Saying Good-Bye to 2016

When I look back on this past year I'd be lying if I said it had been easy.  Don't get me wrong.  A lot of great things have happened.  I moved back to Michigan which enabled me to spend more time with family, I went to the UP in October, and got to spend Christmas at home for only the second time since 1997.  But I've had my struggles and there is one small group of people that over the last year have really helped and supported me.  My family.  While I haven't talked to them a lot about some of the things I've been going through I know they've been thinking about me and praying for me.  Or just plain loving me.  To have that family structure has been such a blessing over the last thirty years, but specifically the last ten.  Knowing that they are there for me means a lot.  Of course I have to be careful not to take it for granted (and I have been) but when I look at the strength and stability of my brothers and sister (and their wives/husband) the biblical principles we were taught when we were growing up are coming to light.  The verse that comes to mind, "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it."  (Proverbs 22:6) is one that I think is very applicable and even though I don't have children of my own I certainly hope I can leave that sort of legacy.  I also, truly hope that our family continues to remain strong in the years to come even after we leave.  Happy New Year!!!  2017 here we come!!!

An Adventure into the Past, A Journey to the Present

 

 The last few days have taken me on a trip back in time.  So much so that at one point  I felt trapped between times.  Stuck in some sort of space/time continuum.  It was down right odd.  When opportunities like this present themselves it can be very rewarding to see how we grew up.

As I've looked back I've found things that are very consistent.  If I were to do write a resume based on my life I would be an outdoorsman. :-)

Way back in 1976 I was skipping stones in the park and bothering the animals.  I was two!  In fairness to the swan or whatever that is I think it was a staring contest.  Ironically, I had a similar encounter with a bear a many years later.  Thankfully we weren't this close and it wasn't a staring contest!  But that is another story for another time.    

Over our lives we tend to do certain things.  I have a tendency to climb things.  

I started early and it hasn't stopped.  From skipping stones, encounters with wildlife, and climbing trees I'm guessing my childhood wasn't much different then any other boy's.  Granted, there were five other kids that came after me and thousands of hours or adventures, stories, bumps bruises, and the like but we all have our beginnings somewhere.  For me, it was these two people.  That house in the first picture is the house they brought me home to.  Dad told me once that without me they wouldn't be a family.  He's right.  Without them we wouldn't be a family.  In looking back I've seen how important family is.  I've seen pictures of people I never knew, hardly knew, and know very well.  t's been really good.  I'm looking forward to sharing more as I sort through all these pictures I have.  This is just the tip of the iceberg!

Why Be Thankful?

  After a very long month, one that
hopefully will never be repeated, aside from being thankful that the month is over and I'm still employed I think that the     above question is still one that needs to be asked and addressed. Our culture is very consumer driven. It's all about the "next big thing". What's the new iPhone going to look like?  Will there be yet another Elmo this year?  Who knows?  I do know one thing. I really shouldn't care. There's more to life then TV, movies, and gadgets. What about the mind?  Have we gotten so complacent as to just be looking forward to movies and the next TV season?  Harsh words yes. But what about our families, friends, and for some of us, our relationship with God? These relationships suffer the longer our focus remains on things.  Over the last year I've seen a lot of death. Some expected, some not. We never know how much time we have. Every moment counts. Try to make them count!  I'm so thankful for the..(now)...oh boy...eight nieces and one nephew (poor kid) but especially for the other nineteen (I think) I'm so thankful they stuck by me during such a tough month. Why?  That's what a family does. Unless of course you're having a baby. :). 

Thanks guys!  

A Dedication

Moving back to the Midwest has enabled me to get closer to a larger portion of my family.  Siblings I haven't had a lot of contact with over the last fifteen years as well as Mom and Dad.  With the recent addition of the twins to the ever growing family I've been able to see Mom and Dad even more then I thought I would and this past Monday night I was able to meet for what has become almost a weekly meeting with either one or both of them.  After discussing different things the topic turned to the future.

Let me pause for a moment.  When I look at the future I have always seen them in it.  I have refused to take them out.  They can't not be there.  Right?  I've thought this way for years and in the back of my mind I've always known this was wrong.  However, I was young and naive.  Now, I've seen death.  I've seen it up close and personal.  It happens.  It is very real.  Death brings a new meaning to life.  You appreciate it more.  You appreciate life and you respect death. 

As we sat we Dad and Mom both talked about heritage and what they hope will happen after they are gone. I started really listening to what they had to say.  (Not that I don't normally)  Almost as if I'd never see them again.  I know their intent wasn't to make me think they were dying or that they were giving me their "last requests" and I hope that when they read this they don't think that.  But I did realize that Dad was being Dad.  (And Mom was too...being mom.  She was being the godly mother I love love and respect).  The man I respected.  No.  The father I love and respect.  For years he and mom both have been telling us to stay strong in our faith.  Not only have they been telling us, but they've been training us.  For years, every morning before school we would sit and listen to Dad read out of the Bible and Mom read from a book.  Then they would pray with us and we'd be off to school.  So I know that both his and mom's desire is that we continue the Godly heritage they have built in us.  That has been their goal for my entire life.   What I appreciate is that Dad and Mom both weren't just doing this "for fun."  This was a way of life.  Dad has always stood and stands for what he believes in.  Mom is right there with him.    They have weathered storms from every direction.  Together they have stood, like a lighthouse. That is the heritage I hope to pass on to my children, if I have any.  If I don't then I hope that the knowledge they have entrusted to me will bless those around me as I have been blessed.    "Oh may all who come behind us, find us faithful." (Steve Green)

My 1st Anniversary

This upcoming Sunday (Feb 5) I will have been in Ohio for exactly one year. Crazy, eh? One year! Time flies when your having fun! Or maybe time just flies. Anyway, a lot has happened over the last year and I won't go into all that but I will say this. I flew into Dayton last February with what I could take with me on the plane and shipped the rest. I had no furniture but God supplied a couch, chair, bed, microwave, silverware, table and even a TV. God had taken care of my needs before I'd even arrived.

Faircreek church is amazing. Prior to my moving here I wasn't able to get involved because of work. Church was a priority but living 10 miles from work and riding my bike to work every day took a lot of time. Now I'm only 3.5 miles from work and get rides to and from work almost every day. My first day I got back before 6am. I hadn't had that happen in three years! It was always between 7 and 8 after an hour and a half ride. Initially, it was difficult to get involved (as was to be expected), but I managed to get to some services and breakfasts. I also made contact with Greg Trout, the senior pastor, at Faircreek Church, and he has been a joy to get to know and he (as well as others on staff) has become a good friend. I was involved in one men's group for several weeks but decided that it even though I had established some good friendships it really wasn't for me. Another oppurtnity arose I was able to become a part of another community. Within this community I have been also been able to establish some good friendships that have enabled me to make some good inroads into Faircreek Church.. Last Friday we had a church wide service and for the first time in a long time I felt at home. That's not to say that the other churches I've been at I haven't felt at home but this is the first time I had to establish myself from nothing. They didn't know me at all. I wasn't anybody's son, brother etc. I really do feel at home here. Of course I will ALWAYS be from Michigan (a yooper trapped in a troll's body) and will ALWAYS root for the Wolverines!. :-) GO BLUE!!!