Events of Sunday, October 31, 2010

          Pam’s alarm went off (by accident) at 5:45 this morning. That was too early to get up, so I drifted back to sleep. Next time I checked my watch, it was 7:11, which was too late! The Walmart manager said we needed to be gone by 7 am. Ah well, we quickly got up, pulled in our slides, and drove around the corner, to the Stop & Shop parking lot. I went in to shop for groceries, while Pam had her personal quiet time and the kids went back to sleep.

          We breakfasted on fresh bagels and then drove on the church. Pam had found several nearby churches, from which I chose the Pleasant Valley Community of Prayer and Praise. As their name implies, these folks are serious about prayer and praise. Their worship style was open and expressive, similar to the Vineyard Fellowship that Pam and I enjoyed during our years in San Francisco. Our kids were intrigued by the worshipers around them and their different expressions of worship: raising arms, waving flags, dancing, clapping, shouting, and singing a cappella. We knew very few of the songs, but their melodies were simple, so we were able to pick them up and join in quickly with the singing.

          The head pastor, Jim Schneider, is an elderly man. He spoke on “Dealing with Disappointment.” He began by describing for us the many disappointments he has faced in this last year and how that has impacted his spiritual journey. In brief, God’s goal in all our trials is we learn to trust him and thus we come to expect good. Jim’s speaking style was conversational, but his PowerPoint sermon notes were well-organized and highly structured. Our disappointment follows a downward spiral of doubt, envy, anger, turmoil, hopelessness, and bailout. Now that I write these words, it sounds depressing. But, as with other tough realities, when we face disappointment head-on, we gain courage and strength for the journey.

          As we walked through the church parking lot, we saw several folks from the church huddle together and light up their cigarettes. That’s a new one for me! I’m more accustomed to coffee and doughnuts in a fellowship hall. Maybe smoking in the parking lot is the tradition in Connecticut.

          Our big destination for today was the USS Nautilus and Submarine Museum. We were only a mile away, so we drove to their picturesque parking lot for lunch.  In a museum dedicated to the submarine, I expect to learn how fantastic subs are and how they played a critical part in U.S. military defense. So as we explored this impressive museum, I was surprised to hear about how the military accepted the submarine slowly and reluctantly. Then we learned why. Early submarine technology did not go “from victory from victory”. Instead, tactical failures and engineering errors characterized the sub’s early years. The museum’s theater played a great 50-minute movie, “Silent Service”, that told the early history of American submariners. Then we went onboard the USS Nautilus. This was especially fun because the on-board mannequins were in costume for Halloween. I’ll try to get the photos uploaded soon.

          Camping options are few in this area, so we splurged tonight on a room at the Groton Day’s Inn. Abby, Caitlin and I drove back to church’s Harvest Festival. There we enjoyed festival games, hot dogs, and plenty of sweets. Ben, Lindsey and Pam stayed behind, hoping for a MacDonald’s dinner. Alas, the MacDonald’s is no more, so they warmed up some Hot Pockets instead. For the rest of the evening, we read, blogged, and watched a little bit of TV. (Go, Giants!)