Linda, Josh and I are in Illinois tonight. We're here for my niece Joanna's wedding. The rehearsal is tomorrow, the wedding is Sunday. Linda will play piano, and we'll do two songs together. It's an honor for us to do this, and so kind of Joanna and Matt to ask us.
We really love the two songs they have chosen. "When I Say I Do" is a gorgeous, austere wedding song, by Matthew West. And Brandon Heath's "Love Never Fails" is a great guitar + vocal song. Two really great songs!
After we got to Rockford we ate at Giordano's Pizza. It's so nice to be back in the land of real pizza. Although Pizza Papali's in Greektown-Detroit is comparable. Other than Papali's, Southwest Michigan is a barren pizza wasteland. (Mancino's in Wyandotte is pretty good.)
I am excited about tomorrow morning. I grew up in Rockford, and whenever I come back I tamke a 3-4 mile walk through my old neighborhood, past the house I grew up in, past the schools I attended, and the ball diamonds I played baseball in. I'll walk this tomorrow morning. I think I can remember every crack on the sidewalk of 20th Avenue in Rockford and every blade of grass in 25the Stree Park which is adjacent to our home. I'll bring my camera and my journal, and be watching and listening for the voice of God. It seems important to remember where I came from. "Remembering" is, for me, a spiritual discipline.
I miss my parents. This is good. They loved me. I loved them. They were proud of me. I was proud of and thankful for them.
