The Great Esc-Skype

Long day. Piles of paperwork. I fear I will never catch up. In the midst of the mountains of main, landfills of letters, copious contracts, and a preponderance of promos for everything from the latest curriculum to an appeal for funds from the schools for a project in some far-off country, there is an unexpected encounter with a seminary classmate from back in the mid-80s (ouch!). Earl is working as a chaplain for a couple of hospitals in the greater Phoenix area. It was nice to reconnect.
The highlight of the day was my first Skype session with Penny. As you probably know, Penny and I are separated. We are separated by 350 miles of mostly arid desert expanses which lie between Scottsdale, Arizona, where I have the home base of my work for the Arizona Conference, and Riverside, California, where she works her labor of love for the Alvord Unified School District. I give copious "props" to my son, Robert, who guided my lovely wife through the process of the Skype set-up. I, of course, am well-versed in the intricacies of technology. Robert had done his work, all that remained was my connecting, which I accomplished with tacit aplomb (I am not sure those two words go together, but they seem meant for each other). It didn't work. I discovered it was important to push the actual turn on video button to make the connection complete. Go figure!
The recompense for our joint efforts paid off as I was rewarded with a digital reconstruction of my beloved's countenance on my computer screen. Oh, the bliss. I had not beheld her radiant smile for over twenty-four hours! We talked. We tinkered with the Sykpe buttons (disconnected a couple times). Mostly we just looked into each other's digital eyes and marveled at the technology that will be our lifeline over the next nine months.
In truth it leaves much to be desired, but it's better than the alternative. I will have to live for the weekends when either she will fly here or I will drive there. They say that the heart grows fonder when there is distance between-- we will be testing the validity of that premise. For now, we will have to settle for our evening virtual dates-- our Esc-Skype from the reality of our intermittent separation.
On a post-script, please pray for Thunderbird Academy. They need, in brief, more students. The economy is hitting them particularly hard. Many prospective students are out there. There does not seem to be enough money to make their enrollment possible. Plans are in motion to secure some additional funds to help.