Two Plus One Plus One Equals Four

As we continue down the historical road of life in my world, we've come to the time in my life that Lynn and I were blessed with our two wonderful children. We could not have scripted our children's entrance on the stage of life any more perfectly. First there was Heath and a father could not have been blessed with a more perfect firstborn. As new parents, we truly thought that he was the most beautiful baby that had ever graced God's creation. Then Tiffany came into the world a mere seventeen months later. She was a scrawny little thing with a round little face and was so precious. She literally slept almost constantly for the first several months of her life, only waking long enough to eat and get a diaper change and then back to sleep. For the first four or five years many people who saw the children thought they were twins because they were so close in size.

Through the years, as they grew toward young adulthood, we found that their closeness of age and size were just about the only similarities in our children. Heath was very smart and laid back and easy to deal with and Tiffany was very smart and headstrong and opinionated and difficult from the beginning. As a father, it was great to have a son who enjoyed doing things with "Daddy" and there are some extremely fond memories in my mind's files of the times we spent together. My dream, when our daughter came into the world, was one of a sweet, precious little girl that would be close to her father and of the wonderful relationship we would have as father and daughter. But as she grew, Tiffany would push me away and resist my efforts to be close to her. Fortunately, as mentioned in a previous post, great strides in her maturity level during the college years changed that attitude tremendously.

During the first few years of the children's lives, there were a multitude of precious memories that could be revisited. The trust in Daddy that Heath exhibited early in life was manifested in his habit of getting a running start and "swan diving" on me confidently expecting me to catch him. I can remember him crying to go with me to cut wood and then screaming in terror when the chainsaw cranked up. He'd eat pizza sometimes until he literally could not hold it. Then there was the time in his first year of tee ball when he was down to the very last pitch and he hit the game winning run. He was completely oblivious to the fact that he'd just been hero for the day! Memories of Tiffany's sweetness on occasion have a special place in my thoughts. Once while carrying her across the yard at a relative's house, she suddenly threw her arms around me and hugged me for no obvious reason. Another time when we were in Gatlinburg, we walked into one of the many gift shops and she immediately called out "Cookie Monster" when she saw a balloon with Cookie Monster's image on it! She was a big Cookie Monster fan back then. The little kinky-headed baby girl could really be sweet at times. On a trip to Opryland when she was four, as we made our way out of the park one night, she exclaimed "I'm tired" and so Daddy carried the little doll the rest of the way to the car. Such moments as these are truly special memories for a father filled to the "gizzard" with love for my two children.

More recollections of the children will come later but for now it is sufficient to say that those early years watching their development was both fascinating and a pleasure for a proud father. They were and are as jewels in a crown to their Mom and me. It is so true that "…children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is His reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them…" There are times when this father wishes he had more arrows.

Watching The World Float By

It would be interesting to know what the rain totals over the last three months are for our little part of the world. We have received a tremendous amount of rain today and especially this afternoon. There should be about two hours until dark at the time of this writing, but it has grown so dark from the cloud cover that I'm not sure if I saw a couple of Jeeps from my friend's Jeep business up the road just float  by or if my eyes are playing tricks on me. It's hard to tell which is faster – the rain or the rising water! But after years of dry to very dry conditions, I'll not complain about the rain.

We have good news to report since the last writing concerning Dad. He is home from the hospital and seems to be doing pretty well at the present. The doctors have not found any major issues that would contribute to the "minor" strokes that he suffered and have prescribed a blood thinner which they believe will prevent further strokes. We are praying they are right. He is also receiving some in-home therapy to get some physical issues worked out and hopefully will be back to normal activity very soon. Our world is one of uncertainty so it is wise to make the most of each moment of life with which we are blessed – especially those spent with the ones we love.

Another family crisis has arisen in the past week that is of great concern. The precious six month old daughter of our niece is having some very serious health issues. The doctors have given a wide range of scenarios as to what may happen with the little darling's health going forward and they will surely do everything possible to help her. In the meantime, we are praying and asking for everyone's prayers on her behalf and above all trusting the Great Physician to lay a mighty healing hand on this baby girl. Life persistently reminds us of our dependency on the Creator and that truly life "…is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away."  If you have a moment, would you pray for this little girl?

There are only 14 days left in deer season and about this time of year my heart begins to yearn for warmer weather. Yes, that's a bit premature since there are still several weeks left of winter, but once deer season ends, cold weather becomes particularly bothersome for this old man. Warmer weather will afford opportunities for fishing which is a personal love second only to hunting. Getting far enough away from "civilization" that man-made sounds are difficult, if not impossible, to hear is a wonderful source of mental therapy. So as the rain falls on a cold dreary day, there is a pleasant anticipation of warmer days and cool, clear water. Life in my world – what a wonderful blessing… just watching the world float by!

Overwhelmed By A Crimson Flood

Our entire family was up two hours past my bedtime last night! Well, except for the dog; he slept as best he could. We watched LSU drown in a Crimson Flood! The Alabama Crimson Tide football team completely dominated LSU's football team. There are some clowns out there like that Wetzel guy on Yahoo and Gundy from Oklahoma State that just don't get the whole dominate defense thing. Wetzel called the game a dud and Gundy thinks he could score 35 points on LSU. There is nothing boring about watching a great defense crush the opposing offense and Gundy has never seen a real defense. His offense would look a lot like LSU's did if he played Alabama or LSU. Anyone can go back through college football history and see that a dominate defense will shut down a really good offense almost without fail. Bear Bryant knew what he was talking about when he'd say "you win championships with defense". But a lot of folks think if the final score of a football game isn't 67 to 56 that the game is boring – what a joke!

Alabama fans are thrilled that their football team has won another National Championship. Nick Saban is a master at teaching college players how to compete and win football games and we are grateful to have him as coach of Bama's team. Give him a month or more to prepare his team and he's going to beat you. There are a host of hypocrites that say they hate him who would love him if he happened to be coach of their favorite team. There are those people, even some high profile people, who gave Saban down the road about decisions he made as if they had never changed their mind about anything. Alabama fans are just happy that Mal Moore was able to persuade him to come to Alabama.

So in a world that often has far too many heartaches and problems to throw at us each day, Alabama Crimson Tide fans have another National Championship to relish in for the next several months. Then come September we can start working on another! A lot of other school's fans ridicule Bama fan's about our expectation of competing for a National Championship every year. The fact is, no team accidentally wins championships – if you don't have an expectation to win and work toward that end, you can bet you're sure not going to win a championship in anything. Roll Tide, Roll!      (January 10, 2012)

A Daughter, A Dog, A Boy And Grandpa

Fiction makes for interesting stories sometimes, but nothing is quite as intriguing as real life. Life rarely turns out the way we envision and usually makes a far deeper and lasting impression on our minds that the frivolity of a tale of imagination. Many events in the saga of life in my world have taken paths that are far different than any script I would have written had that been an option.

Our daughter Tiffany is a great example of this concept. My vision of having a little girl in the house was one of a sweet little darling that would be a joy as she grew into womanhood. Instead, it was an experience that took on the theatrics of two long-horned rams butting heads over and over. Her mother and I took our responsibility of guiding her through the transformation from little girl to young woman very seriously but the little girl in Tiffany often resisted. Her attitude was often less than desirable and because of this it was so amazing to watch the rapid maturing of our daughter as she began her freshman year of college. Being away from those who cared most for her and the sudden introduction of realities of life previously unknown to her caused an appreciation for things taken for granted beforehand. She continued to make great strides in personal growth and worked extremely hard for more than six years in completing under-grad and graduate training to become an Occupational Therapist. I am proud of her and the effort she put into the goals she set for herself and have told her that several times.

After completing her education, Tiffany got a job offer in Savannah, GA and moved there and worked for a time. While there she got a dog to help keep her company. It's a Terrier mix and is admittedly a cute little thing but it is an "inside" dog. I've never been a fan of any sort of animal staying inside my house. Well our beautiful daughter decided to take a job back close to home and has moved back in with us for the present time. So guess who, or what else has moved in as well! That's right! We now have an "inside" dog living with us. Actually, he's hilarious. More times than not, when I come home he comes running toward me barking like he's going to tear me apart and when he gets to the rug in the entrance hallway, he tries to stop and hits the rug and slides right up to me looking a bit sheepish. Sometimes he will hit that same rug when Tiffany opens the door to let him out to "do his business" and slide right out into the garage, rug and all. Not only is he hilarious, but he is a little bit paranoid as well. There is good reason for that, though, and it comes in the form of an almost three year old boy.

My grandson is a precious little sweetheart but can be a bit rambunctious and somewhat mischievous. He likes to try to get the dog to chase him and does so by kicking at him and generally pestering the ever loving stew out of him. Sometimes the dog chases him and sometimes he will bark and snap at him. Other times the dog will hug close to one of us trying with everything he's got to avoid my little grandson. It has become something of a challenge to try and make him understand that the dog doesn't like his style of rough play. It certainly makes for a lively and noisy time at our house when both the boy and the dog are there together.

In closing this post, I'll mention that another current event in life in my world is not developing according to my script. My Dad, "Grandpa" to the children and to my little grandson, is in the hospital having suffered several "minor" strokes. He is almost 80 and it's not that we were oblivious to the fact that something like this might happen sometime, but you never are really prepared for such an event. I'm fervently praying that he can recover and we can have him for a few more years. He really loves our little grandson and enjoys being around him and it is so precious to hear that little boy say "Grandpa" – it comes out more like "Gapa". A great grandparent is a luxury many of us never get to experience so every moment my Dad spends with my grandson is special. As I sit in my office and write this, there is a picture in front of me with my Dad, my son, myself and my grandson. Memories are forever!

Good Bye 2011

Can you believe it? We've reached the end of another year! It has been over 10 months since I walked out of that factory for the last time and it seems like just a few days. As the age meter continues to rise, it seems like life in my world is a runaway train heading down hill. There are constant reminders that indeed life is "a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away". Take a moment and watch the steam rise from a boiling pot – on the eternal timeline, that is very much representative of our lifespan. Without hope for the hereafter, life would be empty and meaningless and many people wander through life questioning why we are here and where we are going. The answers to those questions have been revealed for those who are willing to accept it – "Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man" and "…as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment…". We are put here to serve the Creator and then face Him to be judged accordingly when life ends.

During 2011 there have been several occasions where life has indeed ended for people I either knew or those close to someone I know. There have also been several beginnings as little ones have been born to people who are a part of my life. Life begins. Life ends. So it is with mankind. So at the end of this year and as 2012 begins, what can be said about our lives? Are we better individuals than we were a year ago? Have we accomplished anything worthwhile? Are the lives of the people we've touched throughout the year better because of our influence? "As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend." We have the ability to make others better people and become better ourselves or we can affect others in a negative manner. As the New Year arrives, this writer hopes to be able to help each person whose life intersects with mine to be better because our paths crossed.

As another year begins and we make plans for whatever future we may have, let us all remember why we are here and do something good for the folks around us. I have so much to be thankful for; the sun is out, it's a beautiful day, I've got a wonderful little family, reasonably good health, there are deer to hunt and fish to catch – life is good! Here's to a better world in 2012!

A Whirlwind Called Life

Life has a way of seeming to be on cruise control with very little happening but the day to day routine then all of a sudden things change as though you've stepped into a whirlwind. Such was the case at this point in the history of my life. After nearly two and one half years of seemingly spinning my wheels, changes came into my life fast and furiously. Factory work had become my means of support in early 1980 and during the next year my experiences on the dating scene had become quite frustrating. At that time it seemed that marriage was not even remotely possible to the extent that I had decided to go out and buy a new car during the summer of 1980. There was an abrupt change as January of 1981 rolled around!

The second weekend in January, 1981 found me in a situation that was very unusual for me in that my schedule included dates with different young ladies on consecutive nights. My date on Friday night went very well from my perspective and I'd have absolutely asked that girl out again except for what happened the next night. On Saturday night my date was with Lynn, one of the most beautiful young ladies I've ever met in my life. After that first date, it was all over! There was no other woman for this country boy. Two weeks into our dating scene we were planning marriage and on June 5, 1981 we began our life together and yes, she got the new car. Today, over 30 years, two wonderful children, a daughter-in-law and a precious grandson later, we are still together. We've experienced highs and lows, joys and sorrows, laughter and pain, good times and hard times and we have held on through it all. We have learned that life is neither all good nor all bad and that through faith in The Higher Power we can enjoy the good and overcome the bad.

There will be more history filled in as we go but, jumping ahead to the present; there is something that I feel is worth inserting at this point. The changes that we experience in life can have varying effects on us and that has certainly been true in my life. One most significant change that has brought abundant joy into my life is the birth of my grandson. He is the light of my life and watching him grow and develop for almost three years now has blessed me beyond description. The anticipation of watching that sweet child as he grows and changes and to see what he becomes has given me a great desire to grow old and to be there for him each step of the way. I read somewhere that, "raising teenagers is like trying to nail jello to a tree" and after raising two teenagers that statement certainly seems to fit. No wonder so many grandparents say, "If I had known grandchildren were so much fun, I would have had them first". Nothing melts away a bad day like spending time with my little grandson.

So then, the whirlwind of life has brought me to where I am today – married for 30 years, a wonderful family, retired after 31 years of factory work and a used car salesman. That's right, I've set up a used car lot and after all those years of working a job that never brought much joy, I'm finally enjoying work. Who knows what the future will hold, but hopefully it will involve more grandchildren!

Searching For Direction

Now what? For some of us, the decision of what to do with the rest of our lives once high school is out of the way doesn't come easy. Should I just try to find a job or would college be best? Would it be better to just attend a technical school and learn a trade skill? Military? Now that's a frightening proposition! How can an eighteen year old possibly know what he or she wants to do for the next 30 to 40 years? There are so many choices that high school graduates are faced with and often not nearly enough guidance to help with those choices. Better insights and ideas to what possibilities lie ahead in life would have been something greatly welcomed when I was trying to decide on a path to travel in life. Often I've told young folks who are in the process of making decisions as to what course to pursue in their career that I'm still trying to decide what I want to be. That statement is made only about half jokingly, because the truth is sometimes this is one man who would really like to go back in time and start down a different career path.

The understanding of the value of a college education came much too late in life, so shortly after graduation my brief stint in a technical school at the local community college was underway. An interest in repairing broken things lead to auto mechanics school to which was added enough academic courses to earn an Associate in Applied Science degree. However, after about two and one half years of working in that field, I went to work in a factory and though that lasted for 31 years I never liked working inside. That's just not the place a hunter and fisherman can really enjoy! But it helped pay the bills.

During the two years of my community college education, there were some significant events in my history that bear mentioning as these things influenced the path my life has taken. After four months at the local community college, I left home and transferred to another community college in Gainesville, Florida. During my nearly eight months stay in Gainesville, I met several people who hold a permanent place in my memory 35 years after the fact. Among those people were four young ladies who caught my attention; two of which I dated and two of which I didn't, the latter of which is among my list of regrets in life. Mostly my time in Florida was rich with treasured memories but sadly during that time a good friend back home was severely injured during spring football practice and was left a quadriplegic.

As the old saying goes, "There's no place like home", so I moved back home in late summer and again enrolled in the local community college. Along with that last year of college education came some experiences that left lasting impressions – and scars. One such experience was dating a young woman who coincidentally happened to be the daughter of one of my professors. She educated me as to the new age, aggressive female type – something this little "country boy" was not accustom to at all! This dating experience was followed by a couple more young women, both of whom I was engaged to briefly but as it turned out they each had "issues" beyond my level of tolerance. Before these episodes had completely played out, my education had concluded and real world, fulltime work was underway. 

Thinking back now it seems that life just kind of simmered for the next couple of years without any really major events in my life. Of course, there were girls to date and friends to spend time with but nothing significant. Well, there was this one girl that I dated very briefly that bears mentioning. I'd been somewhere with a friend and we stopped in at a Wendy's to get something to eat and she was working behind the counter. We started talking and she ended up inviting me to go horseback riding with her the next day and I did. Actually, we rode her horse with me on the back and from there we ended up going out a few times. She was a very intriguing young woman and things heated up pretty fast, but didn't last very long and we soon went our separate ways. After a little more than two years of basically "riding the waves" things were about to change dramatically in my life.