Happy end of the 4th of July weekend!
Last year's 4th of July was on Skye -- this year was at a lovely dinner with the Zieglers, from So. Cal., whose parents had brought across lots of festive red-white-and-blue dinner table decorations, and the Brodies -- Bryonie delighted us all with a DELICIOUS flag cake (whip cream and raspberries / blueberries for the flag -- yummy.) Great evening.
Earlier in the day brother Scott and sister-in-law Karin phoned on their way to an Independence Day cycle ride around Huntington Beach -- Karin is finishing up her radiation treatments (and doing great! We're so proud of her...) and all the kids were up in Seattle with the Grandparents / cousins. According to neice Molly, the 11th hour arrival of the youngest Wheeler cousins from their family holiday to So. Cal. was a definite highlight.
And that was another highlight -- wishing biggest brother Jay Happy Birthday on the 5th and having a chance to catch up with the family chatting with Mo (Jay was at work so that call was brief...).
HOWEVER -- the real early July tradition whenever I've lived in Scotland is watching the Wimbledon finals yesterday and today -- this year with Laura Marshall and Craig Watt -- and as usual they were superb -- the rain even cooperated today, allowing me to finish a lovely lunch with Steven, Mary and Mike and still catch the start of the men's final.
The heartache is of course related to distance, but on 2 very different fronts -- the first is, of course, knowing there was a houseful of nieces and nephews at the folks and no Auntie Laurie around to enjoy them.
The second was the realization after this year's General Assembly in California (definite California theme on this posting...) that our denomination is facing another long battle at local levels over the decisions taken in San Diego. Prayer is the best / only thing to do from this distance, but I am left wondering what I will return home to in the Seattle Presbytery once my time in Scotland is complete.
I read last night in the biography of George Whitfield (which I am still every so slowly wending my way through...) that he regularly dedicated a day a month to fasting and prayer for renewal. That seems the best personal response at the moment to the faith / culture tensions that continue to increase at home -- with elections and debates looming on everyone's horizon. I wonder if you'd join me, regardless of your political or religious "stance" -- who knows what God will do.
Love, L
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