A Lack of Laughter

         In a training I took on trauma, mediation, and conflict resolution, I remember learning that one of the ways to evaluate how well a congregation or any group is doing is by seeing how easily they laugh.  If they can move easily to genuine, non-sarcastic and non-cynical laughter, then, despite what else might be going on, they are actually doing okay.  In contrast, if you cannot move a group into laughter, that is a sign that the tensions and conflict are high, and that the group is in a crisis situation that will not be easily resolved.

    Our country has stopped laughing.  

    I see it in smaller groups of people: the small groups in my church no longer laugh and play.  When I intentionally attempt to say something funny on a Sunday, the congregation has stopped responding with laughter.  At home, we usually laugh a great deal but we don't anymore.  At the Presbytery meeting, there was little laughter and play. The friends I usually laugh and play with are very sullen and serious now.  Even in the office, where we often share funny videos and playful images, those have changed.  Now we only share the ones that, again, are sarcastic, cynical and if there is laughter, it is bitter.  

    There's no more grace in our roads or even in relationships.  People are quick to anger and forgiveness is a stretch if it exists at all.    

    An article came out this week talking about the great importance of play.  One of the kids at church told the congregation that they need to stop working as much and need to play more.  We know that play and laughter are extremely important parts of mental health.  

    But our stress is too high.  Our fear too great.  The damage we are witnessing to our siblings and to our own family members can't be laughed off.  

    I can name all the reasons.  You can name all the reasons.  We've lost our country.  We are no longer a democracy.  And the changes that are happening now won't be reversible. Add to that that we don't know what will come next, but since everything so far has aimed at the financial and in many cases physical destruction of everyone who is not white, male, heterosexual, and in the richest .02% of the country, there's no reason to expect that whatever comes next won't hurt us further. But saying all this doesn't help, since, as I said, you know all this. 

    So what can help?  What might help? I write to encourage you to do what it takes to start laughing again.  I write to encourage you to look for what is beautiful and good in this moment, for this moment is all we have.  Try to be kind and gentle with one another.  Try to be graceful and forgiving of one another.  Do what you need to do to stay sane in the midst of the chaos: write, draw, sing, laugh, cry, pray, rage, run, exercise, do yoga, meditate, reach out for your friends and for those who can hear and support you.  Watch funny videos, listen to happy music, get out in nature, learn something new, take a class, take a nap.  Give thanks for this moment because right now you are still alive.  Be grateful for your family and friends who are still living because they are there to be support and to offer love.  Remember that you are not alone: we are in this together, and God is with us, too.  Breathe. 

    Don't be afraid to do what must be done and to speak truth. Take care of the least of these because that is our call. But also, take care of yourselves. Try to find a way to truly laugh.     

Humor Sunday - Does God Have the Last Laugh?

 

Luke 24:13-35

               Some jokes to start us off:

Funny signs: in a shoe repair store: We will heel you. We will save your sole. We will even dye for you.

In a Podiatrist's office: Time wounds all heels. 

On a Septic Tank Truck: Yesterday's Meals on Wheels

At an Optometrist's Office: If you don't see what you're looking for, You've come to the right place.

On a Plumber's truck: We repair what your husband fixed. 

On another Plumber's truck: Don't sleep with a drip. Call your plumber.

At a Tire Shop in Milwaukee: Invite us to your next blowout.

On an Electrician's truck: Let us remove your shorts.

In a Non-smoking Area: If we see smoke, we will assume you are on fire and will take appropriate action.

At a Car Dealership: The best way to get back on your feet - miss a car payment.

Outside a Muffler Shop: No appointment necessary. We hear you coming.

In a Veterinarian's waiting room: Be back in 5 minutes. Sit! Stay!

At the Electric Company: We would be delighted if you send in your payment on time. However, if you don't, YOU will be de-lighted.

In a Restaurant window: Don't stand there and be hungry; come on in and get fed up.

In the front yard of a Funeral Home: Drive carefully. We'll wait.

In a Chicago Radiator Shop: Best place in town to take a leak.

 

As I’ve shared with you before, Christine Longhurst wrote, “Laughter Sunday (also known as Holy Humour Sunday, Hilarity Sunday, God’s Laughter Sunday, Bright Sunday or Holy Fools Sunday) has its roots in a number of different Christian traditions.  Churches in 15th century Bavaria used to celebrate the Sunday after Easter as Risus Paschalis (‘God’s Joke,’ or ‘the Easter laugh’). Priests would deliberately include amusing stories and jokes in their sermons in an attempt to make the faithful laugh. After the service, people would gather together to play practical jokes on one another and tell funny stories. It was their way of celebrating the resurrection of Christ – the supreme joke God played on Satan by raising Jesus from the dead.  However, the observance of Risus Paschalis was officially outlawed by Pope Clement X in the 17th century. Perhaps people were having too much fun.  In 1988, the Fellowship of Merry Christians began encouraging churches to resurrect some of these Christian traditions—to celebrate the grace and mercy of God through the gift of laughter and joy.  G.K. Chesterton once wrote: “Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly. Never forget that the devil fell by force of gravity. He who has the faith has the fun.”

               So that is the background of Humor Sunday.  While the psalms we read encourage joy, and laughter is a good way to get there, it is more than that.  There is also humor in the Bible.  Some of the stories are joyful, but others are downright funny.  Professor Hershey Friedman says that the different types of humor we find in scripture include, sarcasm, irony, wordplay, humorous names, humorous imagery, and humorous situations.  An example of humorous names: Caleb, one of the 12 spies sent by Moses into Canaan, means “dog”.  Ichabod, the grandson of Eli, means “no glory”.  When the Israelites were fleeing Egypt, they used sarcasm in confronting Moses by saying, “was there a lack of graves in Egypt that you took us away to die in the wilderness?”  An example of humorous imagery: In Samuel, Achish said to David, “Why did you bring him to me? Do I lack lunatics that you have brought this one to carry on insanely in my presence?"  Jesus says, “"You are like a person who picks a fly out of his drink and then swallows a camel".  Additionally, God names Isaac “laughter” – the one who leads us forward, who is our ancestor in faith is named “laughter”. 

               Laughter is a gift from God in so many ways.  Research shows that laughing actually has pain-reducing capacities, and it raises our pain threshold so we can tolerate pain better and we experience it less when we are laughing and for some time after a full, strong laugh.  It helps us learn – we learn better after a good laugh.  And it boosts our immune-enhancing capacities.  When we laugh fully and completely, we are said to “lose” it.  What we actually “lose” in those moments is our distraction of everything else – our distraction of our self-consciousness, our distractions of the stresses in our lives, we stop fleeing our stressing out and instead are completely present in the moment – and that moment, the NOW is where God is. 

               Laughter is often a sign of health, a sign of healing, a sign of resurrection.  When a congregation is struggling, you can often tell the level of conflict in that congregation by whether or not people can laugh together.  If they can’t, you know the conflict is very serious.  If they can, it either is not so bad, or the congregation is on the way to healing.  It is a sign of hope, a sign of life, and a sign of resurrection.

I love that God surprises us still, catches us still, in unexpected moments, with laughter.  That it is the kind of gift that can surprise and sneak up on you, and remind you to not take things so very seriously.  I want to tell you a story about Palm Sunday.  I only had three little parts, but the first part, the most serious part I led was the opening prayer.  As you know, we did Palm Sunday through zoom.  So I was at home, sitting on my couch with my laptop computer on my lap.  I began the prayer, and the cat jumped up on the couch next to me to try to climb onto the computer on my lap.  David was right there and he grabbed hold of her to put her on his lap, but as I continued to speak, the cat became more and more determined to sit on my lap, and on the computer, during the prayer.  About half-way through the prayer as I watched David struggling to keep this incredibly determined cat off my lap, I suddenly was hit with a fit of the giggles.  Of course, we are taught from a very early age, that giggling during prayers is not appropriate.  So, I was trying my hardest, as I continued the prayer, to stifle my giggle.  But as often happens when we get giggly at inappropriate times, the attempts to control it often make it worse.  I actually ended the prayer early because I knew I couldn’t hold the laughter in any longer. 

But as I thought about it afterwards, I felt that God had intervened for me that day.  God had reminded me not only to not take myself and my leadership so seriously, but that also, God is the God of joy and laughter.  When we are so serious all the time, we miss the gifts right in front of us.  We are called to praise God every day.  To rejoice in God everyday.  Sunday is not more holy.  And that hour of worship should not necessarily be more serious.  When we take ourselves too seriously, when we forget our own humanity and fail to be humble, God will find a way to remind us, even if it is just through an attack of the giggles.

I remember reading a story about a pastor who had a small interaction with a parishioner right before service.  He forgot that his mic was turned on and as he walked away he said something inappropriate in the mic about the parishioner.  He then went into the bathroom, and all heard his business through the mic.  He could have recovered from this, he could have, if he had had the humility to laugh at himself.  We all make mistakes, all of us do.  And when we can own them and laugh at them, usually others can forgive us and laugh with us too.  Unfortunately this particular pastor was so embarrassed that he chose to resign instead.  What a sad commentary on our inability to laugh.

Today we hear the story of the road to Emmaus.  And it starts in tragedy, in sorrow.  People had hoped for Jesus to be the one to redeem Israel: to save Israel from the Roman oppression.  Not only did he not do that, but he was killed in a most horrible manner.  The hopes of the people were dashed.  Additionally, they heard strange rumors that he was resurrected, but they hadn’t seen him.  They were confused, devastated, didn’t know what to believe.  They were upset, they were devastated, they were “downcast.”  But then they learn that Jesus has been resurrected.  They experience him, they see him, they break bread with him.  Do you not think they laughed with joy when they recognized Christ in their midst?  Do you not think that they broke into peels of delighted laughter when they realized how blind and unseeing they had been?  I can’t imagine it happening any other way!

But then one has to ask.  Did that mean that hope had returned for them?  Joy has returned for them.  But Jesus still was not what they had wanted.  He still didn’t overturn the oppression of the Romans.  He still was not a military leader who will take back what belongs to the people.  He still was not “in your face” with those who were harming the people.  He came, and he disappeared.  He showed up, but he didn’t stick around.  No, instead he called the disciples to continue his work, to be the voice of hope and love and grace for the community.  But he still did not take away free will, change their world in the way that they wanted or hoped.  And so, I ask the question, Does God have the last laugh?

Yes.  God laughs at our ideas of what a “king” should be.  God laughs at our ideas of what God should be.  God laughs at death.  God laughs at fear.  God laughs at every expectation that is out there.

But that’s not to say that God’s laughter is unkind.  God laughs because we don’t understand.  Our vision is too small, our understanding is too limited.  Our wants and even our hopes are just too small.  And so God laughs.  But it is the laughter of a parent who sees a newborn child delight at peek-a-boo as they learn “object permanence” and that a disappearing parent still exists, still returns, still loves them.  It is the laughter of a parent when the child laughs at paper being torn to shreds: I sent all of you that wonderful YouTube video of the baby laughing hysterically at paper ripping.  And the parent was laughing too.  All of us were laughing – you can’t help it.  The baby’s delight and laughter are so infectious that you can’t help but laugh along with him.  It is the laughter of a person when a chimpanzee sees a magic trick and cracks up because they don’t understand how the quarter could have disappeared. 

We are invited to laugh too: to not take ourselves so very seriously that we can’t enjoy this precious, wondrous, amazing life that God has given to us.  We are invited to let go of our expectations of ourselves that life will go a certain way, that we will do everything right, that things will be smooth or easy.  We are invited to let go of the idea that we have to “know” everything and instead to delight at our own lack of knowing, at our own surprise at the way life happens, at our own attempts to do everything right, knowing that we won’t get it right, but that grace is there for us even so.  We are invited to LAUGH.

And this takes us back to the story of the road to Emmaus.  You notice, they did not recognize him on the road.  He was only recognized after they invited him to come and eat with them.  Once again we see that God, that Jesus, that Christ never forces himself or God-self on any of us.  Jesus was present, but he was only known to the disciples when the disciples CHOSE to invite him in.  We have choice.  We have agency.  Do we allow God and God’s presence and God’s gifts into our lives?  Do we allow the gifts of laughter into our hearts, and the joy that follows into our lives?  It is a choice we can make.

As I wrote this, I found myself reflecting on when my kids were very young.  At one point we met another young mother who was anti-silliness.  She felt it was undignified and stifled anything that bordered on laughter in herself and especially in her young child.  And I found myself thinking, often, what an incredible tragedy that was that she rejected this life-giving, joy-giving, healing gift of God.

In our home we laugh a lot.  There is a great deal of silliness in our house, enough so that my kids sometimes wonder if other parents could ever be as silly as I am.  We have faces we make that our unique to our family, we have silly things we do with our voices and with specific songs.  We play.  My greatest memories are the times of laughter with my kids.  I wish that for you as well.  Not jokes, necessarily: but just pure, sheer silliness.  You’ve seen symptoms of that for those of you who’ve been to our home: googly eyes on the fridge, a toy that sits on my desk that is a laughing stuffed “pill”, my choosing one Humor Sunday to dress as a Leprachaun, etc. 

Anne Lamott said it this way:  “Laughter is carbonated holiness”.  Laughter is carbonated holiness!

One of my favorite images is of a laughing Jesus.  I love that image because it reminds us that part of what it is to be human is laughter.  Laughter is a gift from God.  Not something to be avoided when it comes to religion.  We are often nervous putting laughter and religion together.  But they should go hand in hand.  After all, who created laughter?  How gave us this wonderful gift of humor that calls us to not take ourselves or anything so very seriously? 

And to end with some more jokes:

For Lent, I gave up fast food, pizza, ice cream, and ...obviously... not lying.

A priest ,a rabbit and a minister walk into a bar.  The bartender asks the rabbit, “What will you have?”  The rabbit shakes his head and answers, “I have no idea, the only reason that I am here is because of Autocorrect.”

 

 

Sometimes what starts as a mistake, ends as a gift.

            Those of you who came to my wedding saw this... I forgot my bouquet (which a dear friend had made for me), so after going half way down the aisle in a non-traditional "processional" group of clergy, myself, David and the kids, I turned around and ran back out of the sanctuary to grab the flowers.  David ran after me; and we both came back in together, arm in arm, laughing, as those attending the service joined us in laughter, cheering and celebrating.  That began the wedding. And that "mistake" set the stage for a ceremony with a lot more laughter, joy, a mess of "real" as we moved around and tried to figure out what we were doing, where we were going, when we were to sit and stand, etc.  People have said to me it was the "funnest" wedding they've ever been to... probably because there was very little solemnity in it.  Of course our vows were serious... we both cried (and laughed) and told stories that were meaningful to us in terms of defining who we are together, how we came together, what it means for two extremely different people from different backgrounds and different value systems to partner in this way.  But it wasn't a "traditional" wedding.  For one thing, we refused to take ourselves very seriously.  And the result was, at least for the two of us, better than we had hoped for.
            I think about this in terms of the bigger picture as well.  Again, using our relationship as an example: our meeting was odd, was rough.  David invited me into conversation and I hesitated.  What I knew about him (very little) already showed us to be so different from one another that I wasn't sure I wanted to even talk with him.  But, due to a set of circumstances that basically meant I had nothing else to do in that moment, I joined him in conversation.  And by the end of an hour, an HOUR, we were "involved".  Again, a lot of that had to do with laughter... laughing at ourselves, laughing at our "mistakes" (I spilled mocha all over myself and David says that's when he knew I was the one for him), just being real in a culture that often values the superficial and appearances over what is inside.  Our mistakes, our flaws (I'm perpetually a bit clumsy with drinks), and even our differences set the stage for something deep, valuable, wonderful.
            It didn't stop there.  The first time we had a serious value conflict was only about a week after we'd met.  The subject of that conflict is immaterial.  What matters is that it was a big enough and important enough difference that for me, at least, I figured that was the end of it.  Why bother to invest more when some basic core values seemed to be in such conflict?  But it was actually because of the way David handled that conflict that we didn't end the short beginning but continued to stay engaged with one another.  David was unfailingly kind, even when confronted with such a radical difference of understanding.  He never became righteous, never insisted that his view was better or right, never became mean or sarcastic or catty.  He never attacked, just listened and asked me what I wanted to do in terms of moving forward.  He expressed care, and sadness about the conflict, but never in a blaming way.  He was respectful, understanding, and only wanted to know what I needed in that situation.  My response was one of "well, this person is really good friend quality at least.  So we can start there and see..."  Our conflict, or issue, or even "mistake" in having that conversation so early on actually led to a deeper respect on my part for the person that David is.
           When I facilitate couples counseling for those who come to me wanting to be married, one of the most important questions I always ask is how the couple navigates conflict.  And the only couple I ever chose not to marry was the one who told me they'd never had conflict.  If you don't know how your partner will deal with problems when they arise, you are missing really key information that you need to know before you step into a full blown commitment to them.  Also, the only way a couple can completely avoid conflict is by staying at such a shallow level with their partner that differences are never seen.  That's not a basis for a long term relationship.  Conflict is a gift that can deepen relationships if handled well, that helps us to see under values and beliefs and world views and into who the other really is at their core.  Mistakes, or errors that we make in our lives or in our relationships: these are opportunities to grow, learn and understand each other more fully.  If we can laugh at ourselves, if we can learn from mistakes, if we can let go of defensiveness and instead embrace the fullness of our humanity when we make mistakes, those mistakes can be launching places into depth, honesty and integrity.
          There is a story about a pastor who forgot to turn off his lapel mic when he went to the bathroom.  While his "business" was being broadcast to the entire congregation, he also cursed under his breath about the "damn women's guild".  When he discovered the mistake, he righteously and in a huff quit his job.  But the story ends with the wisdom that if he had been able to laugh at his own mistake with the congregation, admit his own frustration and need to just vent a little under his breath, if he'd been able to make a joke out of the fact that even pastors have to use the facilities once in a while and it isn't any more glamorous for them than for the rest of us, the relationship he had with his congregation might have deepened as they recognized his humanity, even as he pastored them, and as he claimed a bit of humility.  But because he was not able to get past his own humiliation, relationships were torn in a way that made healing for all parties very difficult.
         Today I am deeply grateful for the "mess" that we are, and for the opportunities to grow, learn and deepen from our mistakes.  Thank you all for being witnesses to my mess and loving me through it anyway.  I offer you the same gift.  Be real, and let us love you through it all!

AND the good side...

      I know you want to hear the positive from the trip, too.  So this post is really just going to be a travel log...
      Sunday, June 17: Following church drove to Medford, Or.
      Monday, June 18: drove to Kelso, WA.  On the way, had a lovely visit at Crater Lake:

 

      Tuesday, June 19: drove to Port Angeles, WA and on the way saw Mt. Saint Helens. One of the amazing gifts we experienced was that we were able to take a helicopter ride to the Mountain and actually look into the crater itself.  What an awesome experience!!  We were also able to drive by the house where my grandfather had lived when I was a kid in Sequim, WA.

    Wednesday, June 20: We took the Ferry over into Victoria, BC.  There we checked into our hotel where we would stay for four nights, visited Miniature World and had High Tea at the Empress Hotel.

After High Tea, the girls and I found a lovely park to walk around in called Beacon Hill.  There we met a peacock who seemed convinced we were there to feed it.  It followed us around for awhile, finally giving up with a large squawk, before turning around and heading back.

 

     Thursday, June 21: Visited Butchart Gardens, the Butterfly Museum, did some foot exploring of the city of Victoria and rode a horse drawn carriage around an older part of the city.  We enjoyed this day very much.  The horse drawn carriage ride was meant to be a tour, but we ended up engaging the "tour guide" who was driving the carriage, instead, in conversation.  She is about to start her final year of college, is majoring in Medieval studies and Eldest, this young woman and I had way too much to talk about that just took priority over the tour.  That was a real gift: to meet this young woman and have such a wonderful conversation about school, politics, countries,  and life in general.

   Friday, June 22: We went to the Royal BC Museum and Craigdarroch Castle.  At the Royal BC Museum we were able to see an IMAX movie about the efforts in China to restore the Panda population from near extinction.  There is some success with these efforts and we are learning, so I think there will be more success as time goes by.  Additionally, several Indigenous Tribes were present at the Museum, and were giving talks about their cultures and the work throughout Canada to be more open, accepting and celebrating of Indigenous faiths,  practices and peoples.  We happened to be there at the time of an Indigenous Cultural Festival and there were dancers who came and shared some of the traditional dances, as well as the meanings of those dances.  That was amazing!  My pictures of this were not great, but perhaps that is better anyway.  This is part of who they are, not for our entertainment, but hopefully we learn from other people and can appreciate the beauty of our diversity, as we learn to honor other traditions, cultures and faiths.

    Saturday, June 23: We visited the Parliament building, the Maritime Museum, the Bug Zoo (some of us), Christ Church Cathedral (some of us), and then we walked around town more.  The kids, David and I ended up having dinner at a Games Café.  What a blast that was!  For $5 each, we could sit and play any of the games in their extensive games library as well as eating snacks and just being together.  We spent four and half hours exploring different games and having dinner.  We didn't buy any games, but we really had fun just being together.  

        Sunday, June 22: Well, I have to admit we didn't go to church.  However, the kids picked out a couple scriptures and asked me to give them an impromptu sermon... Honest to God, it was their idea!  They said they missed church and wanted me to preach for them.  While I was expostulating, we walked around downtown Victoria, found an outdoor market which we enjoyed, then walked along the North Harbor, across a bridge and along the Bay.  It was beautiful.  And we had a couple of amazing bonuses.  In the outdoor market, we came across a woman who made beautiful jewelry, including a Celtic Moon that was something Eldest had been looking for.  We talked for a while and the woman basically gave Eldest some of the Jewelry she made!  (I snuck back and paid her: I think it is really important to pay artists for the work they do.  But it was awesome that Eldest felt she'd been given this gift by someone who just liked her and wanted to do that for her!).  And THEN, as we were walking along the bridge to cross the bay into the North Harbor we saw Taxi Boats that were boating together and in patterns.  As we watched, we heard a loud speaker across the Bay announcing that the Taxi Boats were going to perform their "world famous water ballet" in a half hour! We'd been watching them practice in an area that was less touristy. So we walked for a half hour then sat on the shore of the Bay and watched the taxi boat ballet!  It was a blast.  Youngest said it was her favorite part of the whole trip, perhaps especially since it was unexpected, unplanned and we just happened to see it by wandering...

Later that day we took the ferry off of Vancouver Island and onto mainland Canada.

     Monday, June 25: We stayed in Vancouver but visited the British Columbia Museum of Mining (I didn't go in so I don't have any pictures: I hadn't been able to sleep the previous night and that morning had my run in with the guy I talked about yesterday who was mean in the café.  I just needed some alone time, so I rested a bit while the rest of the family went to the Museum).  The rest of the family learned a lot though.  The museum and guides talked about how their mining had destroyed the local river, wiping out several unique fish species and harming the people downstream who had made their livings as fisher-folk.  But they also shared that because of that disaster, their mining techniques have greatly improved and the river is on its way to recovery.  Afterwards we went to the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park.  As I said, it had not been a great beginning to the day for me.  However, there was live music that really touched me in the Suspension Bridge Park.  We had lovely walks among the trees: just the kids and I (David doesn't do heights), and it was a healing, calming time. 

     Tuesday, June 26: We went to the Science World in Vancouver which was AWESOME!  We saw a guy do an amazing demonstration on illusions, watched a movie about the Amazon and natural selection, and were able to see just a part of the many wonderful exhibits in this museum.  We wanted to stay much longer, but we had to get through customs because we had a scheduled tour at Boeing in Seattle late that afternoon (where we were not allowed to take pictures... sorry).

  Wednesday, June 27: We started in Seattle with the Space Needle, the Chihuly Garden of Glass and the Science Fiction Museum/Pop Museum.  We were divided: those who don't like elevators or heights went to the Science Fiction Museum while the rest of us did the Space needle and Glass Garden.  After that we drove to Tacoma where we went to the Museum of Glass.  That was an unexpected awesome, too.  In the Tacoma museum of glass they have a theater space where on the stage are glass ovens and the glass workers.  A man with a microphone walks around answering questions for all of us to hear about the work the glass workers are doing.  You can sit for hours and watch this amazing process.  It was beautiful.

Thursday, June 28: We went to the Lewis and Clark Historical Park in Fort Clatsop where we walked among the trees as well as hearing history, seeing the fort, learning how to start fire with flint, and communing with different eco-systems.  We then went to Tilamook where we ate dinner at the cheese factory.  It was a delicious meal!  

Friday, June 29: Mostly a driving day along the Oregon Coast.  However, we made one stop at the Sandland Adventures area, where we were taken on a very fast Dune buggy ride over the sand dunes. It was a rollar coaster ride up to 60mph up and down and over and around.  I screamed a lot, Youngest gripped her seat in terror, Eldest opted out completely, but the boys loved it.  Big surprise there... No pictures of Dune Buggy ride: they warned against getting sand into your phone and camera..  But lots of beach pictures!

Saturday, June 30: more beach, and Trees of Mystery.  This is also the day we had our near head-on collision.  But we are fine, and again, the time in the trees was healing and helpful.

Sunday, July 1: We head home.  But not before going to the Skunk Train in Fort Bragg and the Mendocino Botanical Gardens.  The gardens were also a wonderful surprise.  Absolutely beyond our expectations.

We came home tired, but with our minds and hearts full.  Good people, good food, new experiences.  We had a lot of laughter, a great deal of learning, and most importantly, time together.  Some of the photos I posted here are just silly, some are sweet, some show beautiful or interesting things that we saw.  All of that is as true as what I wrote yesterday. I am very grateful for this time.  I hope it created life time memories for my kids.  I know it did for me.  The time away was full and meaningful.  And it was time to come home and be with my community once again.  I am grateful for it all.