Off for another walk! This has been interesting...after I started Weight Watchers in October, I successfully took myself to my goal weight by losing 35 pounds, but I knew that I still needed to exercise regularly. The solution was right in front of me, so I've taken advantage of it and have begun some serious walking. I feel great.

My friends at FSG have also re-evaulated their lifestyles and have begun using The Maker's Diet. It seems like we're now all tuned into some kind of "health frequency", and the results have been very positive.

Wow, what a birthday party! Karen surprised me by inviting a whole bunch of my nearest and dearest friends to the house on Saturday for a surprise party to celebrate my 50th birthday. To say that I had fun would be an understatement -- it was great to have all these people who mean so much to me in one place. I sincerely hope that if you were one of the people there, that you had as good a time as I did. Thanks again to everyone who helped, attended, sang show tunes, told tall tales, and in general gave me the best birthday I've ever had. I will never forget it! =:)

The Pilgrimage was a success. It was interesting to see the changes in Memphis over the last 27 years. It's all documented on the website at the Pilgrimage to the King link. And yet I can't imagine what our part of Atlanta must have looked like in 1978 -- it was probably a collection of ramshackle country houses. In fact, I know that it was.

In 1982, when we moved to Atlanta from Chicago, our immediate area was sparsely populated. Here and there was an old house. Some were more interesting than others, of course. One of my favorites featured chickens wandering around in the front yard and a rooster who would stand on the front porch and crow at the morning traffic. That same area is now home to three shopping centers on three different corners, most of which are in their second or third series of tenants. Our neighborhood is now quite crowded, in fact. Roosters on porches have given way to soccer moms dropping kids off at Montessori schools. Time waits for no one.

The day of the Pilgrimage to the King (Atlanta to Memphis) fast approaches. With each passing day, we assess our positions and consider our options. What to say to the King? How many barbecue lunches to consume during the four-day visit? How to face the juxtaposition of suburban growth with newly restored intown neighborhoods? Stay tuned...

It is Good Friday. I have just returned from one of the most moving Good Friday services that my church has ever held. Over the course of 45 minutes, we were witness to a group of members playing the parts of people who had seen Jesus in the last days of his life. Barabbas wondered why the crowd wanted him saved, a carpenter was outraged at the idea of constructing a cross for a man who didn't deserve one, and Mary pleaded with God to take his son, just as He had delivered Jesus to her. The service ended silently, and we remained as long as we wished...