Easter Weekend Road Trip

What a weekend I just had. To be honest, I had no idea what to
expect. I am pleased to tell you all that it was absolutely
wonderful. Than, Patrick and myself took off for North Carolina
sometime around 2:30 in the afternoon on Friday, just in time for
thunderstorms, just in time to be chased by tornadoes off in the
south. It was just in time to miss the hail that beat upon the
perfectly stained decks of suburban Charlotte. Than and Patrick were
troopers the entire weekend by alternating their position in the back
part of the cab of Patrick's truck, the type with that little jump
seat that is not meant to be sat upon for any stretch of time that
exceeds 15 minutes. Than made it the entire four hour way back there,
which is what I would classify as a Good Friday miracle.

I love trips like these. I love talking with people's parents and
figuring out who they are and what roads they have walked down. I am
fascinated by the couple that lasts throughout the seasons of life,
through the life and the death and the misunderstandings and the trips
to the emergency rooms. These are beautiful people. I love their
stories and I love sharing my own, because I think that it is
incredible to come into a person's home and spend 24 hours amongst a
family- a family that has got along just fine without knowing the
guests all of these years and the guests have done the same. But for a
few moments your lives interconnect and you find out how another one
of the children of God lives out their lives on their plot of soil.
It's a beautiful thing.

There were conversations and things that were learned about myself
this weekend that go way beyond what I can share here. I ended up at
a guy's house named Nolan. Nolan is a suicide responder. He is the
guy that goes into a situation where someone's life is on the line and
he talks them away from the ledge, so to speak. Him and his wife are
about my age, and have all of these years studying psychology under
their belts.

So- when you meet people who know their stuff in psychology, don't you
ever want to ask them to assess you? You know, to see how much they
know? Well. They never want to do that. I was somehow able to get
this guy to do that for me. His wife played some as well. Let us
just say that it was very intense. Let us just say that I ended up on
a dock in the middle of the night. It was a compelling experience.

Anyway. Great weekend. Both Than and Patrick have wonderful
families. It never ceases to entertain me to watch a somewhat grown
man interact with his mother. It is a thing of beauty. I also had the
good pleasure of stopping in on The Matt and Angie Stryker home in
Fort Mill, SC. Those people are good for the soul. And they have
fantastic kids. I only wish I could have hung out a lot longer.