Week Past

Sunday, September 22, Bonnie and I, not having any appointment scheduled, happily worshipped with the Old Union Church of Christ. Brother Mike Schmitz, Gospel preacher for that congregation, said had he known I was coming he would have had me speak. As much as I appreciate the esteem in which he and the brethren there hold Bonnie and me, I am pleased to enjoy the respite occasionally afforded sitting at the feet of other preaching brethren. Brother Schmitz has a no nonsense, practical approach to preaching and teaching that I appreciate. He is one of the better Bible class teachers and preachers that we have encountered these recent years.

Monday, Bonnie and I spent the morning working from home on our computers in the love seat. (That is my most pleasant office environment – feet up on overstuffed furniture, with no interruptions and literally beside my best friend.) The electric at the World Evangelism Building was off for some unknown reason, and therefore, we resorted back to the house while waiting for the electric company to resolve the problem. After lunch, we resumed working on the next issue of The Voice of Truth International (Volume 78) at the WE Building.

Tuesday morning, we continued to work at the office on The Voice of Truth International and preparation of my lessons for my upcoming mission trip to Myanmar (Burma).  We also had two visitors for a couple of hours or so spanning lunch. They drove down from Memphis, TN, but the one gentleman is a preacher from Liberia, Africa. He gathered several books, which we were happy to give him, to take back with him for his ministry in Liberia.

That afternoon, Bonnie and I drove to Horn Lake, MS where we met Rebecca for supper, following her day of teaching school and an after work meeting. Of course, we opted for our favorite steakhouse, Texas Roadhouse, and selected “road kill”; yes, that’s what it says on the menu for that glorified chopped steak. Supper over, Bonnie and Rebecca lingered in the area doing some minor shopping, and I headed for Rebecca’s home in Collierville, TN. Bonnie taught a ladies’ class in a home in Olive Branch, MS.

Wednesday, we returned to Winona. We had a conference call between Winona coworkers and an executive for a major printer and shipper on the east coast. I also found myself troubleshooting Betty Choate’s printer in her office in her home. Yep, it’s broken; my job is done! Well, not exactly; we ordered a part and if it comes in before my departure next week for overseas, I will remove the back panel of the printer and the defective part to install the refurbished replacement part. No, I have never done this particular procedure before, but it seems straightforward and the alternative is replacing the printer at a cost of hundreds of dollars (or having it professionally repaired for hundreds of dollars). We at World Evangelism attempt to be frugal, and it appears that we can stave off a significant expenditure for a while. Wednesday, Bonnie and I also turned over volume 78 digital files for The Voice of Truth International to Betty Choate for her to proof.

Thursday, I continued to work on my lessons for overseas; time is running out. Bonnie worked on various office routines. Along the way daily, we packed and shipped stateside book orders.

Friday, we headed early to Jackson, MS. Bonnie and I both had broken a tooth within the last week or so; Bonnie’s tooth continued to break over a couple of days. Our first stop was at the dental office of Andrew Dulaney, one of the elders of our sponsoring congregation, the Siwell Rd. Church of Christ. He briefly ground a rough spot on Bonnie’s broken molar, and he confirmed that my broken tooth did not need any immediate attention. Our whole experience at the dental office – and squeezed in no less – took no more than ten minutes!

We, then, went to Wal-Mart to pick up some food and containers in which to pack the food inside my suitcases for my trip to Myanmar. I was looking for some more – maybe even on closeout sale – short sleeve pullover shirts that wick away perspiration, but, of course, all they had left were sizes that don’t fit me.

Trying to gauge our time well, we opted to eat lunch at Subway in the back of the Wal-Mart store; Bonnie must eat before chemotherapy or she becomes ill. Before leaving what my daughter more or less affectionately calls “Wally World,” we got gasoline at the onsite Murphy USA; we receive a discount on already competitive prices because we use a Wal-Mart sponsored Discover Card.

We had just about enough time left to get to the Baptist Health Systems Cancer Center in Jackson, MS for Bonnie’s 12 noon appointment. Because the Jackson Oncology Center was fully booked, we had to go one floor up to the Baptist hospital’s Infusion Center; it is cramped and takes longer than the other site because it does not have its own laboratory to analyze patients’ blood before treatment, and blood samples obtained there must compete with blood work for the hospital patients for analysis.

Per usual, we did some shopping on our way back north to Winona: Wal-Mart again (because not all Wal-Marts are created – or stocked equally) and Best Buy, both in Madison, MS. As one would imagine, traveling to Jackson, MS and back to Winona, MS consumes the better part of a day.

Saturday, we went to the local Wal-Mart pharmacy to get some medications for me in view of my three week trip abroad. I picked up one shirt for my trip, though it wasn’t exactly what I had wanted; again, the ones like I wanted that were left were the wrong sizes. Back at the house, I worked outside throughout the day – cleaning out gutters and raking the voluminous pine straw, in both cases, courtesy of the several pine trees surrounding our residence. Fortunately, I have a lawn tractor and a lawn sweeper to shorten the chore, but I had to preface that with going around the yard filling a wheelbarrow with pine tree debris. It occurs to me that my body has aged some over the past six decades, and anything I can still do is not without its share of pains. Apparently, there are some things I can no longer do or shortly will not be able to do for myself, but as long as I can, I will do what I can for myself.

A sad note: Frank Higginbotham, Gospel preacher for 60 years, died Thursday. For the last 50 years, he worked with the brethren of the Virginia Ave. Church of Christ in Chester, WV. He was a friend, and beyond that, someone for whom my respect and admiration for his work’s sake had no bounds. Surely, this godly brother in Christ has finished his earthly pilgrimage to find comfort in the bosom of Abraham.

Progress Report: Chemotherapy

Friday, was another away day for Bonnie’s chemotherapy in Jackson, MS. Last night, Bonnie had unexplained pains in her abdomen, which led her to retreat for the night to bed. That discomfort appears to have been of no lasting significance, and by morning she was without pain and reasonably rested, though neither she nor I rested as well as we would have liked.

Prior to Bonnie’s appointment, it is necessary to eat first to help her keep from getting sick. Happily, we received a phone call from Therman and Sadie Hodge, inviting us to a lunch date on Friday in Jackson at Olive Garden. We were delighted, and we enjoyed their companionship immensely.

Traveling to Jackson and back plus the time spent in chemotherapy essentially eats up the entire daylight hours. Bonnie’s blood counts are good. The chemo regimen is going well and will conclude on November 1 – the morning of the evening Bonnie begins a two-day ladies’ retreat near Huntsville, AL. Two weeks after that, she will have another PET scan – unless the insurance company baulks, in which case Bonnie will have a CT scan instead. Previously, CT scans did not discern cancer in her, though she had pancreatic cancer.

On the way back to Winona, we paused in Madison, MS long enough to buy some groceries at the Super Wal-Mart there. Upon returning to Winona and after refrigerating the perishables, we went to the office and worked until after 8 p.m. Then, we went back to the house, where we continued to work from our laptop computers.

Bonnie is on track to return with me to overseas mission destinations, beginning with a three- to four-week trek to Guyana, South America in February, 2014. The oncologist is working with us respecting Bonnie’s checkups and tests to permit as much uninterrupted application of ourselves stateside and abroad. Thank you once more for your prayers, encouragement and financial participation with us.

We are happy to summarize that Bonnie does not look sick. She could be a “poster girl” for recovery from pancreatic cancer. Rebecca says, “The oncology office has nicknamed her wonder woman.” We are thankful to God!

The Plane that Wouldn’t Fly and Other Travel Interruptions

After more than a week crisscrossing parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, finally it was time for Bonnie and me to return to Winona, MS. Therefore, Tuesday, September 17 Bonnie and I drove from Hanoverton, OH to the Pittsburgh, PA airport. I dropped the luggage and Bonnie at curbside check-in before returning the rental car. We were plenty early – about two hours before our scheduled flight. So far so good!

On the way from the south northward, we flew from Memphis, TN to Atlanta, GA to Pittsburgh, PA. We counted ourselves fortunate to have a direct flight back from Pittsburgh to Memphis.

We boarded our Delta flight, and then our travel plans went somewhat awry. The tow motor pushed our plane away from the gate and disconnected. Only a few feet down the taxiway toward the runway and we came to a halt. The pilots were unable to steer the nose gear, and so the tow motor had to retrieve our flight and haul it back to the gate. Hoping for a quick fix, passengers did not deplane except for those few who decided on their own to book reservations on other flights instead of this one. Not too awfully long afterward all was fixed we were advised. Again our jet plane was pushed into the taxiway. However, once more the pilots were unable to steer the nose gear.

This time, our airplane was blocking other planes, preventing them from getting to the runway for takeoff. Since the mechanics and tow motor were slow in retrieving us, the pilots ingeniously moved our flight from the path of other planes – without control of the nose gear. They accomplished this by alternating the use of jet engines and wheel brakes to waddle our way clear of other jets.

Back at the gate, we deplaned. Since this was a small jet, some of our carryon baggage was stowed below the plane, and we had to wait for it on the jet way. Then, we had to approach the gate personnel for reassignment to another flight. Half of our fellow passengers were routed through Atlanta, GA to Memphis, TN, and the other half and we were rerouted to Memphis through Cincinnati, OH. Bonnie and my flight was leaving immediately and had already boarded before we received our boarding passes.

In Cincinnati, we wolfed down Chick-fil-A fast food from the food court in our departure terminal; we carried our soft drinks onto the plane while carting two carryon bags and two computers (our mobile office). To our surprise, we were allotted seats together in an exit row, usually held back for passengers willing to pay a little more.

Finally, we arrived in Memphis hours after our original scheduled arrival with that “direct flight” that didn’t happen. It was then that we realized that our luggage had not made the trip with us. While we went through Cincinnati to Memphis, our checked bags went to Atlanta! We were not surprised since we barely made it onto the plane that we did before it departed.

Wednesday around 10 a.m., our two missing pieces of luggage were delivered to our daughter’s home in Collierville, TN, where we lodged Tuesday night. Next, we needed to retrieve our car that we had left at a dealership while we were away so that it could be repaired; attempts to have it repaired outside of a dealership and at another dealership had proved fruitless.

Once more the car door locks work like they are supposed to work. The faulty valve regulating something or another that was making our car buck and jump was replaced. The drain tube for our air conditioner was rerouted and strategic underside areas were sealed to stop flooding the passenger compartment, which had resulted in aggressive mold in the floor carpet. It was due for an oil change, too. For a little over $1,100, we had our car back in working order.

It has 173,560 miles on it, and we hope to get at least one more year out of it before we feel compelled to replace it with something on which we can rely. We drive up to 3,000 miles monthly nine months of the year, and it sits idle up to three months annually as we travel abroad in foreign missions.

Next, we visited AT&T and initiated dialogues in an attempt to fix my cell phone problems. Hours later and through somewhat of trial and error, conversing for hours with personnel in person as well as with multiple technicians via phone in this country and in Asia, we may have succeeded. We have about 3,025 contacts in our address book, and my phone was nearly doubling the entries on my mobile phone.

The day was consumed. We opted to burden Rebecca another night with our presence, and elected to attend Wednesday evening Bible class with her at the Collierville Church of Christ. Thursday morning we eventually made our two hour or so trek back to Winona. We headed to office for much needed work (i.e., working on Gospel Gazette Online, The Voice of Truth International, accounting, etc.). Midafternoon, we put everything on hold to host about a dozen brethren from Monterey, Mexico who came by the World Evangelism Building. We provided them with literature in Spanish as well as a few pieces in English, and we had refreshments together. These brethren are assisting congregations in the area in outreach to Mexican immigrants.

Late that night, I was finally able to publish the September issue of Gospel Gazette Online. Early Friday morning, I was able to send email notifications to subscribers that it was ready for their use. When one has a mobile office, the mornings can begin early and the workday can extend nearly to the next day – at the house, on the road, at the office, etc. Sometimes brethren inquire how we are able to accomplish what we do. We derive our pleasure from applying ourselves to working for our Lord, and that does not confine itself to a place and a time.

Expedition into Kinfolk Hollow and Beyond

Friday, September 13 Bonnie and I left the environs of Hanoverton, OH in an eastwardly direction in a roundabout trip to visit our families in Pennsylvania. We purposely veered southeast to take us through Wheeling, WV so we could stop in on our dear friends and brethren Emanuel and Judy Daugherty. In addition to catching up and enjoying each other’s’ company, we did more of the same over meals at Olive Garden located in the Highlands; each couple shared the menu item, Tour of Italy – comprised of parmesan chicken, lasagna and fettuccini – simply sumptuous!

Afterward, we continued east on I-70 until we intersected I-79 at Washington, PA. From there, we proceeded north to the Greenville exit, whereupon we traveled the few miles from there to my father’s home. Bonnie and I visited with him, as well as his doggie Patches, for a while before continuing our trek to visit my brothers. Between Greenville and Jamestown, we visited Michael and Donna, and later in Jamestown, Bonnie and I visited Martin and his family. Bonnie and I finally arrived in Meadville, PA for the night around 10 p.m.; after dining at Burger King, we checked into the Econo Lodge so we would be in place to visit with some of Bonnie’s family on Saturday.

Saturday morning we had a muffin apiece and fruit juice from the shelf masquerading as continental breakfast! Bonnie and I checked out of the hotel in time to meet her brother and sister-in-law Jim and Kay Reed at Cracker Barrel for lunch – though each couple opted to share a breakfast meal of pecan pancakes and sides; the selection and the quality typical of Cracker Barrel often makes it a good choice for a sit-down meal when Bonnie and I are traveling.

After a brief stop at Wal-Mart, of course, we headed to the site of a birthday party for a great niece of Bonnie, a few miles north of Meadville, PA. There, Bonnie was also able to commune with a second brother, Larry and his wife, Donna. While there, I snapped pictures of a stand of sunflowers and some deer venturing into a field but along the tree line of a forest.

Actually, we left right before the party was to begin and headed for Vermilion, OH where I was to speak on Sunday morning. We lodged in the home of brethren Ron and Mary Weisenstine, and supper was ready upon our arrival. We were graciously received. The four of us talked until nearly midnight, and we showed our hosts hundreds of pictures from overseas.

It was my good pleasure to speak for Bible class and morning worship on Sunday for the Vermilion Church of Christ. Brother Mark Weaver has served this congregation for many years, and his efforts are augmented by his lovely family and especially by his sweet wife, Dawn. They are some of our dearest friends, and we dearly love their children, which love they amply reciprocate to us. John, the youngest one (10-years-old) nearly crawled into the driver’s seat with me to hug my neck before I could exit the rental car.

During Bible class, I made my PowerPoint presentation “2012-2013 Missions Trips,” and later I preached, “The Purpose of Preaching.” Brethren will use almost any excuse to eat together, and that day, Bonnie and I became that excuse as these good brethren honored us.

All too soon, we had to depart for our evening appointment, about four hours away with the Sandyville, WV Church of Christ. That evening, I once more made the PowerPoint presentation “2012-2013 Missions Trips.” That night, we lodged in the home of brethren John and Sue Balis; he serves as one of the elders for the congregation.

Monday, Bonnie and I returned to Hanoverton, OH and the home of brethren Bob and Martha Noland. That evening, we attended the Gospel meeting in progress at the Hanoverton Church of Christ; brother David Kenney is the speaker this year. However, before that, the Nolands, the Kenneys and the Rushmores were invited for supper to the home of Andy and Danielle Burch; this sweet, young couple has an energetic almost 3-year-old son – with whom I have become friends, or a playmate. Martha hosted some in attendance for the meeting for pie after services. Finally, we made our way to bed – weary from not only the day but the days of crisscrossing parts of Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania; we made some humongous circles!

Our trip complete, we head for our Mississippi home on Tuesday. Visiting family and friends in Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania may have been the catalyst for making the trip northward, but we abundantly interspersed opportunities to interact with brethren and congregations that support us. Virtually every trip we make and every mile we drive has some relationship to our commitment to the cause of Christ. Our dedication to serving our Lord is and has been our lives for four decades now, and we would not have it any other way. Bonnie and I only hope that we can live more piously and prove to be of greater service in the days that may lie ahead.

(Bonnie’s health during our travels has been remarkably good, augmented by snoozing along the highways and byways in the car as I drove. Thank you for your continued interest in her recovery.)

The Next Three Days

Tuesday, September 10, Bonnie continued to work on the next issue of The Voice of Truth International that will go to the printing company. We need to get it done before I go overseas October 3 so I can put the finished product into the form needed by the printers. However, we are running out of time. I proceeded to prepare additional pages of Gospel Gazette Online for September – obviously late by now; it seems apparent that the October edition and maybe the November edition as well will be late. I must also prepare lessons for my upcoming three weeks abroad in Myanmar (Burma) plus six months of Wednesday evening Bible classes beginning in November.

Bonnie and Martha Noland also attended a ladies’ class hosted by the Lisbon, OH Church of Christ. Around 3:30 p.m., we drove two and a half hours to Columbus, OH. We met our son Raymond at a restaurant, whereupon we enjoyed his company for a couple of hours before returning to the Noland residence in Hanoverton, OH. We were saddened that our daughter-in-law and grandchildren opted not to accompany Raymond.

Wednesday morning and afternoon, Bonnie and I continued to work on The Voice of Truth International and Gospel Gazette Online. About 3:30 p.m., Bonnie and I traveled to Medina, OH, whereupon we met up with brother Rodney and sister Julene Nulph with their children at the local Pizza Hut. After enjoying good fellowship and tasty pizza, we all made our way the block or two to the meetinghouse for the Medina Church of Christ. I made my PowerPoint presentation on our 2012-2013 Mission Trips; we were very well received. Rodney Nulph is an outstanding young family man and preacher – worthy of inclusion in many a congregation’s future Gospel meeting plans.

Thursday morning, the Nolands and the Rushmores headed for Ohio Amish country – Sugarcreek, Berlin and Kidron. This trip has become, I think, our annual pilgrimage when in this part of the USA. On the edge of the Amish realm, in Dover, we paused at the gift shop for the Warther Museum. There, Martha purchased one of their famed knives made on premises. Next, we drove to our favorite gift shop in Berlin, mostly window shopping, though we purchased some small things. (We don’t really need anything, and we are flying between this region and our southern home, so we can’t take anything substantial on the plane.) Of course, we stopped at Heinis Cheese Chalet outside of Berlin; Bonnie bought some cheese as well as some Amish cake mixes.

The little shopping we did behind us, we drove to our true destination – the Dutch House Amish restaurant at Sugarcreek. This is one of our favorite places to eat of anywhere we travel in the world. German-American, old-time country cooking at its best! It was all the better with two of our dearest and longtime friends Bob and Martha Noland with us. The large sumptuous salad bar (including German, sweet mustard potato salad), the equally large hot food bar (including pulled beef cooked long and just right) as well as desserts (i.e., chocolate cake and bread pudding) were sheer delight to our taste buds. Exceptionally good service in an environment trimmed in finished oak everywhere one looks complemented the experience.

Finally, we headed for Lehman’s Hardware in Kidron, OH. To our surprise, the established significantly recast itself since our last visit into an extravaganza of shopping intertwined with antiques. Like the other stops on Thursday, truly Lehman’s is a destination in itself. Once serving the Amish communities with new wares comparable to what our forefathers used generations ago before modern times, Lehman’s serves a world community now with merchandise seldom seen elsewhere, nevertheless which is serviceable to Amish and country folks across the planet. The several thousand square feet of building with unique items interspersed with antiques would take days to adequately survey, but we did not have that kind of time at our disposal.

We four eventually headed back to Hanoverton, OH so we could ready ourselves for a Gospel lecture in Lisbon, OH. Our good friend Rodney Nulph was the speaker, doing an admirable job with his assignment, “Overcoming Apathy.”

The days are full and the night’s rest is precious and all too brief. Tomorrow is another day (Lord willing) which I am sure will prove no less filled to the brim with this and that. Bonnie continues to do well, snoozing in the car if necessary along the way to bolster her strength.

Fly-Over, Drive-Through

Friday morning, September 6, Bonnie and I began by loading our car for our impending absence for a week and a half. One suitcase was for our night in Collierville, TN with Rebecca that night in preparation for our departure by plane from Memphis on Saturday morning; also included therein were clothes for the night of our return by air to Memphis and lodging with our daughter once more. Bonnie and I also packed two checked bags, two carryon bags and two computer bags. The last stop in Winona, MS before leaving town was the World Evangelism Building, whereupon we loaded empty spots in the two checked bags with tracts, copies of The Voice of Truth International, ballpoint pens, etc. (Later Friday night, we had to shift literature between checked bags to bring one of them within the allowable weight.)

With Winona in the rearview mirror, Bonnie and I headed south on I-55 to Jackson, MS for her weekly chemotherapy. Hours later (around 3 p.m.), we retraced our route north on I-55 toward Memphis and Rebecca’s home in Collierville. Having made provisions ahead of time, we dropped our van at the Chrysler dealership in Collierville for repair over the several days we would be gone.

Saturday, Rebecca dropped us at the Memphis International Airport on her way to Saturday School (for her and other teachers’ errant students). Our flight path took us from Memphis to Atlanta to Pittsburgh. Tiring as the journey was, especially for Bonnie, it was less tiresome than had we driven (in a sick car) from Mississippi to Ohio. We flew over numerous states (e.g., Alabama, Tennessee, etc.), and upon landing in Pittsburgh, PA, we picked up the rental car we had reserved. Then, we proceeded to drive from western Pennsylvania, across the northwestern panhandle of West Virginia and through northeastern Ohio to Hanoverton. There, we proceeded to lodge with our dear Christian friends Martha and Robert Noland.

Sunday a.m. we were with the Hanoverton Church of Christ. For Bible class, I taught Why Do the Churches of Christ Not Use Instrumental Music in Worship? During worship, I made our PowerPoint presentation of 2012-2013 Mission Trips. After Martha’s crockpot lunch of roast beef, potatoes and carrots, the Nolands and I (minus Bonnie who remained behind to rest) went to a nursing home in Lisbon, OH. It was my pleasure to speak to the residents in attendance. Then, I was delighted to preach at the Hanoverton congregation’s 4 p.m. worship my lesson, The Purpose of Preaching. Afterward, the Nolands carted Bonnie and me to the Massillon, OH Church of Christ whereupon I again presented 2012-2013 Mission Trips. I spoke five times in three cities!

Monday morning and afternoon, I worked on the late September issue of Gospel Gazette Online. The four of us paused for lunch at our favorite regional Mexican restaurant in Salem, OH. Upon our return to the Noland home, Bonnie rehearsed the lesson she had prepared for teaching a ladies’ class in Hanoverton that evening. While Bonnie and Martha participated in the ladies’ Bible study session, Robert and I attended a Gospel meeting in East Liverpool, OH; I greeted brethren with whom I have been acquainted for decades and from whom we have been parted for years. Each place, including East Liverpool, to which we have gone and to which we will go, I am leaving sample tracts, The Voice of Truth International copies, newsletters and pens to promote our good work and encourage participation by other brethren.

Our four-day weekend was filled to the brim! There was little time squandered, and the variety of things encountered and the places to which we went were plentiful, too. We don’t usually have to concern ourselves with the likelihood of becoming bored. We wouldn’t have it any other way.

Mississippi Shuffle

Sunday, September 1, Bonnie, Rebecca and I worshipped with two churches in Mississippi over the course of the day. In the absence of brother Mike Schmitz, I taught class (Bible Geography/Maps) and preached during worship (“The Purpose of Preaching”) at the Old Union Church of Christ in Carroll County. Immediately upon the conclusion of morning worship there, we three promptly made our way to the West President St. Church of Christ in Greenwood, MS, Leflore County. We participated with the congregation in a fellowship meal, after which, I preached at the 1:30 p.m. service (“The Purpose of Preaching”). From there after worship, the three of us returned to Bonnie and my residence in Winona, MS, Montgomery County, where we rest for about an hour. At 5 p.m., we were back at the Old Union congregation for evening Bible class; on that occasion I taught Buckets of Bible Time for half the period and finished out the class with discussing the purpose, quality of and cessation of Bible miracles.

The cumulative effect of chemo on Bonnie made for a very tiring day with little opportunity for respite. Sunday evening, Bonnie ran a low fever. She recovered overnight and returned to the office Monday (Labor Day). The Hopkins family stopped by to retrieve several boxes of literature to a foreign bound transport to a container in Texas. Betty Choate fixed lunch for all of us.

Bonnie and I finished out the day at the office, and then returned to the house, whereupon we continued to work on projects (e.g., Gospel Gazette Online). The primary late afternoon tasks were purchasing my airfare to Myanmar for this fall and renting an automobile at the Pittsburgh, PA airport for our 10-day jaunt in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia; I will speak numerous times while in that region. Slowly and gradually, I am completing several tasks, among numerous digital notes posted on my computer’s desktop. There remain several time sensitive tasks deserving of their own specialized attention. However, I always want to feel useful and would quickly grow bored if not so involved.