Two and Half Hours to Go Until 2009!

I'm just going to get this in on before the old year passes!

38 years ago this night was December 31, 1970. I had spent 2 1/2 days in the Pocono Mountains on a Tenn Winter Retreat. It was great! I remember when we arrived at the lodge. We got our rooms and then went to dinner. There was a roaring fire in a fireplace close to our table. The hot food and the warmth from the fire made it feel very cozy and comfortable. It was a wonderful time.

I remember coming back and waiting a the pastor's house in West Islip, on Pease Lane. I was friends with his son. I waited for my dad to come and get me. A little sidebar here is in order. My dad had worked all day in Brooklyn, then he drove all the way out to West Islip to get me. He then took his family to the watch night service at the church and we stayed up until well past midnight. I have one great dad!

That retreat left a great impression on my young heart. I remember it being a time of fun and laughter as well as spiritual growth. It was a good time.