8.8.08

The Olympics start today - I always look forward to watching them. Should be especially interesting this year since they're in Beijing. I hope things really are getting better there in the human rights arena...

Our friends, Pastor Andre and Mme. Justine Jean from Haiti, are our guests this weekend.

I finished the 40 hour Family Mediation Training seminar today and it was an enjoyable week. Definitely glad I completed it - working as a mediator is definitely a possibility for the future, not as an entire career certainly but as a part.

More and more things seem to be coming open so we will see. I'm sure I've used that phrase "we will see" more than once in this blog - sorry about that but it fits --

I realized this week that I have just a bit over four more months on the bench. Less than a week from now will be three months past the election - amazing -

Everyone out there, enjoy your 8.8.08 --

King Tut's and Church

Forgot - we celebrated the boys' birthday at a great hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Knoxville called "King Tut's." The owner, Mo, was quite the funny guy! I'll write more about him later. For now, let's just say King Tut's is a very worthy successor to Senor Taco! After dinner, we went to a 10:50 showing of "The Dark Knight." All of us had seen it at least once except Ethan, and he was fine with it. Didn't get to bed till about 2:00 Sun. a.m. and barely got up in time for church - a great service at my son's church, Redeemer. Last Sunday, there was a nationally-covered church shooting at the Universalist Unitarian Church in Knoxville and it turns out a fellow killed there was the father of a member of my son's church - an eerie feeling to think that something like that happened just a few miles from where Christopher and Alice were worshipping at the same time - I've been praying for the U.U. congregation this week and now have a name to add to that -

Mediation

For a long time, I've been in favor of we Family Court Judges being required to complete mediation training. We have to send so many litigants to mediation, how could it not make us more effective in our jobs? Anyway, with my loss in the election, I decided to go ahead and attend myself. Depending on how things play out between here and Jan. 1, it may be beneficial in more ways than one for me to have qualification as a Family Court mediator!

Today was the first day of a five-day training program in Morgantown and it was enjoyable. I'm looking forward to the rest! I was a bit tired today - we didn't get home from Knoxville until after midnight, We left my son's apartment yesterday at 3:45 and by 5:45 we hadn't gone 20 miles - all the result of a major tractor-trailer accident/spill before noon yesterday which tied up traffic in a rather major way - obviously - hope no one was hurt -

Had a great time in Knoxville and looking forward to the next time with the whole crew! Since I'm in Morgantown each day this week, all day and in addition I have evening meetings tomorrow and Thursday, I'm taking #2 son Cameron and his wife to dinner tomorrow during my break.

We've gotten some major lawn work done this past week which is great. Our two huge spruce trees got a much-needed pruning, the grass is mowed and today I got my new "Garden Groom" trimmer in the mail. We've got some bushes - one especially - in desperate need of some major trimming. I may give that a shot this weekend, although our Haitian pastor Andre Jean and his wife Justine will be here for their once-a-year visit so it'll be very busy - we'll see -

Looking at about a dozen jobs as of now - not surpisingly, my interest level varies rather widely from one to another - but it is encouraging that so many things seem to be open right now -

Can't wait for The Amazing Race and Survivor to come back on the air! Should be next month. In the meantime - I'll have to content myself with the Olympics. I am looking forward to them - they start this Friday, 8/8/08. Go USA!

Knoxville

In Knoxville and it's Saturday morning. The whole crew is here! Yesterday some of us got here about 4:00 p.m. and went over to my son and daughter-in-law's new house (still under construction) and spent a couple of hours putting in insulation. It was hot, dusty and full of those wonderful fiberglass fibers - but fun. This a.m., we were supposed to be up at 6:00 but that didn't work - I woke up at 7:00 and the "first crew" was leaving and left me in charge of getting round #2 up and out. A challenge to say the least, since my #2 son and daughter-in-law didn't make it in till 3 this a.m. I think I'll let them sleep and rouse the rest who are left (actually that's what I'm in the process of now) and get going.

Later on today we're celebrating Christopher's #28 and Ethan's #11 (this past Wed., July 30) by visiting a local swimming hole and finding someplace nice to eat. There's a restaurant right across from Christopher and Alice's current apartment, Senor Taco, where we ate last year on July 30. They have a tradition - which we didn't know - of stuffing a paper plate full of whipped cream right in the kisser of anyone who's celebrating a birthday. So that was fun! When we were here at Easter time, which coincided with #3 son Duncan's 25th birthday, we also happened to go there - he hadn't been with us for the boys' birthday in July 2007 so he didn't know but the rest of us did. Pretty hilarious - but I understand we're not going to Senor Taco tonight. Hmmm...wonder what fun birthday tradition there might be at the restaurant we do pick? : }

We're leaving tomorrow for home and all next week I'll be in a seminar to get on the list of Family Court mediators. There's actually been lots of action on the job front - I have about 10 applications out, some of them far and wide - and it's encouraging that several things have opened up. Still focusing on opening my own office because to date it's the only guarantee I have - but we will see. As someone said to me - it's a bit frustrating to know that God already knows, but He hasn't told me yet. True - but not only do I trust Him with the details of the future, I trust Him with the timing of its being revealed to me.

Things are better and I'm grateful.

Back from Camp

Just back home from the finest place on Earth, the West Virginia Baptist Camp at Cowen. With 209 5th and 6th graders including my youngest! This is my 3rd year at this Camp again, after a long hiatus. I counseled it every year from 1974-1995 and directed it in 1989. Last month, I was there for the Sr. High camp, which I've been blessed to counsel each year since 1981. My goal is to serve at the camp at least until 2015, when my youngest is scheduled to graduate high school. Lord willing!

Nothing else new. A lot of thinking, to be sure!

More travel is ahead. On Friday, we're leaving for Knoxville and my son's home there, to celebrate his (my oldest) and my youngest's birthday (July 30) with the whole family. Then, back on Sunday, and then to Morgantown for a week of mediation training.

Now to rest!

The Ides of July

Well, here we are at July 15th. I attended a two-day seminar yesterday and today and saw many, many old friends - several of whom did not know about the election outcome. So explaining the lay of the land all over again was fun - ah well.

I worked till 9:00 p.m. last Friday, then at least four hours each on Saturday and Sunday. My hearing/trial schedule the next two days is fairly heavy but Friday should be clear. My goal is to get three decisions that have been burning a whole in me (overdue since before the election) out by the end of this week, even if it means working all day this Saturday. All three cases have attorneys on both sides and the lawyers have been very understanding - I've been keeping in touch and letting them know of my progress. I know people want closure but these three particular cases each had enough complexity that a quick decision likely wouldn't have been a very good one.

It's now just over two months past the election, which means we have 5-1/2 months left on the bench. It's been quite a two months! People still ask me, of course, "what are you going to do?," to which I generally answer, "I don't know and haven't taken much time to think about it." In reality, I think about it all the time, so maybe it's more accurate to say I haven't felt like I've had the time or information to formulate anything definite. As I have been, I still am focusing on opening my own office, because I have control over that. My big concern there is cash-flow and benefits, since I'm the principal breadwinner and the provider of health insurance, etc., at least at this point.

What I know is - a lot has come to my attention in the past two months, and a lot more will come to my attention in the next five-plus. So we will see - this evening, feeling a bit impatient just to know(!) but I must focus my energy on the folks coming to see me tomorrow and Thursday and getting the "big three" decisions out this week. The short-term goal must trump the long-term for now.

Rumors and Reality

So far, I've heard these rumors about my future:

1. I am going to work in the Federal Prosecutor's Office.
2. My family and I are moving back to Elkins.
3. I have a "big administrative" job waiting for me at the Supreme Court in Charleston.

Apparently, someone thinks they know something I don't know - none of these are right as far as I know. When I know - you'll be the first to hear!