For Donna

There are places I'll remember
All my life, though some have changed

Some forever, not for better

some have gone and some remain

All these places had their moments

with lovers and friends I still can recall

some are dead and some are living

in my life, I've loved them all.

But of all these friends and lovers

there is no one compares with you

and these memories lose their meaning

when I think of love as something new

Though I know I'll never lose affection

for people and things that went before

I know I'll often stop and think about them

in my life, I've loved you more.

Simpler, Kinder Times

The last few days have me yearning for simpler, kinder times. Times like the one in the picture above, when a cane fishing pole was all a guy needed for a great afternoon's entertainment. Times when you weren't worried about your stock portfolio, or whether the bank is going to foreclose, or what you'll do if you lose your job, or if the X-rays or CT scan come back positive.

No, your biggest concern back then was whether you might miss your bobber going under while your dad takes your picture, or what mom was cooking for supper that night, or what might be on the Walt Disney Show come Sunday evening - whether it would be a "good" show (cartoons) or one of those boring nature shows when the camera follows some animal like a muskrat around while a narrator makes believe you are actually hearing the thoughts and feeling the emotions of that critter.

I know a lot of people who are hurting these days. I'll bet you do too. Maybe you are navigating some rough waters yourself right now. You're feeling blue, or lost, or at the end of your rope. If so - hang in there. Tomorrow is coming and with it hope, and mercy and grace from above. If I didn't believe that was true I don't know what I'd do - but I do, and so let me suggest that you should too. In fact, if you're reading this, know you've been prayed for today. I did just now. Thank-you Lord Jesus. Bless us one and all, Amen.

Justice is Served

I had an interesting experience today. I am currently doing some property management work and unfortunately we had to evict someone because they refused to pay their rent. It was an unpleasant and onerous task. There is a very specific procedure you must follow to evict someone as the courts want to be fair to both landlords and tenants (with a little more protection given tenants, which I think is great).

At any rate, we followed the procedure to the letter, meticulously documented everything, filed our claim, and waited for our day in court. Oftentimes tenants don't even bother to show up for the hearing - many simply use the time it takes to get them removed as more time to live for free. The party today who was our tenant did show up though, and he came well prepared and seemed eager to defend himself. Thankfully he didn't have a leg to stand on and justice prevailed as the judge agreed with us that he owed the rent. We were granted possession of the premises, a judgment for the rent owed us, and our court costs.

I felt good as I drove home after the "trial." I didn't feel good about the guy having to move out; I feel sorry for him. But I felt good that everyone had their say in court and that justice was served. Our nation's laws and system of governance is not perfect; in fact many argue that things are bleaker than ever right now in that area. I'm not writing to join in that argument, or to attack or defend anyone. I am writing instead because I am proud to be an American; I'm glad that in our country we enjoy the right of due process; the right to have wrongs made right. These rights are rare privileges that few citizens of other nations enjoy.

And so I prayed as I drove home. I thanked God for America and I asked him to keep his hand upon us...."one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all." May we never take those hallowed words, or what they mean, for granted.

Stone Mountain

Donna and I recently enjoyed a fun day at Stone Mountain. The mile or so hike up the old granite dome overlooking Atlanta never gets old. In fact, speaking of old, it actually makes us feel younger when we hike this friendly mountain.

By the way, as you may have noticed from the photo above, they were having some kind of classic car show the day we visited.

"Youth is easily deceived because it is quick to hope." Aristotle

Speedo Shape

I have gained ten pounds since stepping down as a pastor back in January. I am totally aware of that and did not need to be told as I was today when I ran into a former church member who, the first thing out of her mouth was, "Wow, you've gained some weight!"

Thanks friend, for pointing that out. Just so you know, I have been waiting until Spring Break is over to begin whipping myself back into shape. Of course, before that it was "after Easter" and before that it was "after my birthday," and the list goes on and on. Anyone out there know what I'm talking about? I'm eating everything in sight!

Seriously, I'm planning on getting in "Speedo shape" before summer arrives. I'm talking about the kind of shape I was in when I last wore a Speedo, which was when the photo you see here was taken, which was in 1960 at the Officer's Club in San Juan, Puerto Rico. We'll see... meanwhile, pass the potato chips!

Albino Squirrel Sighting

Donna and I hiked 4,930 foot Whiteside Mountain yesterday. That sounds pretty impressive, but actually hiking Whiteside is not difficult at all, it's like a walk in the park and even children make the two-mile loop trail with little difficulty. We've made this hike dozens of times in all kinds of weather, but yesterday we had a brand new experience. As we started down the mountain, a beautiful snow-white squirrel darted across the trail directly in front of us. Donna and I turned to one another and asked, "Did you see that?" What we saw was an albino squirrel.

Apparently sighting an albino squirrel is pretty rare. Albinism only occurs in 10 of every 1,000,000 squirrels. On top of that, with their protective coloring gone, these little creatures don't last very long. As you might imagine, a stark white squirrel makes a pretty obvious target for hawks, bobcats, and other natural predators of squirrels. While our white friend would have an advantage on a snowy day, most days he stands out like a sore thumb; accordingly, albino creatures like our squirrel don't last very long in the wild. Seeing this little guy certainly livened up our day and I'm sure there is a sermon illustration lurking somewhere in this rare sighting.

By the way, while researching our sighting I discovered there is an organization called The Albino Squirrel Preservation Society, whose sole focus is these rare creatures. This appears to be a somewhat "tongue-in-cheek" organization, but they do have some pretty cool photos of albino squirrels.

Trout Fishin'

My good buddy John S called me last week and invited me to go trout fishing on the Chatthoochee with him. John and I go way back, and our fishing exploits in the North Georgia moutains are well-known to a few faithful followers....well at least to a couple of folks, we are legends in our own minds.

At any rate, we went last Wednesday just across the Gwinnett County line only a few miles from home and caught ourselves a mess of fish. I outfished my buddy (sorry John!) and promptly went straight home and cooked them on the grill. Talk about fresh fish! They were delicious. A few folks I've been bragging to about our fishing success have suggested I might consider a career as a professional fisherman since I now have the "outdoors look" and am still unemployed. Donna contends we'd starve with me as a professional fisherman or hunter.

At any rate; the day was a blessing. John and I enjoyed fishing and watching mallards spash around in the river near by. We also saw a red-tail hawk soaring over the beautiful clear river and plenty of deer tracks along the banks. It's hard to believe such wild beauty is so close by. Oh, the water was cold too. I took my usual dip while stumbling around in the river in my chest waders. John seemed amused.

Enjoy your Easter, and check back here for the fishing reports as often as you'd like!