Resurrecting the Champ

This afternoon, we did another type of sightseeing. Neil and I went to a movie with our friend and host, Jim Simon. We went to the coolest movie theater where they actually have tables or "tray" type things at your seat in the theater, and you can order food to be served by a waiter, linen napkins and all.

At Jim's suggestion, we saw "Resurrecting the Champ". All three of us loved this movie. There are so many lessons to learn from this flick, and if you're a preacher, there is definitely a sermon in this one!

If you have an afternoon or evening with nothing to do, we highly recommend "Resurrecting the Champ", a great movie about truth, love, and forgiveness. In a world where so many of the movies aren't worth diddly, we think you'll find this one well worth your time.

Sightseeing -- Honest!! (Days 13-14)

We did it! We actually went sightseeing -- again! If you have been reading the blog, you know we had a wonderful time going down Schnebly Hill with our friends, Bill & Louise Searcy. Remember? That was the short cut of all short cuts, going to Sedona from Munds Park, as we soaked up the beauty of that area.

On Saturday we took Uncle Bob and Aunt Patty Frey (yep, there really are two of us!!) to the Garden of the Gods outside Colorado Springs for a wonderful day together. The sky was blue, the clouds non-existent, the weather warm and pleasant, the company unbeatable, and the grandeur of the area beyond belief! We ate at the cafe of the Visitor's Center overlooking an amazing panorama of Garden of the God's and Pikes Peak. Wow!!

We have seen such a variety of God's creation during the first two weeks of our trip: the desert in all its wonders, rolling hills and plains, rich farmlands where momma cows were nursing their babies, the gorgeous Red Rocks of Sedona, the beauty of the Colorado Rockies, and last but not least the Garden of the Gods. Isn't God amazing!!

The picture at top is Balancing Rock (on the right, obviously) and Steamship Rock. The picture below is across Garden of the Gods to Pikes Peak.

Another Way . . . (Days 9-10)

Neil and I had our itinerary lined out quite well, our 7-week retirement trip that we called "Meander the Western States." We were feeling pretty good about it because we were going to see many family and friends, in addition to doing some sightseeing.

Well, in truth, we were looking forward to seeing family and friends, but the sightseeing plans were a bit dicey -- or almost non-existent.

And then a voice said, "Change the trip. Go . . . another way." We had planned to take David to the airport in El Paso on Sunday after the weekend with him and Mea and head north through New Mexico for a couple of days in Santa Fe. We know nobody in Santa Fe, so we were actually going to go sightseeing and soak up the beauty of that area, and then go on to Colorado.

But a voice said, "Go . . . another way. Go to Ft. Worth and see Ellen & Mike." So we began checking to see what it would take to change the route and go another way to Colorado to visit old haunts and friends where I was raised in Pueblo, then on to Colorado Springs and Denver for time with family and friends there.

We did "detour" to Ft. Worth, and what a blessing it was! Our dear friends from the Panama Crew (our reunion group of 6 families who bonded into our Panama Family in the early '80's) are struggling with serious health issues right now, and it was the most amazing blessing to spend time with them in their beautiful new home in Ft. Worth. (The picture below is of Mike and his birthday cake, presented by yours truly.)


As with so many things in life, whether it be travel routes, projects, or problems, there is often a way that looks most logical and direct or a solution that seems to be the easiest to complete a project or solve a problem. But when you step back and look, you often see that there is also . . . another way.

This week, we are rejoicing that we had time with Mike, Ellen, and their son, Will, whom we hadn't seen in many years, and that we also had time with their youngest daughter, Meagan. Those are precious times, precious memories. (See pic of Meagan with "Father Frey". That's the nickname the Panama Crew gave Neil years ago, and it's stuck.)


We're grateful for friendship and for that time together, grateful that this week, we chose . . . another way.

P.S. In case you think there's no beauty in the Ft. Worth area, I'm including a picture of sunrise over Ft. Worth. It was gorgeous -- definitely worth getting up early to go for a walk that morning!!

Special Treasures (Days 6-8))

Time with the most special treasures of our lives, our kids and grandkids, is too rare, but this summer we've had the great blessing of spending time with both of our children and both of our grandchildren.

In July Christy and Jon joined us for the Panama Reunion in Lake Junaluska, North Carolina. We flew together and shared an apartment while there. What fun it was to share that time with Chris & Jon, who was 19 months old at the time. Jon is so good and incredibly cute, and we enjoyed the time with him and Chris so much. Rich couldn't go with us this time, unfortunately.

This weekend, we've had the special blessing of time with David and Mea in El Paso and Las Cruces, where Mea lives. We planned time there as part of our trip so we could see Mea, and David made the time even better by flying over to join us. Mea is now eight years old, a beautiful little girl inside and out, and so much fun. There are many ways in which she reminds us of David when he was her age, including her energy, her flexibility, and her adventurous spirit.

One of our favorite moments this weekend brought back many memories and made both Neil and me laugh aloud. The four of us were at the play area at the mall. All of a sudden David called out, "Be careful, Baby!" as Mea leaped from a piece of play equipment to a nearby bench. How that reminded us of the many, many times we've watched David with bated breath, warning him to "Be careful!" Now it's his turn to say those words. Seems fair to us!!

Tonight, we're feeling very rich and so thankful for our special treasures, our children and our grandchildren.

A Touch of Humor (Day 5)

Two stories from our visit with teaching friends at St. Pius scream to be shared.

The first day of school at St. Pius last year was the saddest first day of school anyone will ever experience because their beloved principal, Sister Jennifer, had just died, and many students and parents learned about her death just that morning. I cannot imagine what a difficult day that was, especially for the teachers who loved Jennifer so much but had to "be there" for their students with some degree of control.

But sometimes in the midst of sadness, funny things do happen. At 8:15 that morning, all the teachers brought the students to the sanctuary for chapel for a pre-memorial service for Sister Jennifer. At one point, the priest had the teachers go to the front and asked them to face the altar as he prayed. Of course, you teachers out there can feel their tension -- turning your back on all your students the very first day of school? One would wish for the proverbial "eyes in the back of your head."

When one of our friends returned to her seat, the little first grade girl beside her was jerking her head and flailing her arms. In deep concern, Sister asked the little girl, "What's wrong, honey? What's wrong?"

"He's k-i-s-s-i-n-g me!" the little girl complained. Thankful the child wasn't having a seizure of some sort but realizing she must address the problem, the teacher turned to the offending little boy and said, "What's this all about?"

The spunky little guy answered, "It's all about L-O-V-E, Sister!" Yep, even in the midst of tragedy and deep sadness, there come glimpses of humor.

One more anecdote for our ministry friends, especially:

Every Friday morning of the school year, we have mass at St. Pius. During one of these chapel times later in the school year last year, the priest was talking to the children about the signs of the church. His question to them was, "What is the most important sign in the church?"

Hands went up all over the sanctuary with children anxious to correctly answer the question. Upon whom did the priest call? You got it! The priest called on the spunky first grader in the above story, whose answer was, "The Exit sign!"

Kids -- ya gotta love 'em!!

A Very Special Person (Day #5)

Today was a nostalgic, bittersweet day. Neil and I drove to El Paso, where David, Christy, Neil & I lived for 4 years while the kids were in high school. Neil taught ethics at the Army's Air Defense Artillery School, while I taught at a wonderful school and had the three all-time best teaching years of my career here at St. Pius X School.

As the academic year 1990-91 was almost ready to begin, my friend, Marilyn, asked me to come apply to be her teaching partner, team teaching the two fifth grades at St. Pius. Convinced that they really would not want a Baptist, a chaplain/minister's wife at that, teaching in their Catholic school, I nevertheless allowed her to convince me to interview with the new principal, Sister Jennifer, with whom I had immediate rapport, and I accepted the job on the spot.

Sister Jennifer was my boss -- an excellent principal who truly empowered us as teachers. She also became my friend. A year ago last Friday, Jennifer went to be with the Lord. Today, walking into St. Pius for the first time since Jennifer's death, seeing a lovely picture of my principal, my mentor, my friend, brought me to tears.


Tonight, Neil took three women to dinner: Sr. Mary (aka Missy) and Sr. Juli, both teachers at St. Pius and good friends of Jennifer's, and me. (See picture above of Missy, Patty, and Juli.) All of us started at St. Pius the same year. We had an amazing time of reminiscence, some choked-up moments, lots of chuckles, and some outright raucous laughter, while we ate the world's all-time best hamburgers at the Great American Steakburger.

Neil and I came away feeling so blessed -- blessed by friendship with Juli & Missy and others in the St. Pius community, and especially blessed to have had a wonderful mentor and friend in our lives in the form of Sister Jennifer. God is so, so good -- to allow this Baptist minister's wife to teach at this Catholic school and to have my life touched so deeply by these sisters in Christ.

P.S. I have to tell this story on Neil: Sister Jennifer is the only woman in the world for whom Neil ever had a special t-shirt made. Seeing the motto of the women's basketball team at Hank's High, for which Christy was the manager, he was inspired to take their motto and put it on the front of a black t-shirt for Jennifer: "Real Women Wear Black . . . " and on the back, "Unless they're out of the habit!"

What's In a Name? (Days 2 -4)

We left the Arizona desert floor at 113 degrees on Monday and drove up to Munds Park, climbing up to 7,000 feet elevation and dropping 30 degrees along the way, thankfully. We went from desert cactus to rolling lands covered with tufts of coarse grass and occasional scrub brush to an area filled with juniper trees and on up to the piney woods.

As we've traveled the last couple of days, Neil and I have been fascinated by the interesting names we've seen along the way: Big Bug Creek, Skunk Canyon, Bloody Basin (oh, joy!), Dead Horse Park (is that where you go to park your dead horses?), Crazy Creek, and our very favorite: Damned if I Know Canyon. (See picture on left.)

Much as we love the desert, we have to admit that we loved the mountains of Northern Arizona and the red rocks of the Sedona area much more! (See picture below: the center formation is called "Mother and Child".) It was awesome, and to add to the joy, these rain-deprived Southern Californians got to experience thunder, lightening, and rain.


Our wonderful hosts, Bill & Louise Searcy, took us on quite an adventure enroute to Sedona on Tuesday morning. It was a shortcut, actually, called Schnebly Hill, rather infamous in that area. Taking an hour to navigate, this special road was only twelve miles long. It is a single lane dirt road (so letting the few other vehicles crazy enough to try it pass by necessitates finding a wide spot in the road), has no guard rail, and is covered with a combination of rocks and potholes that reminded us of some of the backroads in the Punta Chame area of Panama experienced on a trip way back in 1983.

As Bill navigated Schnebly Hill, Neil was in the front passenger seat, and I was right behind him -- on the "drop off" side of the vehicle. Driving along, our host and tour guide, Bill, casually mentioned, "Yep, there have been lots of terrible accidents on this road!" As I peered over the edge -- remember: no guard rail! -- where the drop off was literally hundreds of feet down rocky slopes to the bottom, I asked if he could tell us about those accidents at lunch, when we were down in the land of solid ground and smooth roads again. My advice? Beware of shortcuts!

Father Frey's favorite find? Two monks to add to his monk collection which he found at the Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona that overlooks an amazing array of red rock formations. He was a happy guy!

Tonight, we're with friends, Pat & Dave Armstrong, in Elephant Butte, NM. Why is it named Elehant Butte? Because there actually is a butte that looks like an elephant in the middle of the lake formed by the nearby dam on the Rio Grande River, of course! And you thought I was going to say, "______ if I Know!"

Our Last Meal (Day #1)

Decisions, decisions, decisions! Today's main decision was where to eat our last meal . . . our last meal before leaving Southern California for 7 weeks, that is. Since we have given dozens of gift cards and taken many visitors and new seminarians to this particular place as part of the Southern California experience, many of you know immediately that we went to In-n-Out!

After a relatively mild summer in Southern California, we were hit with an almost overwhelming blanket of heat when we got out of the car after crossing into Arizona. We'd forgotten how warm the Arizona desert can be. Perhaps we had also forgotten how incredibly beautiful it is.

My heart sored as we drove along under soft blue skies with white puffy clouds. I looked across the miles of flat desert with shrubs rarely taller than two or three feet, and at one point as I scanned the entire 360 degree horizon, I realized that beyond the flat desert in every direction were craggy rock formations and jutting mountains. I marveled that God could make even what can at first glance seem like a barren desert into something with an amazing beauty all its own.

The day ended with a radiant Arizona sunset and a lovely visit with friends, Dave & Mary Ann Gallagher. The journey has begun. We're feeling blessed tonight!

P.S. In our rush to get out of the condo and to the ordination and worship yesterday morning, I left my buttercup hooded rain windbreaker and my snuggly fleece jacket. Maybe you always forget to bring something, aye? I'm not likely to need the fleece today, however, because it's supposed to hit 112!!!

Neil & Patty Retire

OOPS! I had a retirement announcement on the blog, but this morning it is gone. My comuter gremlin must have been busy last night.

Neil and I retired on 1 July this year after 10 amazing years in ministry at the American Baptist Theological Center at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena. We've loved being in the pastorate and the chaplaincy and found both areas of ministry incredibly rewarding, but these last ten years at ABTC have been our best ministry years yet as we've had the great privilege of networking with, mentoring, and supporting in such a fun variety of ways people who are training to serve the Lord. Neil has been the Executive Director of ABTC while I got to come alongside in the role of Support Ministries.

Now retirement is here! Neil has said for a while he wanted to retire "young". As we've told our seminarians, "young" is a relative term, so although to them we might not be, for retirement we are, but we've done it anyway.

This picture was taken at our retirement event from ABTC, an amazingly fun gathtering of people who helped us celebrate an incredible ministry!

In just two days, we leave on a 7-week retirement trip that we're calling "Meander the Western States". We are lousy sightseers, so we're actually going to visit family and friends with whom we rarely get to spend time, and we are excited!

I've been encouraged to do a trip log on the blog, so if you're really interested in how our adventure goes, check back from time to time.

Another Great Panama Reunion!

Gathering in early July for a reunion with a group of six families who served in the U.S. Army in Panama (1981-84) at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina, was great fun. Of course, the six core families have expanded since we were in Panama together as the kids have grown up, gotten married, and had families of their own. The Panama Reunion is an every-other-year occurrence to which we all look forward greatly.

This year, many of our group couldn't be there, and we missed them so much. May we all be together again in 2009!

Here's a picture of Christy with Jon and our good friend, Patsy Seay, who puts the reunions together for us, God bless her! We're all riding the Lake Junaluska Trolley.

Great Weekend with David & Mea

A rare treat -- David and Mea got to come for a weekend this June. We had such a great time hanging out together, playing in the pool, playing word games on the computer and surprising Grampy and Daddy with an early Father's Day celebration.