Never too old for new tricks

Today, I had a new experience:  I was on talk-radio.

My publisher (and it is very weird to use such a phrase) works with Litfuse, a firm that promotes books.  So I now have a web page, which my mother can access here, an interview page which I really liked and you can read here, and they asked me to make a "day in the life" blog (about which I am ambivalent, but for what it's worth you can see it here).  Then today I talked to a very nice guy named Rick on a radio show as if I was a real author, which feels incredibly presumptuous with the grand experience of one book.  My palms were sweaty.  I know that I am much more articulate in writing than in speaking, but I muddled on.  As it turns out, when you are on the radio as a call-in you have to use a real land line, and we only have cell phones, so I drove into town and used my aunt's phone.

Which was a treat, because then she went to lunch with me and on errands, and I heard a few old stories I'd never heard before, and was reminded of the privilege of landing here where my family's roots were once so strong.

Marveling daily at the turning leaves and soaring hawks, mixing concrete, visiting neighbors, seeing an owl fly and just missing bears over the hill on a bike ride, studying for boards, concocting a dish very close to a southern French cassoulet,  preparing presentations, hours of skype with colleagues in Africa . . . and being on the radio . . . well, here's to new tricks in mid life.

Tomorrow morning we head out for:

Baltimore, Faith Christian Fellowship (presenting about our work at a luncheon after the second service Sunday)

Charlottesville (speaking to the UVA CMDA group Monday night)

Florida (speaking and fellowship at the Serge Vision summit Tues-Sunday)

Then a brief return home for laundry and re-packing and then out to:

Louisville (speaking and recruiting at the Global Health Mission Conference Thursday to Saturday Nov 5-7)

Cincinnati (Preaching and speaking at Wyoming Presbyterian Church Nov 8)

So more new tricks, and prayers for these old dogs much appreciated.