Date:	Mon, 25 Mar 2002 11:14:42 -0500
Subject:	Weekend Update: March 20-25, 2002

On the first day of Spring, the snow was creating such a slippery
mess on the roads that Wednesday evening activities were canceled
at church.  We seem to be having more snow this Spring than we have
had all winter long.

Joy, myself, and my father-in-law took the opportunity to play
another game of Hand-and-Foot.  We had each won one card game
over the previous  evenings, so this would be the tie-breaker
before he headed home on Thursday morning. It was a squeaker
between Joy and me, until I launched myself ahead for the win
with nearly a thousand points on the final cards.

Just after the game, I got a phone call from my father who informed
me that John Stark, Sr. had died that evening.  I, in turn, informed
Joy and Dad C. Dad decided to postpone his return trip and stay a
few more days to attend the wake and funeral.  The Starks and the
Crawfords go back over 40 years.

You see, Joy was a trouble-child from the beginning.  Joy's mom
required bed-rest during her pregnancy with Joy.  It was John's wife,
Henrietta, who nursed Millie through this time, helping Tom and Millie
carry this baby to term. The Starks were also instrumental in getting
the Crawfords involved in the Church of the Nazarene.

My connection with the Starks happened 20 years later when John's
grandchildren (Terry, Kathy, and Sharon - Jim's kids) were part of
the junior high youth group that Joy and I led.  One other curious
thing happened on our honeymoon in Florida back in 1979.  I decided
to pull into a pinball arcade on the side of some highway.  As luck
would have it, Joy recognized Brenda Stark (John, Jr.'s girl) and we
met up with the family; people from NY and MA meeting by chance in a
pinball arcade in FLA; go figure.

The wake and funeral changed our weekend plans.  Emily and Andrew went
to a quiz meet in Wollaston Friday night and Saturday.  We told them to
stay in Wollaston, and we'd pick them up after the wake on Saturday night.

The wake provided us with a time of reunion with many of our friends
from our intersecting  histories.  I was pleased to meet with people
on whom I hoped to have an impact - and I realize that I had only a
small portion of their lives - who were now well-established family
men and women; themselves feeling old to discover that our firstborn
is graduating from college in May; a toddler at the time our Junior
High group was going strong.

After the wake, Joy and I took my father-in-law to Kentucky Fried Chicken
to see if his face could get us a free meal.  I guess we had better start
dressing him in a southern white suit first.  We munched on the late meal
at Melissa Christmas' apartment while Emily made her way back to ENC with
the Mattoon ladies.

Whenever Emily and Andrew go to a quiz meet, we tell them to "come home
in first place or don't come home at all!"  The first time I said it
(years ago) was loud enough to shock Harriett Douglas, who knows now
that it is just my twisted sense of humor, because Joy and I have never
put that kind of pressure on our kids.20 Anyone who has seen a quiz meet
knows that it is serious business with many of the kids.  Well, as events
turned out, Emily's team (The God Squad) and Andrew's team (Los Guapos)
were in a tie-breaker for first place.  Emily got to come home; but we
brought Andrew home, too.  Additionally, Emily brought home a trophy that
was half as tall as her; something about a singular award given to the
person who most exhibits a Christ-like attitude. Not too shabby.

We arranged with the Andrew family to bring Emily and Andrew to our home
after church Sunday afternoon so that we could attend the funeral in
Wollaston.  Rich Gonzalez took Emily for her second driving lesson that
afternoon.  (He has a hand brake in between the front seats).  Rich is
brave, taking Emily out on the open road!  Emily did well and was excited
that she did so well.  Now, snow stakes can rest a little easier in town.

The funeral was well-attended, and my Dad got to preach in his former
pulpit. It was a homecoming for him, as well, as many of his former
parishioners greeted him warmly, telling him how eloquently he spoke
of John Stark.  I agreed with someone who told me that it was a
pleasure to hear him speak.

Pastor Fullerton, David Wooster and John Stark, Jr. also delivered words
of humor and comfort.  Several people commented about our two college
daughters, gushing over the wonderful people that they are.  It's not
too tough to take to hear that from others, I can tell you.  Mom, also,
received not-a-few compliments on the progress she has made in losing weight;
she is looking good!  Afterward, there was a large reception in the
"Metcalfe Gathering Room" at the Wollaston church for more reminiscing with
friends and family.  We got back to our home church to pick up Emily and Andrew
at about the time the evening service was winding up.

Hope phoned that night to tell us that the weather in Pennsylvania on Monday
would be icey-dicey, and with the weather system tracking northeast, so Dad C
decided to stay a few more days.  I am going to check the tax laws to see how
many consecutive days I need him in my home to claim him as a dependent!  He
said that he'd finish shaving the poodles (trimming the apple trees), which he
set about doing this morning.  It wasn't until 11AM Monday morning that he
decided to drive home, hoping to get a window of clear weather.  He had a good
time, and was especially glad to attend the Stark funeral (as odd as that may sound).  I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I enjoy a good funeral, and this one was a very good one!  We'll see Dad C again in four or five weeks when he returns for Mandy's graduation.  Now to set my sights on preparing for the cruise Joy and I are taking in April!

Mark

(P.S. DG, my advice is to rent for at least a year.)

+---_-----------+ Mark Metcalfe, Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
| c a d e n c e | Manager, PCB Enterprise Publications (CAD)
+---------------+ metcalfe@cadence.com, Phone: (978) 446-6451