On the Road Again

I was out of town on Sunday, so I was not able to preach in the Wheatland Parish. The reason I was gone is that I had to attend a friend’s wedding in Sioux Falls.  Well, I suppose technically I didn’t have to, but I wanted to, and so did Wanda, so we did.  I’m writing this before we leave, so I don’t know how things went.  I think we probably had a good time.  I hope so, anyway.  But you never know.

I have to be gone a few days this coming week, too, although I’ll be back for Sunday.  Next week is Annual Conference in Sioux Falls.  I’ll leave Wednesday morning and get back Saturday evening.  I’m writing this before I leave, so I don’t know how things are going.  I think they’ll probably go just fine.  I hope so, anyway.  But you never know.

The following week I plan to be gone a couple of days as well.  I am planning to go and visit my parents in Armour shortly before Father’s Day.  My mom’s birthday is at about that time, too, so we’ll also be there to celebrate that.  I hope that will go well, too.

That’s a lot of traveling.  It’s a lot more traveling than I like to do.  I really don’t like to travel very much.  I don’t mind driving within the parish—I actually like that.  And going to Pierre for a day isn’t bad.  Much farther than that, though, and I don’t like it much.  I’d rather just be home.

I think a lot of this is simply due to the fact that I love being where I am and I love doing what I do.  I don’t have any desire to “get away from it all”.  In fact, I’m usually anxious to come back to it all.  Going away is really more of a pain than anything—I usually have a lot of stuff I need to get done ahead of time, which makes the few days before I leave really hectic.  And then, when I get back, there’s stuff to catch up on.  It would be easier if I could just stay home.

I did not always feel that way.  I can think of times, before I became a pastor, when I did not love doing what I did.  I was eager to get away.  Sometimes I’d look for excuses to get away.  Then, I was running away from something I did not like.  Now, I’m eager to run back to something I love.  The difference in my attitude, and in my whole life, is tremendous.

So, I hope I’ll enjoy all the things I have to be gone for.  But I know that I’ll be looking forward to when it’s all over and I can just stay home for a while.  And as a bonus, when I can stay home more, I have more time to go and visit people like you.  And that’s one of the best things of all.