Pick and Choose

Another weekend where I should have been cloned, but I am really glad that I wasn’t. Friday was the semiannual Buckwheat, Pancake, and Sausage Festival in Ohiopyle Pennsylvania. These two events are the major fundraisers for the Ohiopyle Volunteer Fire Department. While many other fire departments rely on street fairs and ticket sales, the community comes together to setup, clean, and cook for three days in the fall. I’ve shared before that I started to volunteer there while dating my wife almost 45 years ago, working up from washing dishes, to baking cakes to finally frying sausage. Friday I was on my feet from 8 o’clock AM until 5 PM.

Saturday, I had to choose to fry sausage, volunteer at the historical society, or join others of our church family for the Seedline Project. Seedline is a ministry that is based near Cincinnati, Ohio and prints the Bible and other parts of Scripture in different languages to be distributed to missionaries and churches abroad. The texts are brought to our church, assembled, stapled and trimmed before being boxed and readied to be shipped. This collection of John and Romans Scripture was in English and their destination will be South Africa. In the past we have assembled French, Portuguese, Spanish, and Croat. This time we assembled 8,233 booklets.

I had to leave hurriedly to drive to my Granddaughter’s birthday party. It was a small gathering of Parents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and Grandparents, but very important to Hannah. I was glad to get home and raise my puffy, tired feet.

Sunday, there was no choice, only whether to go to church or not. Because I am in the choir, that isn’t a choice. Yes, I am in the choir. Because of a curse of my mother, I have always tried to tell a joke, story, or sing a chorus that had something to do with something said. My mom Sybil Beck had the habit of singing ditties and that habit has transferred to me.

If you think that isn’t strange enough, our Assistant Pastor is starting a men’s quartet and I was asked to join. I’ll keep you informed as to the location and date when we will make our debut.