With the start of July, we are most definitely in the summer. This is a perfect time to make a list of books to read or articles to peruse. I have several books that I plan to read over the summer. One of them is Chesapeake Requiem: A Year with the Watermen of Vanishing Tangier Island by Earl Smith. I had a friend some years back that served as the pastor to one of the churches on Tangier Island. I’ve always been fascinated by the people that have chosen to live a difficult and isolated life on the island that is now rapidly being swallowed up by the bay.
I am also reading An Odyssey: A Father, a Son, and an Epic, by Daniel Mendelson. Mendelson is an author and classics professor who offered an undergraduate course on the Odyssey of Homer. His father decided to enroll in the class. This begins a wonderful journey for both father and son as they reflect on identity, fatherhood and what it means to have a well-lived life. As I have become more and more of a caregiver for my own father, this book has provided me some insights into how best to navigate the themes in my own life.
I am interested in hearing what books you plan to read or what might be on your summer reading list. Ginger Ward told me about two books that I will be adding to my list already. I’d love to have some more. I certainly will be looking at the books that are on the Summer (ish) Bookclub sessions that you will see listed in our July newsletter. I also get a regular reading provided to me from Rick Miller. He feeds me with articles of interest from the Wall Street Journal.
I may not keep up with the reading that Pastor Shannon does. She reads a lot! But I do enjoy reading those things that others have enjoyed, no matter what the genre or topic. Feel free to drop me a note or email.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Steve
