Two Days in Paradise

My wife and I began our two day adventure of the Northern Okanagan valley in Summerland. This small community on the Western shore of Okanagan Lake is home to some very unique and exceptional wineries. Along with the larger Sumac Ridge winery, Summerland contains the surprising "Dirty Laundry" winery. Along with a great story and friendly staff, this winery offers amazing views of the lake and free sampling of amazing wines, both red and white. Not far from Dirty Laundry was perhaps the highlight of our adventure, Blasted Church winery. It is hard to find, hidden up in the hills on the east side of the lake south of Penticton and below the Naramata Bench. If you do find it, as we did after a recommendation from our good friend LeRoy Brower, do not leave without sampling both red and white from this amazing little winery. The staff are friendly and extremely knowledgeable. We learned more about wine and growing grapes in half an hour than we had after hours of researching online. Summerland also offers a chance for visitors to ride the historic Kettle Valley Railway, one of the oldest railways in Canada, and when it was built, the third largest (and third highest) trestle railway in North America. The train ride lasts for approximately 1.5 hrs, although some of that time is spent outside the train taking pictures or sitting on the trestle bridge hundreds of feet above the river. As long as you don't have a screaming baby with oblivious parents sitting in the same car as you, this should be a very enjoyable trip. Finally, we stopped at LaFrenz winery. We had not intended to visit it, since there are too many to visit over a weekend, but decided to add it to our list after several other wineries suggested we try it. When the competition suggests you try it, it is usually worth it. It was. Their beautiful tasting room completely enclosed in floor to ceiling windows offers stunning views of the lake and the vineyards. The staff were friendly and the wine was delicious. Having lived in the Napa valley earlier in life, I was surprised to find so many similarities and yet so many differences. This is a unique region with its own character and appeal. Do not miss exploring this beautiful part of Canada if you get the chance.

Dealing With It

It is difficult to deal with certain types of people. It doesn't matter if you are a pastor or a policeman, an author or an actor, a writer or a welder; dealing with people is...well...difficult. In my profession, I deal with people on a weekly basis, and quite often these people are upset or even angry about something. They disagree with some song I've done or some style of music I've played or how loud it was or quiet it was or how bright or dim the lights were. I am far from perfect when dealing with these people, but I do have some experience. Here are my four basic rules: 1: Wait. I've learned the hard way not to react immediately to what people say and/or write to me. They often do not understand or grasp how their comments or actions will affect me and they are often insulted and hurt when I react to them with harsh words or hasty emails. It often takes me a few days to get over my initial feelings towards them and what they've said or written. To respond immediately is to respond out of that anger, and I've sent a few emails that I've regretted ten seconds after I've hit send. After the initial emotions have passed, I'm better able to respond gracefully. On occasion after a service I've had to tell people to talk to me at a later time or wait until Tuesday and come into the office because if I stand and listen to them for another ten seconds in the lobby I may not be responsible for my actions (you know what I mean). Also - if I receive anonymous notes - they go directly into the trash. 2: Have a friend. I have a few people I trust who know me and what I do, who know my heart, to whom I can vent when I need to. These friends are invaluable to me because it isn't healthy to always keep everything inside. Sometimes I need to say what I need to say. This doesn't sound very Christian - but trust me - it is very therapeutic. 3: Respond. I know it sounds simple, but I have to respond to these people. If I ignore them it only gets worse. Trust me. After following the advice given above in Steps #1 and #2, (perhaps several times) I have to meet with them. I dislike replying to people like this via email or text since they either seldom respond, or they take what I've written and they twist it and use it against me (now that they have written proof of how uncaring and unchristian I am) if I disagree with even the slightest thing they originally said (even if I do it with as much grace as Jesus). So, as difficult as it is, meet face to face. Get to the bottom of it, watch their reactions, read their body language, figure out if they are in control of their emotions at all. 4: Listen. On occasion, behind all the hurt and/or anger, behind the inability to communicate in a caring, loving or professional way, these people do have something legitimate to say. Not everything they say is legitimate, in fact, most of it isn't, but sometimes, way down there underneath everything, there is something important that I need to hear. When I uncover the root of the issue, I can respond to it, rather than trying to respond to all the other stuff. By the way, when people compliment me and tell me I am awesome and amazing...I do the same thing.

when you forget your wife's phone number

I left my phone in the car today. My wife has her phone with her so I thought I'd just call her and tell her to bring my phone to the office on her way back home. I tried to call my phone but she didn't answer it, so probably didn't hear it. I picked up the office phone to call her cell and suddenly realized I don't know her cell phone number. The beauty of a cell phone is that you don't have to remember numbers, they are just programmed in and you punch up the person's name and dial and never learn the number. This is great - until you have moments like the one I am currently experiencing. What is the proper etiquette in this circumstance? Do I use Facebook to ask her friends if they can look in their phones and pass on her number to me? I can't call any of them to ask for her number because I don't know their numbers either. Will I look like a bad husband for asking FB friends to give me my wife's number? Do I want to publicly admit I don't know her number? (I think this blog may do that for me) Do I just go for the day without my cell phone? Did I mention I also left my wallet with the cell phone? I really have no idea what to do next. Whatever it is, I'm sure it won't be enough. Hello couch. You look like a great place to sleep tonight.

Falling Down

When you fall down, don't stay face down in the dirt. Don't spend the rest of your life trying to fix whatever was hurt. Get up, dust yourself off, figure out what tripped you, and move on. The world lies ahead not behind. Don't live where you aren't going. If you are walking in one direction but continue looking behind you, you'll fall again. So, keep your eyes on the prize. Keep your eyes firmly fixed ahead of you. On Jesus. That is where you are going.