The same day of week she was born, we woke up today and went to early service at the extraordinary First United Methodist Church in Bakersfield, Ca. The sanctuary was full of people, the service was wonderful, and we were impressed by everything. After church we accepted their invitation to join members for the coffee and doughnuts fellowship. We greatly enjoyed visiting with the members and stayed almost two hours there, talking about life, travel, health, and community.
We visited with Ann at Bakersfield Heart and she is doing okay. One of the most touching things we’ve seen since she entered the hospital happened at lunch. One of the nurses, Geri, asked if she could join Jerry, Deb, and me at our lunch table. We thought, at first, she wanted a place to sit. Instead, we learned, she wanted to talk to Jerry about his plans for repatriating Ann to Belmont, NC. She gave Jerry very good information about flying home with Ann, how to prepare for the flight, and best manage the flying time. And, Geri offered to drive Jerry and Ann on Geri’s day off the 120 miles to LAX airport. We were so impressed with her gracious selflessness.
This has been a nice day. Today’s temperatures stayed under 95 and we’ve had a nice breeze all day. Deb opened her presents (all small things so she’ll find space for everything) and we looked at the paper. And her family called her to wish happy birthday. We’re looking forward to the cooler temperatures for a few days, this one has been a great relief. Happy Birthday, Debbie!