Chet and Brianne have been staples in my life since late 2008. It was around that time when Chet first invited me to go deer hunting with him. The end of 2008 marked more than just the end of an awful presidency; for me it was the end of many treasured things. The eyes remember. In my mind’s eye I can still feel a veil of unanticipated disappointment and loneliness over everything I experienced in that time. I hadn’t fired my rifle in over a decade, but I could still shoot. Chet and I visited a gun range north of Seattle some weeks before our excursion to sight in our long guns.
On our way out toward Cle Elum, I recall singing “And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda,” to Chet in his red Chevy S10. That song has been a part of my consciousness since around that time. The Pogues and the Psalms are good company in times of grief. Over the next three days of walking woods framed trails, slopes, and deer paths, Chet and I saw the hind quarters of two fleeing animals. The trip did not fill our freezers at home with buck steaks, but both of us netted a strong bond with someone from church. Chet and Brianne are both nurses. About a year later the Owings were two of the ten missionaries who traveled to El Salvador as part of our medical mission team. I think it was there that the connections were galvanized.
Since then I have been treated like a brother by both Chet and Brianne. Last night I slept in their spare bedroom after celebrating Chet’s birthday party at the American Brewing Company in Edmonds, Washington. This morning I was encouraged to stay for breakfast. Sweet potatoes, sausage, eggs, and kale make for a tasty spatch. Later, Brianne helped me complete some online Christmas shopping duties. All Saints is teaming with amazing couples like these two. Anytime I sit in a service I feel like I’m looking at a roster of plain-clothed super heroes.
albaniacalling 