I was in Idaho this past weekend. The ratio between travel time and amount of time spent there was not great, but it’s the way it had to be. And it allowed for four meals with my dad and step-mother, two nights of sleep in their home, and one of those meals included my sister and brother-in-law. Both nights my dad stayed up past his normal bed time as we sat and visited. We just talked about the things that came to mind since neither of us really knows what father and son are supposed to talk about at this stage of life. In our own way we each tried to let the other know our love and concern for the other.

Once again I got to see the labor of love my step-mother gives to my dad as she provides the assistance he requires due to his limited mobility. I went to church with them and saw the people and the ministry that is such an important part of their world. In the evening I went to a gathering of people from the Friends churches in southern Idaho. For me it was such an interesting mix of old and new. The place and some of the people were familiar to me from days long ago. Others were new and fresh. My inner self was fed by both the old and the new.