E, F, G

 E = EVENING

Summer's extra hours of daylight provide the occasion to linger longer, to lounge more, to simply be and listen and observe the gifts of a chorus of crickets and the flash and dash of lighting bugs. When I began my pastoral appointment in Erie, at various intervals some parishioners came to greet the new pastor and made it imperative to take me to Presque Isle to watch the sunset. The conversation paused, we sat in stillness each "aware and grateful for the God-ness of the moment."

F= FLOATS 

One learns to swim by first beginning to float --- to trust the water, open to it, secure in its support.  

I belong the Dormont Pool --- a gift for the region; over 100 years old and 100 yards long, ranging from depths of 1 foot to 9 feet, always cold, always adequate space for many. 

In the pool one will find an abundance of floats including rafts in various colors, inner tubes, inflatable popsicles, pizza slices, llamas and unicorns. 

After a swim, some pool patrons partake in that other float staple of summer: the root beer float. My preferred ingredients: "Ben and Jerry's" vanilla ice cream and A&W Root beer....."Bottoms Up!  

G = GOLF

One summer some friends and my oldest brother got into golf.  I too joined in the game of low score on the links.  I began by borrowing a set of clubs and then my brother made me a set of left-handed clubs (he's that kind of guy).  I used being left handed as an excuse along with having played softball for many, many years as the two reasons as to why I stunk. 

I could never find my golf zen, my calm center.  As golfers can attest, one can play a hole quite well and then the next one start with a sliced drive of 20 yards, an ad infinitum of approach shots and multiple, maddening putts.....I became a yeller of profanities and a hurler of clubs.