Dear Sisters and Brothers All:
Grace and peace be unto you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I want to thank all of you for the many thoughts, prayers, cards, and visits during my recent hospitalization for left knee replacement surgery. I am pleased with the outcome of the surgery and my speedy recovery and rehabilitation. I feel better than I have in a long time. I really had no idea how much pain I must have been in before surgery. Now I can get back to my regular routine exercise and golf and boating and get some more of this extra weight off. Cathy and I are eating very well nutritionally limiting fine sugars, carbohydrates and high fat foods. We have sworn off any processed foods including processed sandwich meat and cheeses. It has worked really well for Cathy as she has lost a considerable amount of weight along with her exercise schedule of kayaking and yoga.
I want to thank Pastor Reid and Chaplain Kim for leading worship in my absence. They did a great job of leading worship and preaching. How blessed we are at Parkway to have such capable leaders. They continue to be a big part of our ministry and a great support to me personally. I appreciate both of their visits to me while in the hospital and my brief stay at Health South.
We now turn our attention toward the most holy festival of the Church Year – the Resurrection of our Lord on Easter Sunday. This year it will occur on April 8th. We will have two worship services on Easter Day. Our early service will be on the portico beginning at 7:30 AM. It carries a baptismal theme which is often observed at the Easter Vigil on Saturday night in many congregations. Our Presbyterian Men will provide a great breakfast following this worship service. We will have our regular Sunday School at 9:00 AM. At 10:00 AM we will have our Festival Worship Service with special music, uplifting hymns, both our Sanctuary Choir and our Bell Choir will offer special anthems, and we will celebrate Holy Communion in our beautifully decorated sanctuary. Following this worship service, we will have an Easter Egg Hunt for our children on the back lawn of our property. The whole day should be great fun and lift up our spiritual lives as we celebrate this most important time in our faith. I hope you will make a special effort to invite your family, friends, and co-workers to attend with you at all of our festivities on Easter Sunday.
On a final note, you are probably aware that I had an accident on March 26th in which I totaled my new truck which replaced my red truck when it was totaled in December. The first accident was not my fault. This March accident was my fault. I was following an oil tanker truck on Frankford Avenue and, for a brief moment, glanced away to look at something on the passenger seat. The next thing I knew, I was staring at the back of that big Mack Truck. I suffered deep bruises and lots of scrapes and cuts. I was checked out at the hospital. The professionals told me that if I had been in a car, I most likely would have been decapitated. My ego is bruised and I was terribly embarrassed, but I am thankful that I am alive and no other person was hurt. I was wearing my seatbelt and the air bag did its job. I relay this to you to remind you to not make my mistake – always keep focused on the driving and on the road. I was not texting but so many do today. Over the last ten years, alcohol related accidents has declined significantly, but distracted driving has increased dramatically. My accident is a reminder that we need to constantly pay attention to our driving. By the way, except for a little side-swipe with a pole, I have not had or been in an accident since 1975. I hope these two recent accidents will be suffice me for the next 36 years!
I am confident that God is not finished with me yet on this earthly journey. That He still has plans for me in ministry. This Easter will have an additional meaning for me as we celebrate what is most important in life – to be caring and loving Christian witnesses in our lives.
With love for each of you and in thanksgiving for each of you, I remain,
+ Pastor Ric
