To Kennebunk, Maine.

Carol and I arrived at our accommodations yesterday afternoon after a chance meeting, at a highway rest area, with an old friend I hadn't seen since 1981 during a road trip to the western USA.

He's a conscientious fellow

but a little stiff.

We had a seafood supper at a restaurant called "Duffy's." And right next to Duffy's is a waterfall with a dead tree stuck in it ...

Today we drove down to the closest beach, 10 minutes away, and walked along the sand enjoying the splash of the surf, a sky full of sunshine, and the sight a water horizon.

We made our return trip along the raised, paved sidewalk seen on the right and yes, we took a rest on one of the many park benches stationed there.

Soon an older lady, accompanied by a young man, walked by us and the lady gave me a card. On it was handwritten "1 Chronicles 22:13. 'Do not be dismayed.'"

I said, "Oh, this looks like you might be a Bible student."

She said, "I'm doing the Lord's work. We do the Lord's work and then heaven awaits us. And I can hardly wait to get there."

I said, "Well, I have to tell you we're doing the Lord's work too but you won't be seeing me in heaven. 

Did you know the Bible says people will soon be living forever here on earth?"

"Well no. The earth isn't going to last forever."

"What would you say if I showed you in the Bible that the earth is going to last forever?"

"That's in the Bible?"

"Yes," I said. "Do you happen to have your Bible with you? I'll show it to you in your own Bible."

She had no Bible so I showed her Ecclesiastes 1:4 on my iPhone, "A generation is going, and a generation is coming, but the earth lasts forever."

She said, "Well, I'm still hoping to go to heaven. I'm a Catholic and that's what we believe. What religion are you?"

I said, "Well, when I was a boy my father was a Baptist. But then one day a man rang our door bell."

"Oh, you're a Jehovah's Witness!"

She sat on the bench beside me and we had a long conversation. The young man with her sat down near Carol and he had a separate conversation with her. A few minutes earlier he had met this lady walking along and recognized her. He hadn't seen her since he was little.

The lady and I spoke a while and one matter really struck her. She asked, "Why didn't your family remain Baptists?"

I said, "I can tell you one thing I didn't appreciate. And that's the story about God putting people into a burning Hell forever. That's a terrible story, don't you agree? The Bible says 'the wages of sin is death' not everlasting suffering."

Together we read Ecclesiastes 9:5, "The dead know nothing at all." We had discussed a number of things where her listening to scripture was not so great, but for this subject she listened very well. 

Since she lives in this area, a couple of times someone she knew walked by us. She called out to them, "Hey, do you know what I'm doing? I'm talking to a Jehovah's Witness!"

Meanwhile Carol was talking separately to the young man. The conversations lasted for about an hour and a half. Often, after I showed her a scripture, she said, "Oh, I'll never remember where that is in the Bible."

After she and the young man left, I looked at the other side of the card she gave us. It has her email address on it. So now I will prepare a list of the scriptures we read and send it to her so she won't need to remember where the scriptures are. She'll have it all in writing.

On another subject - and in conclusion -  I must say some of the houses around here are quite appealing. This is not a poor, struggling area of New England. Sample photos below ...