PRESSING ON, ONE DAY AT A TIME

As I write these words, on a day that will feel like 100 plus degrees, I am 3 days from completing my 82^nd year on this earth. My son completed his 55^th year yesterday. I am trying to keep my body in good shape but it is impossible to turn the clock back.

My daughter, who will finish her 53rd year in August, and her husband just moved to a rural mountainous area in Colorado that sits at 7,500 feet above sea level. It is beyond beautiful. They love it, but for now they can see and smell the smoke from fires an hour or so away. My wife and I plan to visit them in August.

My dear wife and I plan to drive down to the North Carolina Outer Banks on July 4^th and spend a week with my son and his family, celebrating both our birthdays and enjoying the beach area together.

How can I best describe my life? I think of Apostle Paul’s admonition to keep pressing on, seeking to minister to others in need, as I am able.

My time at the law office has been reduced, on my own initiative, as I recognize my limitations.

God has brought many sweet souls into my life, not the least of which is my sweet wife, Mary Lou. She is amazing, working as a volunteer at a hospice thrift store under sometimes very difficult conditions, sharing her love and spirit with a group of employees and volunteers who have become like family to her. I enjoy supporting her in that ministry. We both know from really hard experiences how vital hospice care is. Her son and his family have been a wonderful blessing to me.

One of the true joys of my life is interacting with people whom God has brought into my life for special purposes. If you are reading this, you know who you are. But some are couples that I have married, refugees that we have hosted and still love, a sweet man who lived with us for six months as he recovered from cancer surgery and got his finances in order, several dear Iranian American friends, a dear former pastor and his wife experiencing a dark valley in their lives.

Sometimes I just run into such people at the grocery store, and it is like we never drifted apart. I have a precious few friends who really know me, but hundreds of dear souls all over the world who are a part of my legacy--and were I to run into them in an officers club or wherever, it would be instant mutual recognition and as if we had never been truly apart. So I am blessed.

I remember when my father was my age. At times he would say the world was going to hell in a handbasket. Now I find myself having to resist echoing that same sentiment. I am ready to transition to the place of my true citizenship, as soon as God determines the time is right. In the meantime, I will live this life one day at a time, doing my best to not just get by, but to bless others along the way. Not just family, but friends too, and yes, even strangers whom God places in my path. I want to continue to be a peacemaker, drawing on God’s power. I pray that my spiritual legacy is not finished yet.

I am no longer a member of a local church. I just do my best to live a life that is congruent with the teachings of Jesus. It is His universal church that is my spiritual home. It is a tragedy how politicized and materialistic the American church has become, and how far it has strayed from the truth. Private corporations often treat their employees better than churches treat their people.

And my country has never been a Christian nation. The historical record speaks for itself. Yes, we have millions of wonderful people, many of whom have sacrificed greatly for our country, and yes, we still send young people to serve overseas as missionaries, but to be credible witnesses their first task is to gently and lovingly explain the darker side of our national identity: unbridled greed, blatant and systemic racism, overconsumption and entitlement mentality, number one world marketplace for consumers of illegal drugs and sexual exploitation of children, clinical obesity by a large portion of our society, a badly broken system of federal government that seems at times to be at war with its own people, and national policies that fly in the face of the teachings of Jesus.

I pray that God has not abandoned us as a country or people. But we certainly have done enough to warrant that outcome.

I am proud of the fact that two of my five grandchildren have become registered nurses, following in the path of their grams, sweet Betty. Two are married to Godly men. One has my old Texas lawyer’s briefcase and is studying to become a lawyer. And another is studying to be a civil engineer. I am thankful to God for being alive to see this legacy.

It has been a long time since my last post. I know this one is rambling, and I am not sure how long I will continue posting.

My grandfather liked to write poetry. I may give that a try.

Signing off, for now. Keep the faith.