One of my blogs that didn't publish was on Tulsa. Every now and then, I get what I call a "Tulsa Blast." It's where, out of nowhere, I get the "feel" or "smell" of the Tulsa Workshop. I can hear the singing, taste the Brownie hamburgers, feel the cold March air as I walk from session to session, remember the laughter and lively discussion of the day's events. It makes me want to go with such a yearning that I can hardly bear it.

The first time I went, I invited myself to join the Pursches. I had no idea what to expect; I just needed a boost and could tell from what they said, this was the place to get it. Ed warned me that it would be like nothing I'd ever seen, and he was right! Over the following years, I flew, I rode in a packed minivan and I rode with Robert Hutton through Austin at 90 mph! It didn't matter how I got there, just so I did. I went with Andy and without (I prefer the with!) and with both, neither, or one of the girls. The workshop was one of the few times we ever let the girls miss school unless they were bleeding profusely or running a high fever. They just did not miss school - but Tulsa was the exception. We felt it was some of our best family times together and exposed them to the church universal. We were "free" to think outside the box of traditionalism and heritage, to sing and worship uninhibited and to meet and hear amazing men from the brotherhood.

Andy says he doesn't "need" Tulsa anymore. I don't need it like I did, but I still love it. I want to go again, to take Gregg and experience it with him for the first time. But not this year. Surgery and other things took it off the calendar for now, but Lord willing, I'll go back.

For now, I'll just enjoy those blasts!!