May 3, 2019. Sometimes I wonder if I will ever again have the opportunity to “deep-dive” into my writing. Things are increasingly difficult for my parents, dad will turn 91 this summer and he is aging in all the ways that tend to make day-to-day life extremely challenging.

So this morning I’m going to pull out the tried-and-true “Five-Photo-Friday” solution.

1. First, while things are not easy at the little cottage next door (photo above), and we are a little overrun with weeds much of the time, you can see that some very beautiful flowers are blooming. Sometimes, and this was the case while working in mum and dad’s garden a couple of weeks ago, it is tough to tell what to pull up and what to leave. The delicate pink flowers you can see in the foreground made it, even though we weren’t sure at the time.
2. In the second image you can also see the walkway I dug out between the two homes. This path is both a real and a metaphorical statement of how community works. For all the challenges, we are so very grateful to be neighbors.
3. The third photo is a picture of the serenity I find at home with Rebekah. There she is, practicing chords and scales on her ukelele while I prepared lunch one day this week. A key reason we committed both to living in Wake Forest and to living no more than a couple of miles from WFPC is this critical connectivity between church and home. Popping in for lunch, or a cup of tea together, or me bringing something in for her. It’s more than convenience it’s a statement of commitment and an affirmation of call.
4. Talking of serenity, you can see in the fourth picture how God reaches into my soul during my morning walk. This was taken very early in the day while walking through Tyler Run Park.
5. Finally, and this recipe is in response to a request, preparing great food is also good for my soul! This Halibut was lightly seasoned with sea-salt and lemon-pepper, then gently rolled in fine breadcrumbs before being cooked in a ceramic skillet at medium heat for just four minutes a side. I heated a small amount of olive oil then dropped a small pat of butter in the pan before introducing the Halibut. I served the fish with a baked potato and green beans cooked with caramelized red onion. 

Overall, this post is about how good life is even when the challenges are difficult, disappointing, and overwhelming.

Peace – and I mean that in every possible way – DEREK