A home visit today, plus a funeral, hospital call, and news that a dear parishioner has died in hospital in Hillsdale. It was good that I could decompress later over a margarita with my wife and friends. Daily walking, practicing yoga, and Monday margaritas — these are things that help keep me sane and spiritual.

I went to Blissfield this afternoon for a session at Bliss Yoga. It involved a lot of twisting and stretching, particularly our hip joints (where I had problems last fall). At one point as we twisted in a pretzelly way, our instructor mentioned the need to ‘detox our bodies.’ It felt as if toxins had seeped into my body this weekend, and yoga helped me to detox.

I had the oil changed on my car today at Lentz Automotive. I was standing at this counter to pay my bill, reading a thank you letter sitting under the glass. The woman who wrote it thanked them for taking good care of her car in a crisis and wondered if they were a rescue mission in addition to being a car shop. Her words didn’t surprise me. I have always been impressed with the service, integrity, and professionalism at Lentz. The owner Steve amazes me. Men usually are not known for multitasking, but he is able to juggle many things at once, moving from the shop to this reception counter to the phones and back to the shop hundreds of times a day. I have watched him work and seen how well he takes care of people. (Today he was training a new assistant, a woman without a right hand.)

I was going to write a post about Adam Hamilton, whom we heard speak today at the Detroit Annual Conference meeting at Adrian College. Hamilton, pastor of Church of the Resurrection in Kansas, is a superstar in the United Methodist Church. He is an excellent speaker, and I enjoyed his presentation. But I am more interested in everyday superstars. Here is one everyday superstar I wrote about last fall. Steve at Lentz Automotive is another everyday superstar. They don’t get lots of attention beyond their circle of family and friends, but they are the people who literally hold up the world.

I made three home visits this afternoon, with Jesus, Winnie the Pooh, and a box of graham crackers in the car next to me. The crackers were for lunch. By the end of visiting I felt strangely like Prince Myshkin in The Idiot. But the prince didn’t eat graham crackers. I also read a great article on Sabbath keeping at Proverbs 31 Ministries.

Today I wrote notes to parishioners, made a home visit, helped with set-up for annual conference, and led a walking group on the trail. In the afternoon I stopped at a park for a Bible break. I am no longer reading the One Year Bible because I have ADD I needed another resource that helps me move more slowly through the text. So I am working through a Bible study on 2 Corinthians. By slowing the pace of reading I am again hearing a Voice speak to me through scripture. It is like the difference between driving through the woods and walking through the woods.

I had a presbytery committee meeting in Bowling Green today. These meetings dwell mainly on questions of policy and process. Policy wonks love such discussions, but I am not a policy wonk. By the end of the meeting I wanted to throw myself out the window. (Defenestration is the technical term there.) Fortunately the way home goes by Oak Openings, my new favorite place, where I walked five miles among the trees to restore my soul. God is among the trees. Later I was back at church for yoga, and in the evening there was time for lectio divina on a scripture passage, more restorative practices.

I went for another long walk at Oak Openings this afternoon, this time ten miles. And this morning I took my Mom to Mother’s Day services at Epworth United Methodist Church on Central Avenue in Toledo.

I had an apple left over from my lunch and I grabbed it and walked to Dallas’ office while I sifted through the thoughts I wanted to communicate. He was in his office and only had a few minutes before class. He was standing and eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich while reading something on his desk. He welcomed me, the interruption.

He was a philosophy professor at USC. I read and wrote about his book The Divine Conspiracy four years ago.

My wife got a worm farm in order to harvest their poop — all of which feels odd on many levels. But there they are, the little wormies.

I walked 14 miles this afternoon at a large park near Swanton, Ohio. It was twice as far as I have walked before. Body is tired now. I picked up an order of beans from Señorita’s for dinner. Still eating soft foods. During the walk I remembered Philippians 3:13-14, “One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” The key thing in walking a long way is to keep moving forward.