Thirsty

This morning was my second Saturday with the kindergarten and first grade boys soccer group for the South Bend branch of the People of Praise. I spent an hour and a half with them, playing a soccer game occasionally even with just one soccer ball, and playing assorted other exercises and games. These boys are great.. I'm still very much learning how one must lead a group this age. They each insist on individual attention, but if I give it to one boy, the rest turns to chaos. Some are on the verge of tears at one point, and at the height of elation at other points. They are all eager to love me and spend time with me whenever they see me. Youth are so transparent, we have so much to learn from them! It's also a testament to the tireless work their parents put in to forming them. At the very least, our community is a collection of passionate parents. More likely, we stand out for our interest in sharing this experience with not only our own flesh and blood. Immediately a

... so instead of uselessly rolling around, I'm going to write the small post I'd been meaning to sometime this weekend. During the previous two days, Friday and Saturday, I was concerned for my physical safety more than I typically am. In all, this was a pretty full weekend. But I just want to write down the two safety related stories. Friday late afternoon, I stood at the top of a steep hill with my mountain bike, peering down the path as it went directly under a fallen tree and back up a similarly steep hill. Subconsciously calculating the angles, like say 80 degrees, it appeared quite certain that if I tried such a thing, I would surely have my first ever experience of a broken bone. But with my pride on the line, and Sean and Jeremy acting like this was no big deal, I took the plunge. Never have I been more certain that what I was about to do would result in bodily harm. Lo and behold, the trust exercise succeeded, and I was rewarded with a small stipend of adrenal