`49°16'21"N by 123°11'00"W <http://maps.google.com/maps?q=49%C2%B016'21.22%22N%20123%C2%B011'00.51%22W&t=h>`__
It is an odd feature of my life that I have always commuted to church. Usually, since there are not so many Chinese churches around, the Chinese churches tend to be commuter churches rather than community churches -- the members don't usually live right around the church. There are certainly some pros and cons to this approach, but by now I'm used to driving half an hour to church, sometimes four or five times a week, for worship service, Bible study, prayer meeting, outreaches, etc. Since my social circles so often grow out of the church community, I end up spending most of my social engagements in that area, as well -- in the current case, I'm spending a lot of time in town in Vancouver, even though it's a 40-minute drive from home in Langley.
On this rainy Saturday afternoon, I have a couple hours in-between appointments in town -- a pleasant brunch with Eunice at the landmark Naam vegetarian restaurant, and a dinner with F&T's small group at the well-recommended Greek restaurant "Cosmos" in White Rock. This weekend being Canadian Thanksgiving, I have six social meals scheduled -- lunch and dinner on each of Saturday, Sunday, and Monday! I suppose I am following the tradition of eating a lot on Thanksgiving ... a festival of gratitude turned into a shrine of gluttony?!
Whenever I have two appointments in town like this, separated by a few hours, I have a decision to make whether it's worthwhile driving home and back out again, especially through traffic. So today, I decided I could spend some nice Sabbath time just resting and praying in my car. I'm parked here in a nice part of town, a small cul-de-sac in Kitsilano, at the end of a little alleyway with a nice view of English Bay and West Vancouver. The mist falls softly, beads of water slowly accumulating on my windshield. A few blocks behind me comes the occasional sound of cars swishing by on the wet pavement. Perfect nap weather!