Who's motto?

In this year when we celebrate 450 years of reformation, wouldn't it be good to adopt a few motifs from the Hard Rock Cafe? We could display memorabilia of the great rocker reformers and practice the loving and serving all that adorns the doorway. Or would that just be too radical a reformation?

Auld claes and purridge

Giving thanks this week for ministry... the joy of being home... missing loved ones across the pond... catching up with work... grateful for colleagues who helped out... being missed... being welcomed into people's homes... catching up with laundry and housework... all everyday things taken for granted but in which we are richly blessed.

Giving thanks

This is Natural Bridge, in Virginia a beautiful site visited on a glorious day. There were crows nesting high in its crevices and the sound of their cries echoing off the stone was quite something. It's great to be home and reliving our memories.

From the horror stories that are emerging of folk caught up in the Volcanic Ash flight chaos, we have been extremely lucky. We were only a week late getting home, we found reasonable hotel rates, got in some extra sight seeing and, when we got back to Glasgow Airport, NCP waived the extra parking charges.

And, I have some great colleagues who stood in for me. It's amazingly easy to con folks into helping out from a distance. If it wasn't for impending Higher exams, I might have been tempted to spin things out a bit longer! Folks managed fine without me.

Foamhenge

This was probably one of my favourite sights in Virginia - a styrofoam rendition of Stonehenge. The artist, Mark Cline is a seemingly tireless wacky creator. On the road, we passed his workshop, stopped to take pics of some of his creations - dinosaurs and the like - and he invited us in. Although some of the other attractions he has created in the area were not yet open, he was very hospitable and described them to us. The signs around Foamhenge testify to his wackiness. Foamhenge is situated just a few miles away from Natural Bridge, a stunning creation of Mother Nature. But more of that later...

Home sweet home

From the mountains of Virginia to the beaches of Ayrshire. It is so good to be home. We loved our extended adventure and were blessed by the company of loving friends but it's time to get back to work and routine. British Airways were superb and we'll certainly use them again. It feels odd not to be checking the web every few minutes to see what the Icelandic volcano is doing but I know there are many folk still stranded far from home, through Volcanic ash chaos and through other sorts of chaos. May they too find rest, good company and a place to call home.

Askew

The Washington Monument looks a bit off kilter. That sums up well where we're at. We've enjoyed seeing the sights and tried to make the most of our enforced extra few days of "holiday". But enough is enough. We just want to get home. I could have cried when I heard that tonight's Heathrow flight from Washington was cancelled. I'm sure some people did cry. However, it seems that UK airspace is open, so, hopefully, tomorrow's flight will go. It's been interesting to experience such a range of emotions at not getting home, at being restricted, at the sheer unpredictability of events. But I'm conscious, even as I reflect that, for many folk, those kind of emotions are common place, the way they are forced to live their lives. And, while we are not yet out of the woods, (or out of the States) I am grateful that this IS temporary - I hope!!!

Taking advantage

Since we are still stranded in Virginia, my friend, who is a presbyterian minister, took full advantage and, as well as getting me to bring a message for the children, she and I preached on Saul and Ananias at both services this morning. The final hymn was to the Scottish folk tune Kelvingrove - so, for good measure, I accompanied that on the fiddle. It's good to feel useful while we wait - I think!