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Hangin Out

Julie and I are spending the weekend in San Diego, visiting our friends Michelle and Mike. Michelle is the lead pastor at a local Methodist church and Mike works for the postal service. Outside is surprisingly cool and drizzly. This year the weather in Southern California has been  incredibly mellow. I don't want to jinx what we've been experiencing, so I leave it to you to surf the net and find out what the temperatures are like.

I credit Michelle for helping strengthen my spirituality, and really for helping Julie and I find the people who've become some of our closest friends in Santa Clarita. Michelle formed a small group (I think) in 2013 that included us and the same folks we now consider family. They are our people. Michelle and Mike moved to San Diego a year ago when she was appointed to lead this church. While we were all very sad to see them go, we were all so proud of her in achieving a goal that she was called to do and that she worked so hard to get.

Michelle and Mike have a daughter who happens to be my daughter's best friend. She's getting married this fall and she and her fiance asked me to officiate their wedding. I couldn't be more honored to take on this sacred role in their wedding day. Coming to San Diego to get wedding ceremony tips was an excuse to visit our friends.

While it truly sucks that Michelle and Mike moved away, the blessing of this technology age is that we communicate on a regular basis, as if they never moved. I believe that email, mobile phones and especially texting have kept me close to those of my family who live throughout the country. There's a lot of bad shit on the Internet, which is a shame, but the way it has kept people connected is something I'll always appreciate.

Hope you all have a nice weekend.

Aloha

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