Reconnecting with family

My current sabbatical has allowed me some long overdue time to connect with family.  My two sisters live just north of Tampa, Florida and I arguably do not visit them as much as I could and should.  We have not lived under the same roof for 40 years. Last week I enjoyed some days in the sun with them.  As with many families: same old stories were shared! 

I brought with me stacks of old family photos and albums that I had inherited from my late-mother when she died 10 years ago.  I found sorting and distributing the photos to be both a nostalgic and a therapeutic exercise.  With so many of our photos digital these days, I wonder how many will have old albums to sort through in coming years.  I would urge folks to find those old photos and spend some time looking through them.  Pass them on. Take pictures of them.  

Mark, Mindy and Terri Pendleton circa 1966 in Cincinnati, Ohio 

Some years later 

My sister's church in Tarpon Springs, Florida 

My sister and husband attend a large non-denominational church in nearby Tarpon Springs, Florida.  It was an interesting worship experience for me and I can see why it is appealing to so many. 

Leslie and me kayaking down the Weeki Wachee River (fed by a natural spring)