My Thoughts

Texas Baptist Children's Home I noticed this beautiful church not long after I moved to Austin. I was working at Sears in Round Rock and had some time to do some sight seeing. The entrance of this classic church angles the intersection, almost beckoning one to come visit. I remarked once how gracious the church seemed and that I could so so so see myself in a wedding gown on the front porch. One of my former co-workers at Sears said she had attended a wedding there once and that it was beautiful. Located on the corner of 79 and North Mays in very close proximity to historic downtown, visiting the church is an experience.

The Holy Cross Coptic Orthodox Church Located on the corner of McNeil Drive and I35 in Round Rock, I pass this church often in my comings and goings. Its simplicist design and location on a minor side street make detection from the rapid travelers on the interstate almost impossible. The first time I really noticed it was two years ago when we parked across I35 to watch the bats exit the overpass. Its actual address is: 700 S IH 35 Round Rock, Texas. Another striking feature are the numerous palm trees lining the frontage road. Doing some research, I discovered that the Coptic Orthodox Church has changed less than any other church. Read all the information on the webpage for the Coptic Orthodox Diocese.

Gethsemane Lutheran Church  For years I have loved this gothic style church with its beautiful blue stained glass windows.  At night it truly is a beautiful sight. The February day I went to snapshot this location, my bestie friend Connie went with me. We walked around the open area of the church among others enjoying the beautiful day.   Bordering the church are Highway 183 and the Austin SPCA. Across the bustle of the roadway, through the pillars of the fly-over is Red Lobster.  Even in the calm of a Sunday afternoon, the world outside the church is audibly noticeable. However, a certain serene atmosphere exists.  Surely, the presence of the Lord is in this place , a beautiful song comes to mind. Imagine my surprise when I saw the name of the church on its billboard.  In my first of 52 weekly profiles of area churches was  the original Gethsemane Lutheran Church which is now the library for the Texas Historic Library. What an amazing coin...

"I'm not ready to leave." Deandra leaned closer to him attempting to wrap her arms around him. Jarvis bristled, his normal stoic public self. She pushed forward anyway, some part of her realizing this would be the last time she saw him. "You are so much more than you realize, Jay. I am gonna miss you." He quickly hugged her, a forced smile on his face and then pulled away. He turned from her and took her bag from the trunk of the car. Deandra became vividly aware of all the activity around her: cabs dropping off people, long farewells, bags being checked in curbside and the roar of planes overhead. She could smell the air off the Delaware. "Call me when you land," he ordered. Deandra shook her head in agreement but knew she wouldn't comply. Although her visit had proved romantic, too many things were left unsaid. She had tried to talk about the issues most important to her, but Jarvis had a way of avoiding conversations by leading th...

It's the first day of Advent, and I overslept on the one Sunday I could actually attend church. Even though I have every intention of attending the "hanging of the greens" tonight, there is some part of me that feels complete abject guilt for not being at Sunday service on the one Sunday I am actually not working. My guilt comes in knowing that the strong connectedness I once had to the very legalistic aspect of the Methodist church has transcended into a deeper connection to my Savior. I remember also that the rituals became for me an auto response to a life I felt completely imprisoned in. Somewhere is my journal entry about the gilded cage............."oh I know why the caged bird sings." And then, in a breath, the guilt dissipates. The few rare moments of family togetherness afforded us in this crazy world are more priceless to me than the strength of the guilt. Today, I also restarted the calorie counting. Not sure why I have had such a hard year staying fo...