Florida Day 1 - St. Petersburg Sky

Portland to New York (JFK)

August 2 started off early with a 6am flight to Tampa with a stop in New York. The mundane duties of the first day were marked by skies textured with clouds, all the way from Portland to New York.

Clouds: Beautiful (lots of photos)
Chores: Boring (zero photos)
Final Score: 5 to 0

Landing in Tampa

On the Tarmac

Driving around St. Petersburg

Closing the Day - Sunset in St. Petersburg

Catch up conversations were interspersed with lunch, and re-meeting old friends, and getting an overview of the media for the Work, suits to the cleaners, fashioning DVD's, and rendering files, while reviewing ideas on conversion and judgment and practical applications of divine truths, and making minor (and major) adjustments to the seminars for the week.

A useful day, although not quite packed with kinetic activity (of sorts). Tomorrow the work begins in earnest as handouts get finalized and more people start arriving. Virtually a long weekend. But come tomorrow afternoon it just won't stop. I appreciate the calm before the storm. For some reason, speaking engagements seem to cost a lot more emotional and physical than I imagined 8 years ago.

It was good to catch up with Cofer. Time with him is always refreshing and stokes the fire for the Gospel work. In the past 5 years, every place I go, even when I visit, I find myself enjoying it, and wondering where my next hop will be, but THIS time, I found myself, though just as excited as ever, wondering about bringing it all back to Maine. An interesting and unfamiliar sensation to be sure, I wanted to contributed, to give back for what was given me.

I really believe that if one is given advantages of any kind be it financial, physical, and intangible ones like spiritual or even refinement in deportment or emotional temperance, that possession of these do obligated the receiver to those around him who have not similar privileges.

This is the reason we congregate at church, meet with people, form a marital union, and even bring children into the world, so that we can give. It is this giving that etches fulfillment in daily duties, and underlies these with hues of meaning. And it is for this blessing of giving more, that we ask to receive, not merely for self-fulfillment.

We'll see how this all goes down tomorrow.