Two People on the Road

   This morning, out as the sun began to come up, walking the cart path around the 4th hole, I saw a man coming toward me. Now this man was not unfamiliar to me, I had seen him and said hello a few times in this same area, but that was the extent of our interaction. I thought it would be nice to be able to call him by name the next time we met, and so I stopped and introduced myself. As he told me his name, I thought, I know that name and so made more inquiries about his life and how we might have, at least been in some of the same places or with the same group before.

   It turns out that John, who lives over next to the 9th fairway, was an active member of the Emmaus Community of which we are a part, and, no doubt, I had seen him at some Gatherings and heard other members speak his name. Now I can put a name with the face on the path, and treat him as a real person and not just a body walking in the early morning.

   Then as I finished up my walk, I saw another man coming toward me with his dog. I had seen this man before, but never spoken to him except with a "good morning", and, I thought, maybe I could make another friend and, at least, be able to personalize my greeting when we met. He was coming toward me as I turned into the condo area, and I walked slower so as to meet him before I turned off the road. But then he walked slower also, and, as I tried to at least get his eye to wave, he continued to look the other way.

   So I opened the gate and went in, still looking his way, but not receiving any clue that he had seen me, which I knew he had. I kept looking his way until I walked into the garage, but he just passed by on the outside of the fence, paying attention to his dog.

   Now I don't know about the second man. He could have been worrying about something, could have been concerned about his pet on some issue, or even could have been praying, but he was in his own world, and I was on the outside.

   Two men, two possible encounters, and two different outcomes, one satisfying and the other, well, another.

   A message here? Treat people who come into my life as people, as persons of worth, as ones that matter. They all matter to God, and the least I can do is treat them that way.

   Now I do know John's name and I'll keep trying on the other.

   And I will pray that God will help me keep my eyes open to others that cross my path and take the time to pay attention to them.

Celebrating the Times

   I guess I am still thinking about time this morning. Yesterday I wrote about my wife and the celebration of our 55th wedding anniversary today. I thought about how blessed I am to have her in my life for these years. As we peer into the future and try to see what this 56th year will be like, we just know that it is all in God's hands, and we can rest in that.

   And then last night, Dwayne, our oldest, sent me some pictures from the graduation program of his school up in Charlotte. Yesterday was an important time for those young people and a milestone for them and for the school. Their lives will be forever molded by their experiences on that campus and with those teachers who have led them in those high school years. They, too, are looking into the future, not knowing what this next year will bring.

   To follow on the time theme, tomorrow will bring our youngest son and his family to our Island for a week of vacation. We will get to be with those 3 kids for this time, and we anticipate a great time with them and their parents.

   Three time periods to think about. My married life for the past 55 years, the present in the form of the graduation, and a new beginning for those high school seniors, and the future that will bring part of our family to our shores for this next week.

   Past, Present and Future.

   Today I can celebrate one, live in one and look forward to one.

   I think I will try to do all three and enjoy the time I have to do it, all the while figuring how to get Donna in this blog also. Oops, I just did it.

   Thankful, Again

Fifty-five and Counting

   I have written about these verses before, but they seem to strike a new chord this morning. There are two verses in Psalm 50 that hit me this day:

"Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,"

"The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me"

   Thanksgiving, giving thanks as a sacrifice to God. Living a life with a grateful heart is equivalent to giving God glory as a sacrifice.

   I think about some things that I am thankful for right now, this moment. Like a roof over my head while a storm hits outside, like food in the fridge, like a nice couch to sit on and write. All the material things that have been a part of my life.

   But then I think of the more substantial things that God has blessed me with, things that really matter after all else is gone, and my mind goes immediately to what I celebrate tomorrow June 7th. It will be our 55th wedding anniversary, and that constitutes my greatest thanksgiving.

   I am thankful that my wife stuck with me through some tough years. I am thankful for all the help and encouragement she has given me over all those years. I am thankful for all the nursing and nourishing that she has provided over that time.

   But most of all, I am thankful for her and for the wonderful family that she has made possible for us to enjoy over those years and these that we now enjoy.

   She said "I do" way back in 1958, but she did not have a clue what she was getting into. Thank goodness she didn't.

   I love her very much

Music Speaks

      One of the things that I enjoy about these retirement years is the time to be unhurried and just to sit and soak, not in the tub mind you, but in the place where God has put me. Let me illustrate it in this way, by going back into my morning and following the path to the present.

   Early this morning, I awoke, knowing it was still dark, but feeling like it was the right time for something, not knowing exactly what that might look like. I read some in the Psalms, not keying in on one thing in particular, just reading. Then I walked my normal route as the sun was just coming over the horizon. It was quiet, not much was stirring but a few birds and some squirrels, at least that is all I heard and saw. I like that quiet time very much. It is calming, and, although I do not always hear from God in that time, I know it is a time and place where I can if He desires it.

   For some reason I began to think about the number of years I have lived and why, when so many have passed on, that I am still around and reasonably well. Was there some reason that God has seen fit to leave me here? Was it something important that I should be doing or at least working toward?

   I thought of my role as a husband, as a father and as a grandfather. I thought of my role in our church, in our family and in the relationships that I have with others. Was there another role that should be added to that or was that the sum of it all?

   Then, as so often happens, a song came to my mind. I am not sure why music is so much a part of my experience, because I sure do not have any talent in that direction, but God often uses it to speak to my spirit with His. This particular song and its chorus goes like this:

Little is much when God is in it!
Labor not for wealth or fame.
There's a crown and you can win it,
If you go in Jesus' Name.

   Who am I to say what are the important things of life? I do not have the perspective to know or even guess what they are in the world around me, I am just responsible to see them in my own life. Not for those things that maybe I should have done in the past, or done better, but those things that are there in this time and are important right now. "Little" is a relative term and I can't determine what is little in God's eyes.

   Then, as so often happens, another song comes along to bless me and another chorus plays in my mind:

He is here, Hallelujah, He is here, Amen 
He is here, Holy Holy, I will bless His name again 
He is here, listen closely 
Hear Him calling out your name 
He is here, you can touch Him 
You will never be the same 

   And I know that I have been in His presence this day, and that He has reminded me of why I am here.  Thank You, God and Amen

Put your computer on full screen, watch and listen. Perhaps it is for more than just me:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A97aLphdL00

God and a Good Caddy, a Connection?

   I'm not sure how to entitle this post, but it has to do with golf and thinking, so let me set the stage:

   I played yesterday, in a charity golf tournament over on Sea Island at a very high class and top of the line golf course. The course was in great shape, the greens like glass and the fairways clipped and tight. When you stand on the tee box, comparing the view to the courses we usually play on, the intimidation factor begins to set in. Fortunately, I played here last year also, and, although the factor was still there, it was not quite as bad.

   We started on number 6, which is the hardest hole on the course, a par five with lots of traps. I did not play it well and had the same result on the next couple of holes as well. On number 9, a par three, I managed to two-putt from the edge of the green for a par and felt better.

   As I stood over my putt on 10, about a 20 footer for a par, I was not confident with my putting skill, and wondered what in the world I needed to do to feel more comfortable. Playing on undulating greens, with multiple breaks and a fast speed on the downhills, is hard for me.

   Each foursome had a caddy that rode along with them, pointing out the best line to drive on, the distances to the flags, and he also helped spot wayward shots. I felt him standing behind me as I looked over that putt. He gave me his thoughts on the putt line, and then I stepped up and knocked it in the hole. My thought was, "hey, I can do this with his help, so use him and see what happens".

   A change of thought, a boost in confidence, and I proceeded to one-putt the next 5 holes for pars on each, simply because I trusted the caddy's read and then felt like I could make any putt. Then came the lightening and thunder. The siren sounded, and we headed back to the clubhouse.

   While waiting out the 40 minute rain delay, I wandered into the men's locker room library, picked up a book and began reading Bob Rotella's take on the mental side of golf. There I was, living out what he was preaching in the book. I was playing his thoughts without knowing them. Over the six holes before the rain came, my thought patterns had changed on the greens from "this is scary", to stepping up with some confidence and making the shot.

   Same putter, same ball, same stance, same fast greens, but there was a difference in attitude and thoughts. It was not an "I can do it" attitude, but a "I can do it with his (the caddy's) help" one. Makes all the difference.

   Could there be a connection to life? Is there help out there that I can call on for all the twisting 10 footers that life throws my way?

   Anyone find a spiritual application here? I did but now to remember it each and every day, on the course and off.

   Thank you God, for bringing golf and life together, and helping me see You in that.

 

And All The People Said "Amen"

   There is a conspiracy against me this morning. Everything that I look at has something to do with age, and, since I just had another birthday, I am reminded again of just how far I am removed from my birth.  Check these verses from Psalm 71:

"Do not cast me off in the time of old age;"

"And even when I am old and gray,"

"My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness
And of Your salvation all day long;
For I do not know the sum of them."

  Do I see some pattern here, something that God wants me to know, or at least not forget? There are considerably fewer days in front of me than I have already lived. None of us knows the sum of our days, the length of our lifespan.

   All of my days matter to God, and they should to me. I cannot change any of the past ones, as much as I might like to, and I can't do much about the future ones either, except prepare some for living them, but the day that matters most right now is the one I am living in at this moment.

   What will I do with it?

   My prayer earlier this morning was for 3 things: Guidance, Wisdom and Understanding, all for the living out of this day, in relationships, and in situations that will flow into and out of my life in these few hours. All of this for one specific day---this one.

   "This is the day which the Lord has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it."

Interesting Clocks and Lives Lived Under Their Gaze

   The courthouses in some Georgia county seats are sometimes hard to find. The larger the town or city, the more the site of official county business tends to be obscured by larger buildings, but in the smaller towns, the more it stands out. In fact, as we pull into some places, the first thing we look for is the clock tower of the courthouse because it stands above all its surroundings. Like this one in Thomaston, in Upson Conty:

   Sometimes the clocks are running and sometimes not. Sometimes they are correct and sometimes not, and, if there are four faces of the clock, facing in four different directions, sometimes they do not all tell the same time. Sometimes they are only the silent sentinels of the town, and sometimes they chime the hour. Sometimes the chimes are newer and electronic, and sometimes the original bell is still up there and working in the tower.

   Except for restoration and history buffs, does anyone care about the clocks that stand looking out over the town square? At a time when almost everyone carries their time around with them in their pockets or on their wrists, what do these symbols of a bygone era mean, like this one from Sandersville in Washington County?

   As I think about them in this day and time, my mind wants to go back to when they were erected and why the planners chose these timepieces to adorn their, at the time, new buildings. The modern courthouses that tend to replace these outmoded structures in the cities and larger towns, do not have these features.

   These clocks were not just ornamental, they had a function that was needed in these towns a hundred years or so ago. Folks who lived out in the country worked by the time of the sun, but those in the towns had schedules to meet and business to conduct. Courts were held and meetings were convened. The clocks could get a person to the right place at the right time, and they could also be an excuse for someone who was late. A man could point to an incorrect clock face and claim that was the one that he was going by.

   How interesting to know what these old essentials of the past could tell us about the peoples that lived lives in their shadows.

   How about God's timepiece? What does it show about my lifespan or the nation's? No matter if ours is an atomic clock, correct to the nano second, or the the clock in Washington County that was about 4 hours slow, if it was running at all, God's time continues on.

   If I depend on that county courthouse clock I can be in big trouble, even on my new clock that says I have lots of time, so, maybe the best thing to do is affirm that God is in control of my life and make my time count for Him.

   That sun will set anyway, on God's time, no matter what that clock in the tower says.

   Time marches on.