not think of camp as an end all-be all experience. It is a point in a young person’s journey. We are not operating under any illusions that we’re trying to create a new kind of society at camp. The point of camp is to leave camp and engage the world wherever people find themselves. We certainly try and hone in on this throughout a camper’s experience with us. While many people talk about summer camps as a perfect little ‘bubble’ where everything is right with the world, we work hard to burst the bubble and engage all areas of life in an honest way. In fact, contrary to many philosophies of high-energy-hype and a thrilling camp high, we work hard to slow people down and create an environment where they might experience the presence of God in a deep way—like in an awareness practice. I was a little surprised and certifiably delighted that the youth worker understood and appreciated the perspective.
As I continue to reflect on the conversation, two key things come to mind:
1) As people, especially Christians steeped in western society, we always gravitate towards serving or doing, often before we pause to reflect or discern what it is we should do. Additionally, we usually employ service to others as our ticket to having done what Christ calls us to, or what we think God wants from us—to serve others. Hear me: I think it is good to serve others, but let’s take a moment to look at an encounter Jesus had with the disciples in John 13:5-17. Jesus washes the disciples’ feet. He comes to Peter and Peter refuses. “You shall never wash my feet”, he says. To which Jesus responds, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” Why was Jesus so insistent? What is going on here? I don’t know. But I have a couple ideas.
2) Like Jesus, we need time to be alone. He modeled this well, and we pretty much opt out in our lives, or at best make this an optional add-on to our Christian living. And often, we do it in the name of service instead. Why go on retreat when you can go on a mission trip and accomplish something? This kind of ministry is dangerous. Before too long, service becomes more about the people serving than the people being served. This becomes like building a skyscraper without blueprints. And where are the blueprints? Get away, get alone, wake up to the kingdom reality that you simply cannot perceive or embrace when you are constantly active. Retreat is absolutely and permanently essential in preceding action.
Whew.
And finally, if you are a studious reader of this blog, you’ll recall that on February 5th 2011 I began a massive kitchen remodeling project with the help and expertise of my dad. This is the main reason I haven’t updated since then. My originally stated goal was to be finished by the end of March. Well, I’ve never done a major house project like this before, but I guess I should have known better. It is coming along nicely though! You can see some pictures below. Right now, I have finished a lot of what I hoped to do myself, and I’m waiting to hear back from a couple of cabinet companies that I’ve been talking with. Once we have new cabinets and countertops, I’ll drywall everything, redo the floor and voila!…(I wish it was that easy). But it has been super fun, and I’m really grateful to have a dad who is willing and able to help me learn how to do all this stuff. What a gift. I guess, I’m also really grateful to have a wife who patiently watches me fumble through it and hasn’t melted down yet.
There it is! Thanks for reading.
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Wow, it’s been too long since I updated. A full-length one is coming soon. But, below there’s a link to an article I wrote for Immerse Online. Immerse is a youth ministry journal that several friends are contributing to and collaborating on. It’s really good stuff! I, however, do not consider myself a writer by any stretch of the imagination, so when I say it’s good stuff, I humbly exclude myself. But take a look if you get a chance! I’d love some feedback.
Also, it’s Jessica’s 25th birthday on Thursday! I’m coming up with some fun stuff for her. Yeeeeeehawwwwwww!
Today was a very full day. I took the day off from Youthfront and my dad came over to help me begin a huge house project. In short, Jessica and I have decided to remove the wall between our kitchen and dining room. This will create more counter space, and open our place up a bit. It’s super exciting and super time consuming! In the end, we hope to have a few new cabinets and countertops, a new stove, a new microwave that hangs above the stove, new sink, new light fixtures, and a tile floor instead of wood.
Whew, so pretty much new everything I guess. For the most part, my dad and I will do the work together, but we will also hire out some help for the countertops, cabinets, and probably get some friend help for the floor.
Oh, and we’re moving a doorway, updating electrical work, rerouting a heat/AC duct, cutting off a plumbing vent (to use a vent-less cap instead) and changing the location of a few switches.
We accomplished a ton today in tearing things down including the cabinets, wall from both sides, trim, and electrical. We’ve got a good sense of what needs to happen now, and are ready to move forward accordingly.
Not to mention, Jess and I are leaving soon for an exotic vacation to an undisclosed location for an indeterminate amount of time!
Annnnnnnd as if that were not enough, everything at Youthfront is clipping along at light speed as we interview new applicants for summer staff and begin to connect with alumni applicants. We’re hoping to have the hiring process finished up by the end of this month. And I’m hoping to have that kitchen project finished up by April…we shall see.
Below you’ll see a few pics of what we were able to accomplish. A few hours into it this morning I remembered and said to my dad “we forgot to take before pictures!” so what you’ll see is with the cabinet already off the wall and then no wall at all!
I’m really blessed to have a dad that wants to spend the time and energy to do hard work with me and do it the right way. I’m blessed to be married to Jessica who is also a super diligent worker and has just finished a makeover to our upstairs bathroom.
We love our place and getting to make it our own little by little. We love having people over here and love that we get to share it together. Everything just feels right today.
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Things I have done tonight:
1) Watched Winnebago Man, a documentary about Jack Rebney. If you are not offended by swearing, I’d highly recommend it. I found this movie to be really touching. I cried (which is not unusual as far as films go). In short, a man comes to wrestle with a phenomenon that is entirely foreign to him and somehow both embraces and rejects said phenomenon but remains very endearing to those who love and appreciate the person he himself did not know existed. It’s also hilarious.
2) I searched around for facts on Rebney and also the soundtrack to the film. I downloaded Mike Crawford’s recording of “It Won’t Be Too Long Now” by Isaac Anderson, listened to a few other bands, and eventually found my way to myspace and the old Farewell to Ashlyn page as well as myspace.com/micahthomas.
3) I went up to the attic where all my music stuff is, visited with our bunny Brooklyn, and cleaned his cage.
4) Grabbed a Boulevard Wheat and hit the hot tub. It began to snow. Realized somewhere while sitting there that I love music and I am afraid to enter into the creative process again. I want to write, play, record, sing, and enjoy music. I want to be more creative with how I lead worship and interact with the band at Jacob’s Well. I want to continue to compose string arrangements. I want to write minimalistic songs with electronic elements. I want to play in a band. I want to learn to play the drums. I want to learn how to play electric guitar better. I want to buy and play a real piano. I almost landed the piano currently in the JW sanctuary, but Mike Crawford became enlightened that ours was quite suitable and ultimately decided that the one he was considering purchasing for the sanctuary was not too much of an upgrade. Bummer.
5) Showered, shaved, talked to Jessica on the phone, and called Alan Keller. Alan didn’t answer but I left a message asking if he wanted to play music with me again. I said something about not getting any younger, and my desire to pick an afternoon or evening to start playing again. I hope he says yes. We used to be called Hear Here and played with Joanna Perry.
6) Headed back up to the attic. Going to arrange a few things and make some music.