Whew! Finally we are home in Monroe. After unloading and cleaning inside of the van, checking on my square foot garden, my new flowers, filling the humming bird feeders, filling the other feeder with seeds, getting mail from the neighbor, answering email…. At last I was able to unwind, have a nice dinner with Carol on the back porch and then watch American Idol.

We drove to Hendersonville, N.C. last Thursday. We left Monroe about 10 a.m. and arrived there about 10 p.m., not bad considering we stopped to eat twice for lengthy meals and the usual gas and rest room stops. The Buick van got a nice 25 mpg, not bad for a vehicle that large. It is the one we chose to replace the totaled Pontiac Montana.

On Friday afternoon WFR Relief director Don Yelton and I drove to Brevard for a brief stop at a tackle shop and then on to Rosman, N.C. for some afternoon trout fishing. Even though there was a steady down pour followed by a heavy mist followed by another down pour we managed to catch some nice rain bows in an absolutely beautiful setting. I did not have waders so I was confined to fishing from the edge of the river, perched upon rocks, logs, etc but thankfully did not fall into the frigid water. It had been about 30 years since I had caught trout from a stream but after just a few minutes I started to feel comfortable and had a great afternoon.

On Saturday Carol led a ladies retreat for the gals from the Hendersonville church of Christ and she was warmly received as she introduced the Heart to Home women’s ministry, Grief Share, and an over view of our WFR Relief ministry. While Carol was doing the Lord’s work I enjoyed the creation. I visited a power plant lake in Skyland, N.C. where my father fished often and managed one baby bass, again in the rain. Then I drove to the Swannanoa River near where I grew up and caught one nice rain bow from the very waters that was a play spot for me and my cousins many, many years ago.

In the afternoon I, my cousin Warren Fox and his significant other Cathy, enjoyed a great seafood dinner and some wonderful fellowship. Warren is my first cousin but is more like a bother. He cared so much and attended to my mom in ways that exposed his great heart of love. I will forever be grateful for Warren.
Sunday we worshipped with Don and Harriet Yelton at the Hendersonville church and then had a great meal with them and the preacher Steve Teel and his wife Diana who are friends we got to know when they lived and worked in Monroe. Sunday afternoon the Yelton’s hosted their Growth Group which is one of several that meets 3 Sundays each month in homes. They were great folks and many of them seem like old friends since we met them on previous trips. We sang several songs and then broke up into two groups of perhaps a dozen each and had a Bible lesson with Don Yelton leading. For a fitting end to any gathering in the South we shared a great meal, stories, laughter, and even some fish tales. What a great group of folks!

On Monday Carol and I drove to Greenville, S.C. and she visited her favorite dept store, Hamericks. She was there through through two 30 minute radio broadcasts and about 5 minutes into the third. We then drove to Commerce, GA. for a visit to an outlet mall and then finally to Atlanta. In the afternoon we met David (my brother) and Christy for a delightful meal at Ted Turner’s Montana Grill. David had a Bison Burger but I was not as adventuresome, settling for salmon. I cherish the time I have with my brother, especially since we are the only ones left now from our family.

I am glad to be at home. Tomorrow at 6:30 a.m. I will meet a few guys in West Monroe for breakfast, prayer, and a devotional. Then come back home to help a neighbor with a chore and then do some of my own including mowing about an acre, edging, blowing, etc.

Next month Carol and I will begin our 5th year of facilitating the Grief Share series for folks like us who have lost loved ones. Will you ask God’s blessing on the people who will come to share their hearts and find help for the hurting? We do a series twice a year, once in the spring (late this year) and once in the fall. We have been blessed to see people helped and healed as they learn to properly handle to pain of loosing someone you love deeply.

We are a blessed couple. We couldn’t be happier. God is very, very kind to us!
His peace,
Royce