Pop Pop Epistle #90 – 2019 By the Numbers

Dear Grandkids,

Here at the beginning of the new year I like to do a “by the numbers” post to review some of the highlights of the previous year. Numbers often have stories behind them. So I will try to tell you a few stories as I share the numbers.

1 – This number is significant for several reasons this year:

• 1 new grand-daughter added to the clan – Ezra joined sister Asher and mom and dad Danielle and Tucker back in March. She is grand-baby  #7 and we are now at 4 boys and 3 girls.
• 1 new country visited – I traveled to Belarus in July with a mission team from our church. We helped to put on a camp for Belarusian teens and introduce them to the gospel. This was country #46 that I have visited.
• 1 new job – I still have my old job but back in August, Nona and I began working very part time with our local Chick-fil-A and serving as Team Chaplains. Our role is to care for team members and help them to “nourish their dreams” as they think about life beyond CFA.

7 –  I dealt with 7 weeks of abdominal pain in my core muscles. Until it was all over there was a lot of uncertainty as to the cause. I had an x-ray, an MRI, and a CT scan to rule out the really bad possibilities. Pain finally just went away and realized I probably had some micro-tears in my muscles as a result of an ill-advised game of Ultimate Frisbee with some twenty-somethings. I am evidently not as young as I think I am.

10 – Back in June, Nona and I traveled with about a dozen friends from church to Alaska for 10 days. We spent 3 days in the interior around Denali and then 7 days on a cruise aboard the Coral Princess. We saw pristine beauty that would be hard to match and had an awesome time together and with good friends.

40 – Back in June of 1979 Nona and I met in Galveston, Texas while on a Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) beach project and began dating. So we have officially been together for over 40 years now – 38+ of them married.

52 – My goal at the beginning of 2019 was to get a minimum of 70,000 steps each week (an average of at least 10,000 steps every day). I was able to do that every week – actually averaging more than 80,000 steps per week. This was the third year in a row that I have been able to do this, so actually I have gotten 70,000 steps EVERY week for the last 156 weeks.

61 – I turned 61 on June 14. I know that sounds old to you but it sounds awesome to me. I am now older than my dad and both granddads lived to be. I do not take for granted one single day at this point in my life but am blessed to be healthy and to be able to be your Pop Pop.

As a believer in the Lord Jesus I look forward to the day when I will be with Him. In the meantime, this verse expresses well my sentiment (the picture was taken on our trip to Alaska):

Never forget that you are very loved!

Pop Pop