On Monday, the 1st of May, Ben and I flew out of San Pedro Sula for Boston, MA. Arriving late in Boston, we rented car and made the 3 + hour drive to Farmington Falls, Maine arriving around 2:30 am on Friday at my parents house. Although we had planned this trip several months before, it was an opportune moment to arrive as my dad was in the VA hospital for extreme pain in his feet.
On Sunday I was invited to speak at Lighthouse Christian Church in Phillips. The congregation very generously donated towards our ongoing water purification project. Thank you so much!
It was strange in a way to be back "home". I no longer think of Maine as home in the sense of where we live, Honduras has become home to us in that way, but because I grew up there, I will always think of Maine as "home" as the place of my childhood. Some things struck me as different. One was how busy everyone seems to be, coming and going and doing. I have become used to a more laid back lifestyle and mindset, although I am far busier than I was a year ago and at times feel that I am slipping back into what I came here to get away from.
So moving on to another subject...until two weeks ago I had never really seen gluttony as a sin. Gluttony has for centuries been known as one of the seven deadly sins and is defined in the dictionary as "excessive eating and drinking" (and I write this somewhat facetiously, but not entirely). Honestly, I have had a love affair with food all my life. As a child I was "husky", as my mother calls it, slimming down through high school and into my late thirties, but the older I get I find it easier to revert to that "figure of speech and body". There are two foods that I love, probably above all others. Bacon and donuts...not necessarily in that order. I come from a good mid western heritage where bacon grease is an essential ingredient to all vegetables dishes. Thirty years on the road, eating in truck stops and fast food restaurants has not helped either.
On Monday I indulged myself in the sin of gluttony...and paid the price. I fried up a good half pound of bacon, chased by an excellent sharp cheddar. At midnight I was paying for my sins, rolling on the floor in agony, with what turned out to be, my first real gall bladder attack. Of course, not knowing what I had, and after 12 hours of intense pain, I went to the emergency room, where upon I immediately began to feel better. Of course.
The doctor wanted to remove my gall bladder asap, but Ben and I did not want to miss Trey and Laura's wedding in Birmingham...and I am so glad I didn't. After an all night drive back to Boston to catch a very early flight we made it to Slycauga, AL. It was great to see Trey and Laura again, to meet their families, some of whom we already knew as they had visited Trey in Honduras. Others have been facebook friends for quite awhile and it was good to meet in person.
I have to say, southern hospitality is an awesome thing! I was very well taken care of and not allowed to eat anything that might trigger another attack. And the food looked so incredible! Mounds of BBQed pulled pork with a special made BBQ sauce just for the wedding, baked beans, potato salad, macaroni and cheese.....oooohhhhhh. I admit it, I nibbled at some of it when no one was monitoring me :) Truth be told, I was scared to death I would end up with another attack while on the plane home, so I was very careful.
The wedding was an outdoor event. It rained right up until the moment of the wedding and then the sun came out. God is good! The bride was radiant, the ceremony touching and it was an honor for us to attend this important event in the life of a young couple who have a special place in our hearts. I hope they don't mind if I share a couple of photos here.
On Sunday I was invited to speak at Lighthouse Christian Church in Phillips. The congregation very generously donated towards our ongoing water purification project. Thank you so much!
It was strange in a way to be back "home". I no longer think of Maine as home in the sense of where we live, Honduras has become home to us in that way, but because I grew up there, I will always think of Maine as "home" as the place of my childhood. Some things struck me as different. One was how busy everyone seems to be, coming and going and doing. I have become used to a more laid back lifestyle and mindset, although I am far busier than I was a year ago and at times feel that I am slipping back into what I came here to get away from.
So moving on to another subject...until two weeks ago I had never really seen gluttony as a sin. Gluttony has for centuries been known as one of the seven deadly sins and is defined in the dictionary as "excessive eating and drinking" (and I write this somewhat facetiously, but not entirely). Honestly, I have had a love affair with food all my life. As a child I was "husky", as my mother calls it, slimming down through high school and into my late thirties, but the older I get I find it easier to revert to that "figure of speech and body". There are two foods that I love, probably above all others. Bacon and donuts...not necessarily in that order. I come from a good mid western heritage where bacon grease is an essential ingredient to all vegetables dishes. Thirty years on the road, eating in truck stops and fast food restaurants has not helped either.
On Monday I indulged myself in the sin of gluttony...and paid the price. I fried up a good half pound of bacon, chased by an excellent sharp cheddar. At midnight I was paying for my sins, rolling on the floor in agony, with what turned out to be, my first real gall bladder attack. Of course, not knowing what I had, and after 12 hours of intense pain, I went to the emergency room, where upon I immediately began to feel better. Of course.
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| Pitiful, embarrassing, but tellin' it the way it is. |
The doctor wanted to remove my gall bladder asap, but Ben and I did not want to miss Trey and Laura's wedding in Birmingham...and I am so glad I didn't. After an all night drive back to Boston to catch a very early flight we made it to Slycauga, AL. It was great to see Trey and Laura again, to meet their families, some of whom we already knew as they had visited Trey in Honduras. Others have been facebook friends for quite awhile and it was good to meet in person.
I have to say, southern hospitality is an awesome thing! I was very well taken care of and not allowed to eat anything that might trigger another attack. And the food looked so incredible! Mounds of BBQed pulled pork with a special made BBQ sauce just for the wedding, baked beans, potato salad, macaroni and cheese.....oooohhhhhh. I admit it, I nibbled at some of it when no one was monitoring me :) Truth be told, I was scared to death I would end up with another attack while on the plane home, so I was very careful.
The wedding was an outdoor event. It rained right up until the moment of the wedding and then the sun came out. God is good! The bride was radiant, the ceremony touching and it was an honor for us to attend this important event in the life of a young couple who have a special place in our hearts. I hope they don't mind if I share a couple of photos here.
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| The wedding |
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| followed by a wiffle ball game, the bride at bat, the groom pitching |
Another late night with an early flight to Houston which was delayed due to weather, Ben and I running the entire length of Houston's G.W. Bush Airport, narrowly missing the only flight in to San Pedro Sula for the day, Mark picking us up at the airport for the two hour ride home, we finally arrive back home in Sigua, both of us very glad to be home.
