I am spending a fun filled albeit hot week at Lakeside, Ohio.  It is a fabulous week filled with many happy events–the main one being the ordination of my sister into the United Methodist Church as an elder.  It has been a long road for her—one that has required a lot of both her and her husband. Last night we shared with others as the bishop made it official and what a wonderful time for all of us.  I know my Daddy was smiling down on her.  I am very proud of her.

It is also a time to spend catching up with friends from years gone by.  If you are not part of this UM culture it may be hard to understand why anyone would look forward to a week of “meetings”.  But for me it is more than that.  I don’t attend the business sessions (except right now while I am lurking in the back of Hoover Auditorium to use the wifi) but I do try to attend some of the worship services.  Finding and reconnecting with friends from all over Ohio and beyond who come home to spend the week of East Ohio Annual Conference is one of the things I look forward to most every year that I am able to come.

When we were growing up we had a great connection with 2 other families.   The Browns, the Klines and the Mustards had a great time. There were 14 children between the 3 families.  There was the traditional yearly picnic, the hanging out on the dock, fishing , putt putt and shuffleboard and our lives have crossed paths for years.  We have said goodbye one by one to the parents of these families—-the latest was Virginia Kline who just passed away on June 9th.   My mom is the only one left now and it saddens me but makes me so happy that I have those memories of those other saints who were such a big part of my younger years.  Today I sat on the porch of one of the cottages and caught up with some of the Kline family —ones I have not seen for years and years and it amazes me how even though we have different lives and have not seen each other for several years we still have that connection.  Some things will never change.  We spent many years here together having fun –who could forget the trips to East Harbor to swim and stopping at Cheese Haven on the way home for samples???

I have such a rich heritage and the memories flood over me every time I am here.  I get overwhelmed and awash with wonderful feelings at Lakeside.  It is in my DNA I think.  And that, my friends, is a good thing.