My family piled into the Chevy Trailblazer early Sunday morning to drive down to Key West so that I could fulfill a High Council speaking assignment on Father’s Day.
It was worth it. I got the first Father’s Day present I’ve ever gotten at Church.
For those of you who don’t know, Key West may be one of the most remote places to go to church in the continental U.S. I imagine there are places in the the west and midwest that are more remote, but keep in mind that South Florida has a large population. In any case, it’s a three-hour drive at 7 a.m. on a Sunday from Miami to Key West. At noon on a Sunday, it can be a five-hour drive (if there’s an accident on the only road heading there, it can be a 12-hour drive).
Key West is part of the Homestead stake, which is mostly English-speaking, with a stake center 120 miles from Key West. But what a branch! Eighty smiling people at sacrament meeting, and a wonderful spirit.
In any case, at the end of sacrament meeting we were told to wait so that the primary (four kids) could hand out presents to all of the fathers (and other adult men). I got three Tootsie Roll lollipops wrapped in a ribbon. My toddler immediately demanded one, and then the other 10 minutes later, but I did get one Tootsie Roll lollipop to suck on as I drove back to Miami.
Someday I may get a flower or a plant, but in the meantime I am content with an occasional lollipop. The Tootsie Roll center makes it all worthwhile.
Geoff B.,
You lucky dog! I attended services in that ward a few years ago, and it was wonderful. Is there still a ward about halfway down? Islamorada, maybe?
I cannot imagine a more beautiful drive early on a Sunday morning than driving south through the keys. I’ll never forget the view from the downhill side of seven mile bridge, with water on both sides that must have been at least ten different shades of blue.
And if you were able to resist the temptatation to stop at Pennekamp and snorkel on the Sabbath, you’re a better man than I am.
I received a Mr. Goodbar after the end of sacrament meeting yesterday. My wife coveted my candy bar, so I promptly rebuked her and tucked it away in my suit jacket for later. Of course, in Arizona, later is not a good idea. Especially when it’s 110 F outside.
Mark IV, you’re right — it’s a beautiful drive, and the shades of colors in the water are just as you describe. My father-in-law is a fishing fanatic, and he was fascinating by all the people fishing from the piers, the bridges and off their boats. I used to snorkel a lot, but I broke my eardrum and don’t do that much anymore.
Key West is a branch, although there were 80-plus for sacrament meeting on Sunday (bigger than some of the wards in our stake). Many of the members are stationed at the nearby Naval base. For those of you who don’t know Key West, it is definitely a party town and a modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah — at least in central Key West along Duval Street. The rest of the island is residential and calm. There are beautiful, stunning 19th century homes in central Key West, many of which have been restored. It really has a great feeling — you could kind of compare it to central New Orleans or Charleston or Savannah, because the feeling is the same — but Key West is extremely unique. Lots of artists and authors live there.
The other branch in the keys is in Marathon — about two hours from Miami on a Sunday morning. That branch is a lot smaller — they usually get 30 people for sacrament meeting.
I refused mine.
“…but I did get one Tootsie Roll lollipop to suck on as I drove back to Miami.”
Please. Let’s not kid ourselves. No one could have made it any farther than the end of the church parking lot before biting the Tootsie Roll to get to the center. It’s beyond human control to make it last longer.
Jimbob, Lol. Yup, mine didn’t last much longer than that. 🙂
I received a Big Hunk candy bar, also the first time I’ve received something. Major social change in the Church, eh?
Notice the sidebar “recent comments” feed is abbreviating the title as “Finally, I get a Fat.” Hmmm. Big Hunks, Tootsie Rolls, Mr. Goodbars….
I wonder if Salt Lake sent out instructions to the wards to give gifts to fathers on Father’s Day.
Y’all go to the wrong ward! Ours used to give giant cookies to the men for Father’s Day, this year we gave them Dad’s root beer and a lollipop. (Lazy bakers !) I helped get stuff ready, and the 2nd Counselor in the Bishopric ‘double-dog dared’ me to give the men pansies (ward joke, the year before he got Impatiens for the women for Mother’s Day, and then had to get up and explain that there was no hidden message there!) – last year I gave the Bishopric some pots of flowers, including pansies, of course! So I declined the pansy challenge and we went ahead w/ the root beer.
Nice. Digging the Dad’s rootbeer idea!
We’ve been getting hooked up for the last five years or so. Yesterday it was a nice little packet of Hershey’s Treasures (which I promptly had to dole out to the family).
Maybe men CAN get a little respect…
Our ward (read: the RS) served the men pie during priesthood meeting. And the Primary kids were given Blow-Pops for their Pops at the end of the block. Some of the lollipops actually made it to the intended recipients, too. #9, pansies, that’s hilarious.
I got a root beer too.
I got the giant cookie. I think my ward’s been doing it for some time.
Of course, the boys wanted giant cookies. THing #1 and Thing #2 ended up having a heated discussion during the car ride home over if and when they would get to be fathers. At ages 9 and 7, it seems a long way away, as it should.
My wife mollified them by baking giant cookies when we got home.
One thing that puzzled and disappointed me was that the sacrament meeting talks had no discernible connection to fatherhood. It’s not like that’s not an important Gospel topic. Go figure.