Festivals!

Dear Friends,
The weekend brought two festivals of graduation. Our nephew, Zach Walrond (who many of you know) and his fiancee, Aubrie Smith, graduated from Virginia Tech, so we proudly spent a whole day at ceremonies. Zach was also commissioned into the US Air Force. Sunday we left for North Carolina, where on Monday, our daughter-in-law, Mary Teller, graduated from Campbell University.

It was on from there to Atlanta, for the Festival of Homiletics (for the unitiated, that means preaching). I have several more days here, and I must say, it has been wonderful! We have had wonderful worship, beautiful music, significant lectures on the art of preaching, and delightful storytelling! In a way, I'm sorry I won't be back right away to share with you some of my new insights. On Sunday, I will be worshiping at Plaza Presbyterian Church in Charlotte on my way back home.

Last night, I had dinner with Isaye Barnwell, lead vocalist with the wonderful African-American women's a capella singing group "Sweet Honey in the Rock." It was great to meet her, and her singing workshop was sensational! I also met Jean Smith, the representative from the Lilly Endowment, who is one of the decision-makers for the grants which enabled the financial side of this sabbatical.

We miss you all a lot, and this week, I also miss Doug, who is keeping the home fires burning while I get "educated."

Peace,

Linda