The Events of Sunday, September 5, 2010

While the others slept this morning, I enjoyed a 4-mile walk around the neighborhood. At one corner I heard an oddly rhythmic grinding sound. I looked to see a large bell swinging in a bell tower. After a few more cycles, the bell swing had enough distance to sound the bell: a rich, deep bong. The building was a monastery of Carmelite nuns, and the bell summoned worshipers to the 7:00 Mass. In retrospect, I wish I had followed the summons and joined the congregation.

There are many churches in the town of Iron Mountain, MI, and we decided to attend the First Covenant Church (the denomination I grew up attending). Their website presented gave me the impression of a young adult congregation geared toward newcomers. What we experienced was quite the opposite, though not unpleasant. Most people there were over 50, many in suits and ties or dresses. The choir sang poorly but heartily. We enjoyed Pastor Pete’s message on Jonah’s prayer from the belly of the fish: a prayer of desperation and distress, yet also a prayer of gratefulness and faith. We had arrived to the service a bit late, but afterward, our fellow worshipers welcomed us warmly.

Our afternoon was restful. We enjoyed grilled cheese sandwiches and peaches with iced tea. After cleanup, we went swimming in the pool, read books, edited photos, and did laundry. Two strangely obsessive members of the family enjoyed organizing our cabinets. For dinner we enjoyed soft-shelled tacos and Caitlin’s famously gooey brownies. After dinner, we planned our itinerary through the states of Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. We ended the evening with a rousing game of Scattergories – where we learned that “acidopholus” is a dairy product and the “paso doble” is a dance.