Lonely evening, staying in touch, choirs

Last night was a little weird, with Mama being gone all evening. She and Victoria went out with the ladies of the church. I do not know what time they made it back to the farm but it was long after I had gone to bed; which was about 7:30. I am in the process of testing the ancient farming proverb: Early to bed, early to rise, makes the farmer wealthy and wise. I am not sure if there is any truth to it, but the sleep will do me good.


Grandma told me last night that there was a message from Jake on the house phone. It was his usually inclusive, “Hello Mama Kim, Papa Tim, Victoria, Grandma and Grandpa…” I do not remember if she told me anything that followed. That is where her attention had been drawn. I know it has been a while since we have heard from him. It puts me in remembrance of Emil and Lana. It has been too long since I have talked to them.

I do not know why it is so difficult to stay in touch, especially considering the advent of social media, the internet and cell phones. I value the friendship and need to foster it even over such a long distance, but I get distracted, caught up in things day to day, sometimes hour by hour and pass by the opportunity to reconnect. Shame on me.

I will be getting a new phone soon. It will come with local service which will assign me a new number so I will have to communicate that information out as soon as I get it. I am expecting it to be the last week of the month at the earliest. I am also considering changing the phone at the farm to a local number. Many local people are hesitant to call it since it is a New Jersey number. I have kept it for consistency, but it might be time to start a new number that we can keep for another decade or so.

I was talking retirement with a colleague of mine yesterday. We are the same age but he has been with the company for over thirty years and now he has had enough. We were talking life expectancy; for us about seventy six years. That is only twenty years away. That does not seem like much at this age. He referred to a morbidity calculation given to him by a financial planner where the headings were, “Doug Dies” and “Helen Dies”; he and his wife’s names.

He was struck with the terminal nature of the statement. His life will end and, from his own exposition of his past, he will very likely not make it to that age. He looked at me and quipped, “I need to start working on that other life.” I smiled and answered back, “It is highly recommended. Word is, that life is going to last a lot longer than this one.” We both went back to work, but it reminded me that I need to continue to pray for him; the person who was once my greatest adversary in this company.

It is during this time of year that I miss our church in New Jersey the most. With the holiday season approaching we would be getting ready for the Christmas cantata. I did a lot of years without having a choir to sing in. Since we left Somerset Bible Baptist there have been church choirs that I have participated in, but none the caliber of the choir there. Here at Immanuel Baptist, there is a choir that is fairly good. The music program could use some work but it is fun to be in a choir that is pleasant to sing with.

Don’t get me wrong, the choir at Central Baptist Church was a great group of people doing a work of ministry in music to the local congregation. The music was truly sung from the heart and the music program was developing and well run. I am glad to have had the opportunity to sing with them. It just feels more like home here.

And here, maybe I can help.