24 posts from April 2009

"I like your hair cut and beard trim," my wife, Chris, said, as I kissed her goodnight.

You see, I got a hair cut and beard trim this afternoon, for a job interview.

It was the first job interview I've had in 36 years.

My first career was in the grocery business. You might say I had an "inside track," because, well, my family owned the business.

For ten years, I was a grocer, part time and full time, from age 14 to age 24.

Then, suddenly, I did a career switch (after high school, college, and seminary, along the way, in preparation) and became a United Methodist minister.

On July 1 I will retire from active ministry as a pastor (if my clergy peers will let me, I may have to call in a few "chips," heh heh).

And, I am going to do one more sudden career switch. Hey! I ain't ready for no rocking chair, yet!

Today I had an interview with a multinational corporation for a leadership position.

It went very well, I would say. The interviewer asked good questions and I gave great answers (okay, maybe all my answers weren't so great). Let's just say I did "okay."

So the hair cut and beard trim? Yeah, I was getting ready for my Big Interview. It sure felt like the "thing to do."

Here's some photos I had my new hairdresser, named Jenna, take of me:

Over the past 36 yeas of pastoral ministry, I've known plenty of organists, choir directors, and music directors.

I've sung in some of the choirs, sung solos, and also sung in duets and quartets.

I once played in a handbell choir, but I fired myself, since I can't count and play at the same time.

Here's a photo of my organist and choir director at Bixlers Church on a recent Sunday morning.

Last week we met a family from church at a Hanover, PA. family restaurant called Claire's.

My wife, Chris, ordered the fried oysters and I had the broasted chicken. She gave me one of her oysters to sample, and I gave her a piece of chicken.

I liked mine and she liked hers.

Then for dessert we split a small sundae made from Dusty Road ice cream.

She left the restaurant telling me she liked Claire's very much and would like to go there again sometime.

We also enjoyed talking and visiting with the church family and will miss them when we move away at the end of June.

Here's a picture one of them took of us:

This afternoon we went for a walk along La-Ho Trail at Codorus State Park, near Hanover, PA.

First we see the crocus appear, sometimes blossoming through the snow cover.

Then we see the bulb flower stems coming up out of the earth.

Pretty soon the daffodils are blooming, the forsythia, and then the azaleas, too, join in an explosion of color.

And, the ever faithful tulips make their way to the surface and at first hold the blossom tightly together, until, with sun and warmth, it is ready to open.

Here is a red tulip that I photographed with a macro focus, no flash.

What a brilliant red color it is.

Here's another photo from our garden.

I've noticed other photographers capture dew drops on plants.

I've always liked that image, so I tried my hand at it, too.

Here's one of my "dew drop" photos:

"Oh! The flowers in our garden are so lovely. Will you take pictures of them?," my wife Chris asked me.

So yesterday morning, I got out in our front yard to take pictures of the lily, tulips, and daffodils.

One of the secrets of taking good photos, I have found, is to take it from the right angle, the best position.

With flowers in a garden, that meant getting down to their level, ground level, for a better view.

I literally assumed a prone position on the wet grass to get down for my photo shoot.

Here's one of the flowers in our garden, some grape hyacinths:

 

It was Easter Sunday at Bixlers Church.

I got there early and found a couple preparing the Table of the Lord for the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

There was something holy and beautiful in this scene, as it saw it unfold before my eyes, so I pulled out my Canon to take a few pictures of their labor of love.

I have been a minister in The United Methodist Church for 36 years. It is scenes like this one, in the country church, taking care of a task in the chancel, that I will always remember:

In April of 2007, my health and fitness took a decided turn for the better.

Weight Watchers came to the church I was serving in southern Maryland.

I lived in the parsonage on the church lot, so I saw the people arrive each Wednesday afternoon.

Soon I began to believe that God was holding up a sign that said, "Okay, now's the time for you, Darryl."

So, feeling called to greater health and fitness, I went.

In 29 weeks I got rid of 47 pounds.

I made my Goal Weight on my birthday, Hallowe'en, 2007. What a "treat" that was!

Since then I have been successfully maintaining my weight and increasing my exercise.

It's working very well.

My waist shrunk from 44" to 35".

Yesterday I reached the one million steps mark on my pedometer, which I began wearing on January 14th.

I am 58 years old. On July 1, I will retire from the ministry and begin another career.

I ran my Life Expectancy on the msn.com site, as recommended in a book on working after retirement.

According to the msn.com site, I will still be around in 2048, at age 98.

I ran my wife Chris' life expectancy, too, and she will live a couple of years more than me.

Darn! If I could just live another year, we could celebrate our 75th wedding anniversary!

I had an infant baptism Sunday at Bixlers.

Here's Gracie, age 8 months, being held by her dad.