Six weeks/April Fools Day

April 1! Six weeks till election and thankfully, that's no April Fool's joke! While I've enjoyed many parts of this process it is tiring, to say the least! I think I have six more weeks in me though!

I feel much better rested today. A good night's sleep last night, after that huge weight was lifted from my shoulders yesterday, has helped a lot! Thanks to all of you who sent messages of encouragement and prayers to me, and of course thanks to the Lord for His provision and intervention.

My youngest is on a field trip to WVU today. He's been on more college campuses than the average 10 year old, since all four of his older sibs have gone to college in his lifetime - all of them to different schools! He's pretty familiar with WVU but was looking forward to his first "independent" trip there with friends. My wife was going to try to call our #2 son, who lives in M-town and works in campus ministry there, to see if he could drop by and have lunch with his little bro at the Mountainlair. The boys are close and I know they'd both love to have lunch together in that setting.

Had a nice lunch and met some new friends, including one who told me she'd been best friends with a cousin of mine who passed away a few years ago. It's amazing how many connections there are - it's such a small world. Speaking of cousins, I was at a church dinner not long ago and a gentlemen introduced himself to me as my cousin - I had no memory or even knowledge of him, but he told me his father's name and I recognized it as one of my great uncle's. Nice to get acquainted and to visit. Especially as time goes by I'm more and more interested in getting to know extended family - it's a shame we all live so close together and don't even know each other.

I am continuing to get questions about whether I'm related to the Crislips who live in this county, or that county - and my answer is always the same: "Not that I know of, but I'm sure I am, since my great-great grandfather had 14 boys!" Maybe someday I'll try to find and get a reunion together of all the Crislips in North Central W.Va. I'm learning that there are more and more of us!

TV commercials have started and I've gotten nice comments about them and about my billboards. One man said my billboard, which includes a picture of my family, looks like a volleyball team with a mascot! There are nine of us and our faithful dog Jack so I guess he's right!

Went to a very interesting forum on underage drinking prevention last night - town hall meeting format. I have a meeting tonight regarding my son's field trip to Philadelphia and other places April 30-May 2 which I'm chaperoning. After that, I have another meeting to go to. And then I hope to get to spend some time with my wife who's leaving at 4:00 a.m. tomorrow for her 28th trip to Haiti!

April Fool's Eve

March 31 - in a way, so hard to believe so much time has passed so quickly, since I started this blog. Tomorrow, April 1, marks 6 weeks till the election. It also is my last day with my wife before she makes her 28th mission trip to Haiti - I'm proud of her and the work she does there. When we learned earlier in this year that we had competition in the election, she asked me if she should cancel her annual trip, and I encouraged her not to do so. The work there is too important. I haven't been to Haiti since late 1995/early 1996 but hope to go next year, with our youngest. It'll be his second trip technically - the first time he was in utero :)

This past weekend was tiring for more reasons that one. I didn't sleep too well either Friday or Saturday night - better Saturday than Friday, but both nights I was awake some thinking a thousand thoughts. Part of the time I was trying my best to figure out some things which were confusing to me and I've still been trying to figure them out. I don't consider myself a worrier but I guess I've been worrying.

Got together and prayed with some trusted friends, and my wife, last evening, and also got a very encouraging e-mail and phone message today. It's always great when God answers prayers "yes" and does so quickly - and that's what happened with regard to a huge point of concern that first arose over the weekend - I was able to resolve it in a way even better than I could have prayed for! So I'm very, very thankful for that.

The weekend was tough for other reasons - it was very busy and there were discouraging moments. But, I slept better last night and am tackling the day today as best I can. So much to do in the next six weeks!

Campaign - the Good and the Bad

First, the bad, to get it out of the way. I suppose it was bound to happen, but two of my signs have been defaced. I took one down yesterday and am on my way to getting the other one right now. There's nothing much you can say about vandals except that they're vandals. No one with good judgment does this stuff, of course! I'm not the only candidate that this has happened to so I can't take any of it too personally, for sure. A couple other signs have not stood up well to weather and have had to be fixed.

Now the good - really have gotten a lot of great encouragement in unexpected places. I'm thankful. Now, a very, very busy weekend ahead of me. Perhaps I'll see you out there on the campaign trail!

Half empty, half full

I'd say, pretty much, I'm an optimist, though also a realist. I tend to see the glass as "half full" but I also realize that sometimes, the glass can tip over! I was reminded of all this today, early, when my youngest found out that a package he has been expecting finally has been put in the mail to him. His first reaction was not positive, but negative -- not "I'm so glad it'll be here soon," but "why did it take him so long to put it in the mail?" I can sympathize with his frustration but I wish he could see the glass as "half full" -- seems to be his tendency not to do so. I suppose the best thing I can do lovingly to direct him is be an example - after all, he is only 10-1/2. A lecture wouldn't do anything but bore him or make him made, and lecturing isn't that much fun anyway!

I received some unexpected encouragement yesterday which I must say was providential. Encouragement to "keep on keeping on" no matter what. Can't go into specifics here because the story that was shared with me has some highly confidential parts -- but it just so happened that I was in the right place, at the right time, and had time to talk at length with a person I'd just met. I call moments like this "God sightings" -- not that I saw God, but that I did see Him in action. Today, whoever may read this, I hope that you receive encouragement at the point you most need it. And that no matter what, that you have real hope for the future. In other words, that you have a "God sighting."

My Dad's Birthday

Arrived back home from Knoxville at 9:15 last night - tired but glad for a good weekend. Today has been sunny in my courtroom and as far as domestic violence days go, not too many hearings, which has given me time to get some much-needed paperwork caught up. Still much to do but at least it's a dent -

Just found out my friend Dr. Harry Murray - my first eye doctor and until his recent retirement, I still saw him professionally - passed away on Friday. I saw him just over a month ago and just last week I'd heard that the day after I saw him, he'd taken ill and had been diagnosed with leukemia! It certainly took him quickly. His wife passed away a few years ago and his two sons and grandchildren all are grown. His sons both live here and he lived alone in the home he'd shared with his wife. He was a good man - I used to say that I went to the eye doctor for therapy, because he'd regularly say things like, "If your entire life is in as good a shape as your eyes, you are one incredible man." The viewing is tonight until 8:00 and I definitely will stop in to pay my respects.

Today would have been my Dad's 78th birthday. I mentioned it to my wife yesterday as we were driving home and said, "He still should be here with me." I wish he were - I could use his advice right now. He's been gone just over 11 years. Hard to believe. One thing my parents taught me - which I truly appreciate - is that death is part of life. They never kept me from funerals but explained them to me frankly but lovingly - I never was scared. I know how important it was for me, when Mom died in 1982 (age 47) and Dad in 1996 (age 66), for friends to come to the funeral home and the funeral. So I will be there tonight for Hank and Roger Murray, if only for a moment, to say hello and to tell them in person how much I admired and appreciated their Dad.

The New Porch

Yesterday and today we worked many hours on Christopher and Alice's new house here in Knoxville. There's still much to be done on it before they'll be able to move in but we got a lot accomplished. The male component of our crew, with Christopher as chief of course, got most of the porch floor down, and also a couple of the columns are now up. The ladies painted a chunk of the exterior "mountain pine" which is a great color. I'm proud of Christopher and excited for the two of them that they soon will live not only in a new house but one he designed!

We went to Senor Taco last night for an early b'day celebration for Duncan and he got the whipped cream pie in the face. It was hilarious and fun! Tonight we're going out for his real birthday dinner to a place called "The Tomato Head" on Market Square in downtown Knoxville. Haven't been there before but my kids who live here in town say it's great -

Duncan is 25 today, can't believe it. And tomorrow's Easter! Ran a couple errands today, to get ready for the birthday celebration this evening and also to get some jelly beans and other things for Easter. Tomorrow after church we'll have lunch and then head for home.

Well - while we're sitting here at the apartment waiting for Christopher and Alice to come back from their house - they stayed behind to do a few touch-up things while the rest of us came back here to get cleaned up for dinner - I'm going to have a cup of coffee with my wife. Oh - and while we're celebrating later this evening, we'll be reveling in WVU's big basketball victory over Duke today! Sweet sixteen here we come!

Energizing but exhausting

Greetings from Knoxville, Tennessee, where we arrived somewhere between 2 and 3 a.m. this morning! We left home at 6:30 which was a bit later than we'd planned but under normal conditions that should've gotten us here between 12:30 and 1:00. Unfortunately, road construction/one-lane stuff on the Interstate combined with Easter travel traffic slowed us down in far southern W.Va. So...we sang along with the radio and did what we could to stay alert! Actually all in all a pretty pleasant trip. At one point when we were stopped (or crawling) in traffic for a long time I got a leg cramp and my wife and I did a Chinese fire drill to get her into the driver's seat! Brings back memories of high school and college - especially one memorable Chinese fire drill in Morgantown which a female friend and I conspired to do to get my best friend and his now wife of 25+ years together in the back seat (just to sit there and talk! they were not dating yet). So just call me a matchmaker.

Today is Good Friday and it's about 11:15. I slept probably till 10:30 with some interruptions but basically, I slept like a rock. We're getting ready to take off for Christopher and Alice's new house and a day of work. We're laying a porch floor and setting porch columns today, plus doing some painting. Should be fun, a good family project, and really kind of a fitting way to celebrate and remember Good Friday. I think the Lord is pleased with hard work and cooperative effort! So hope that's how the day will be - certainly looks like so now.

We're going to celebrate Duncan's #25 tomorrow, on the day, by letting him select a restaurant. I hope he'll pick "The Butcher Shop," a wonderful place here in Knoxville we've gone to over the years from time to time. You select and grill your own steak there! But tonight, we're planning a visit across the street from Christopher and Alice's apartment to Senor Taco, where we celebrated two birthdays last summer with Duncan not able to be with us. He doesn't know that their tradition - when the waiters sing "Happy Birthday" in Spanish - is to smoosh a paper plate of whipped cream into the face of the honoree (who already is bedeck in a sombrero and pancho). So should be fun and a great way to end the day!

We are packed like sardines into this apartment - seven in our family, Colleen's college friend Jessica, three dogs and two cats. Sleeping bags, air mattresses, pull-out couch, you name it - we slept all over the place last night. This is a nice and even spacious apartment with a great view of trees and the city but we're very excited for Christopher and Alice to have their new home. It's really special since Christopher himself designed it. Someday! His mother and I are looking forward to living in the home that he will design for us!

I'm so glad to be away from home a couple of days. I need a break from the campaign to energize myself for the remainder, until May 13. I said last night on the way down here, "The campaign is energizing but exhausting." Don't quite know where that thought came from but it seems exactly right, even though the two concepts also seem conflicting. It's like this - I seem to have energy to do what I need to do at that time, even though afterwards and sometimes even before I feel very tired. I guess God gives us what we need when we need it!

Had a good meeting with about 50 folks and several other candidates yesterday. They asked me to say grace over our meal which I was happy to do. Nice folks.

Hope all have a good day and weekend - remember Good Friday and of course Easter. I may not blog again till after Sunday but I'm sure you'll understand -

He is Risen!