Time to stretch out those fingers and see if I can still type?
A couple of months ago my dear, sweet wife suggested that we celebrate our 49th wedding anniversary with a trip back to Hilton Head Island, SC. She and I lived there for about four years while I served an LCMS church there. It was a special time for us, in part, because we were empty nesters.
Now, unlike many couples who struggle after the birdies have left the nest, so to speak, Sherri and I loved the time we had, just the two of us. We lived in a beautiful home off island. It was on a golf course. The church had many friendly and supportive people. The beach was just a short drive away. It was a great time in our lives.
We were able to rent a Condo at the HHI Tennis and Beach Club. Our balcony looked out to the ocean and we never tired from the view. We walked the beach each morning, enjoying the view and the breezes. We were also taken with the dogs that came along with their owners. The dogs romped through the waves having the best time. And there was one dog who dug in the sand every day. His little tail furiously wagged with joy as he sent sand everywhere. It was a sight!
We had not been on the Island in 10 years and could not believe how much it had changed. Growth is taking place both on and off island. The traffic was much heavier and it took a lot longer to get around. But we did get around.
We spent time at Sea Pines and enjoyed the views from the famous Lighthouse. We spent the good part of a day on Daufuskie Island (something we hadn't done when we lived there). We took a trolley tour in Savanah and ate at a nice place down at the waterfront. We were particularly delighted to meet with the new pastor at Island Lutheran - Jeff Dorth. The church is very blessed to having him as their lead pastor. We also connected with dear friend, Steve White, my "Light Brother," (we used to do some music together - Steve is a great musician!). Saturday was spent on the beach, relaxing and reading and listening to some music. It was a great day for people watching with people from six months to 66 years or more having a great time.
Sunday we worshipped at Island Lutheran. We were delighted to see some familiar faces. People kept telling us that Sherri and I hadn't changed a bit. We noticed that their eyesight wasn't what it used to be! Pastor Dorth led an outstanding Bible class on Gene Veith's book, "God at Work." The worship tied into the "God at Work" theme with Pastor Dorth stressing the importance of seeing all the tasks and things we do in our every day lives as our vocation which then gives us the opportunity to glorify God and point others to Jesus. Sherri and I left feeling refreshed and grateful to God for his many blessings to us.
Sunday evening/Monday was spent in Charleston, SC., a place we had enjoyed visiting before. We were disappointed to learn when we arrived at the airport that afternoon that our flight had been delayed several hours. We got to Dallas around 9:30 and waited another two hours for our flight to Phoenix. By the time we arrived home and got to bed it was about 2 am. We were bushed!
Today we're catching up on laundry, mail and just taking it easy. Jake, our dog and Glory, our cat were glad to see us and we were glad to be with them. As Dorothy said, "There is no place like home.!"
