This month is full of travel which is not unusual for me. But four trips to the east coast in four weeks? Thats a little much. And then back to Ireland. I love it! Two of these trips are purely for family....last weekend I returned to my hometown of Reading, PA to visit family. While I was there, I took my mother to the Bach Festival in Bethlehem, PA. It was a weekend from heaven. The weather was gorgeous, and we stayed at a vintage 1920s hotel in downtown Bethlehem which is one of my favorite spots on earth...a city that was settled by the Moravians in the 1700's and has lots of charm. My mother used to sing in the Bethlehem Bach Choir, so there are many memories for her. And the music....the music....is sublime. I love listening to Bach because he was a man of musical genius and rich faith. The combination is pure worship for me! But the icing on the cake that makes is so perfect is the family part. the love part. To be there without my mother, sharing her joy, just wouldn't be the same. Its an incredible bonding experience. I think it has to be a foretaste of heaven, because heaven is all about worship and togetherness. Joy just doesn't seem to be joy unless its shared!!! God truly created us to be interconnected - with each other and with him. I don't understand what hell is, except that it must be the opposite - isolation and separation. So, I returned to life in Michigan full of music and full of love. Praise God for His blessings. Tomorrow I return to PA, this time for a horseback riding retreat with one of my daughters - more joy and more love! Then back to eastern PA for ministry in Milford the following weekend. If you live in PA, please come join us. Share my joy!