Today, we took a trip to Isabel, KS for a funeral. Now, that’s quite a distance from Wichita just to go to a funeral, but this was the mother and mother-in-law of special friends, and we went. Following the funeral, we were scheduled to travel cross-country to central Kansas for a pre-Easter dinner with the wife’s family. We would be taking roads we hadn’t traveled in awhile, and it would be good to see that country again.
On the way, we encountered a detour on Highway 42, and had to take a side trip down a gravel county road. That part of the state to the west of Rago is really pretty in the spring with rolling hills, pastures that are green and lush, and oil and gas wells dotting the landscape. A new feature we saw was windmills (the modern electric wind turbines) off in the distance to the south and southwest of Highway 42. That’s part of the new Flat Ridge wind farm that stretches across three counties in that area.
We arrived at the town about a half hour before services started, and the little church was already mostly filled upstairs. Being friends and not relatives, we willingly went to the basement where we knew the overflow crowd would be. They had a video down there, so we could be part of the services.
The church was one of the “old” kind…the kind you remember from your young years. We sat on wooden straight-back chairs that were rather haphazardly placed around the basement. The area was cool and damp. The basement showed its age and the effects of many, many kids and adults using it in the past. As time passed, more people joined us and the basement was pretty much filled by the time the service started.
The family was laughing at times and enjoying their time together before services started. The crowd was noisy also, shaking hands, visiting, and renewing friendships. The service itself was truly a time for celebration. The time was spent in a fitting and honoring tribute to a woman who was the matriarch of a large family that seemed to truly love each other and her. We sang congregationally, and even we in the basement were able to keep with the folks upstairs in acappella renditions of several older songs (Jesus Loves Me, It Is Well With My Soul, Life’s Evening Sun, etc).
After the services, we bugged out and north on a county road to catch the highway into Sterling. Again, beautiful country and a trip on a road we hadn’t been on in a long time. But we made it to the Easter dinner and had a great feast of ham, scalloped potatoes, “pink stuff”, Jell-o, green bean casserole, corn, pasta salad, and lots of great desserts…homemade apple pie, homemade scratch angel food cake, and other goodies.
There was lots of family there and it was good to re-connect with them. And the grandkids and younger ones had fun hunting Easter eggs outside. This meal on top of the cookout last night has put me way over my calorie count for these two days. Ugh.
All in all, a good Saturday. A trip down memory lane for part of the day…reconnecting and enjoying the day for the rest. Blessings.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Good Reporting
Well, it’s the first real spring storm of the year to hit Wichita…you’d think from listening to the radio it was the end of the world. Yes, I know some people got hail, and some even got rather large hail. And there was rain and lighting. But it’s a spring thunderstorm, folks. There isn’t much danger of a tornado (although I also know that one can form any time out of a thunderstorm), and we have people driving around in this stuff talking on their cell phones to the radio station about how bad (or not) it is.
I don’t know what possesses people to go off the deep end when they see a few raindrops or some marble to golf-ball size hail. Now, if it would hail as it did a couple of years ago and the stones made dents in the ground I could put my size 12’s into completely, now THAT’S a storm. That one really made the news as it happened in October instead of the spring of the year. And there really was a LOT of damage.
I will give a pass to those folks who get nervous when the lightning and thunder come that have gone through the throes of a tornado first hand. There’s nothing quite like it, I’m told, and you’re forever changed after you’ve huddled with the dog and kids with a blanket or mattress over your head in the bathtub or a closet while your home and everything you own is blown to kingdom come. Kind of brings life and everything related to it into a more proper perspective.
In any event, I guess we’re in for another season of the weather guys and girls trying to out do one-another for ratings and advertising. I know the weather centers in these television markets are high-tech and high-expense. Do you have any idea what it costs to have at least three meteorologists on staff full time and a suite in the studio packed full of computers, monitors, radar, and all the other? Three to five hundred thousand a year is probably somewhat in the ballpark. That’s a lot of car commercials. I know they have to get their money back somehow. And I do appreciate good reporting on these events.
But let’s hear GOOD reporting this year. I’m not holding my breath, though…
I don’t know what possesses people to go off the deep end when they see a few raindrops or some marble to golf-ball size hail. Now, if it would hail as it did a couple of years ago and the stones made dents in the ground I could put my size 12’s into completely, now THAT’S a storm. That one really made the news as it happened in October instead of the spring of the year. And there really was a LOT of damage.
I will give a pass to those folks who get nervous when the lightning and thunder come that have gone through the throes of a tornado first hand. There’s nothing quite like it, I’m told, and you’re forever changed after you’ve huddled with the dog and kids with a blanket or mattress over your head in the bathtub or a closet while your home and everything you own is blown to kingdom come. Kind of brings life and everything related to it into a more proper perspective.
In any event, I guess we’re in for another season of the weather guys and girls trying to out do one-another for ratings and advertising. I know the weather centers in these television markets are high-tech and high-expense. Do you have any idea what it costs to have at least three meteorologists on staff full time and a suite in the studio packed full of computers, monitors, radar, and all the other? Three to five hundred thousand a year is probably somewhat in the ballpark. That’s a lot of car commercials. I know they have to get their money back somehow. And I do appreciate good reporting on these events.
But let’s hear GOOD reporting this year. I’m not holding my breath, though…
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Saving The World
My cousin, who lives in Arizona, has posted a link on Facebook to a blog written by someone else that talks about the Gulf oil spill, conservation, and how we utilize the natural resources available to us. Now, I know that some of these folks are pretty much out in left field when it comes to this topic, and many are just plain hypocritical, using the very resources they rail against in a way that is neither productive or conserving.
Others consume, consume, consume, never giving second thought to the ramifications of that kind of lifestyle. They poo poo any idea that we should conserve and use our resources wisely, and discredit any notion that we may be running short of this resource or that resource. There really is a middle road. And there is a spiritual principle to apply as well. And that’s where I’m going with this writing.
Judicious use of resources is not only wise insofar as conservation, environmental change, and cost are concerned. Wise and prudent use of resources is being a good steward of what we have been given, and that’s as much a spiritual principle as it is economic, environmental, and practical.
For those of us who believe the Bible is God’s communication to mankind, we know that God expects us to use the things He has freely given us; that He expects us to use moderation in all things; that we are to be good stewards; and that we are to not be covetous, selfish, or greedy.
My personal opinion (and that’s about all it’s worth) is those principles apply even in such mundane arenas of life as driving habits (gas mileage, wear and tear, etc), thermostat settings, dealing with trash and garbage (no illegal dumping, littering, or polluting), purchases, saving, and consumption. We’d better at least think before we mash the pedal to the floor to jerk around some guy going two miles an hour slower than we are on the road. Do we really need our house to be 68 degrees in 100 degree heat? Won’t 74 work just as well? Why not throw away that Wendys sack properly instead of letting it float out the window on the road? Do we really need the latest and greatest TV, pickup truck, shoes, or electronic device? Shouldn’t we be saving at least a few percent of our income?
I know those things in and by themselves won’t save the world. However, nowhere in scripture does it say we need to do that. It just tells us to be modest, moderate, and good stewards. If we’d only take the Bible at its word and not try to read too much into it or rationalize it away…but that’s fodder for another blog another time.
Others consume, consume, consume, never giving second thought to the ramifications of that kind of lifestyle. They poo poo any idea that we should conserve and use our resources wisely, and discredit any notion that we may be running short of this resource or that resource. There really is a middle road. And there is a spiritual principle to apply as well. And that’s where I’m going with this writing.
Judicious use of resources is not only wise insofar as conservation, environmental change, and cost are concerned. Wise and prudent use of resources is being a good steward of what we have been given, and that’s as much a spiritual principle as it is economic, environmental, and practical.
For those of us who believe the Bible is God’s communication to mankind, we know that God expects us to use the things He has freely given us; that He expects us to use moderation in all things; that we are to be good stewards; and that we are to not be covetous, selfish, or greedy.
My personal opinion (and that’s about all it’s worth) is those principles apply even in such mundane arenas of life as driving habits (gas mileage, wear and tear, etc), thermostat settings, dealing with trash and garbage (no illegal dumping, littering, or polluting), purchases, saving, and consumption. We’d better at least think before we mash the pedal to the floor to jerk around some guy going two miles an hour slower than we are on the road. Do we really need our house to be 68 degrees in 100 degree heat? Won’t 74 work just as well? Why not throw away that Wendys sack properly instead of letting it float out the window on the road? Do we really need the latest and greatest TV, pickup truck, shoes, or electronic device? Shouldn’t we be saving at least a few percent of our income?
I know those things in and by themselves won’t save the world. However, nowhere in scripture does it say we need to do that. It just tells us to be modest, moderate, and good stewards. If we’d only take the Bible at its word and not try to read too much into it or rationalize it away…but that’s fodder for another blog another time.
Monday, March 19, 2012
A Couple of Eyes
It’s a great day outside! Well, maybe not for most of the human population in this part of Gods’ creation, but certainly for some of the living plants and creatures out there, the rain, drizzle, fog, and cool temperatures are just what the veterinarian ordered (so to speak). And even the humans can rejoice that the earth is being washed, spring growth is being watered, and we are back to more realistic temperatures for this time of the year.
Speaking of the living creatures out there, a few evenings ago I was sitting on the back patio and noticed something floating in our little fish pond in the back yard. It looked like a pair of eyes floating just above the water line. At first I thought it might be a frog, but the eyes were fairly far apart for it to be a frog. It was about dark, so I moved in for a closer look and the eyes disappeared into the water.
Not wanting to confront whatever it was until I had daylight on my side, I went on into the house. I kept looking for those eyes every time I went near the pond, but never found them floating on the water again.
Last night as I was watching night fall on the back patio, I looked at a rock that was partially submerged in the pond water. Somewhat submerged as well, but on top of the rock was the biggest frog I think I have ever seen. I’m thinking that if he was stretched out all the way, he would easily beat a 12 inch ruler for length. His eyes were about as far apart as the eyes I saw in the water, so I’m comfortable that I saw him a few nights before.
American bullfrogs, which is what this guy is, I think, will hibernate under water during the winter, partially submerged in the muddy bottom. They don’t burrow all the way down in order to maintain contact with water and thus a source of oxygen, which they can absorb directly through their skin. My guess is this one wintered on the bottom of the fish pond, as I don’t clean it out and there is a layer of muck on the bottom of the pond. He probably relatively recently became active again as the weather warmed up.
We usually can hear the call of frogs, not all of which are bullfrogs, in the spring and summer. I wonder if this dude will attract a mate or two and use the pond for a hatchery later this spring and summer. If so, we may well have tadpoles in our pond sometime this summer. That would be kind of cool.
I’ll keep you up to date on the frog situation, if there’s anything additional to report. Happy frog-watching!
Speaking of the living creatures out there, a few evenings ago I was sitting on the back patio and noticed something floating in our little fish pond in the back yard. It looked like a pair of eyes floating just above the water line. At first I thought it might be a frog, but the eyes were fairly far apart for it to be a frog. It was about dark, so I moved in for a closer look and the eyes disappeared into the water.
Not wanting to confront whatever it was until I had daylight on my side, I went on into the house. I kept looking for those eyes every time I went near the pond, but never found them floating on the water again.
Last night as I was watching night fall on the back patio, I looked at a rock that was partially submerged in the pond water. Somewhat submerged as well, but on top of the rock was the biggest frog I think I have ever seen. I’m thinking that if he was stretched out all the way, he would easily beat a 12 inch ruler for length. His eyes were about as far apart as the eyes I saw in the water, so I’m comfortable that I saw him a few nights before.
American bullfrogs, which is what this guy is, I think, will hibernate under water during the winter, partially submerged in the muddy bottom. They don’t burrow all the way down in order to maintain contact with water and thus a source of oxygen, which they can absorb directly through their skin. My guess is this one wintered on the bottom of the fish pond, as I don’t clean it out and there is a layer of muck on the bottom of the pond. He probably relatively recently became active again as the weather warmed up.
We usually can hear the call of frogs, not all of which are bullfrogs, in the spring and summer. I wonder if this dude will attract a mate or two and use the pond for a hatchery later this spring and summer. If so, we may well have tadpoles in our pond sometime this summer. That would be kind of cool.
I’ll keep you up to date on the frog situation, if there’s anything additional to report. Happy frog-watching!
Saturday, March 17, 2012
I Feel Much Better Now
So I’m driving down Kellogg Ave. in Wichita. It’s s six lane road all the way through town. I’m driving the speed limit, or close to it (really). I see someone toodling along behind me (is toodling a word?) not tailgating, seemingly content to follow along behind me at a comfortable distance. Because I’m only driving the speed limit, there is usually a rather considerable empty space in the lane ahead of me, as everyone else is rushing off to something important.
I change lanes getting ready to exit the road down the way a piece. Almost immediately, the driver behind me who was content to follow me at a comfortable distance going the speed limit accelerates by several miles an hour in an effort to close the gap between him and the driver now in front of him a quarter mile or more. This happens with such regularity I could bet on it and make money.
I don’t get it. Why is it a bad thing to have empty lane in front of you? What’s wrong with continuing to drive the speed limit?
Another thing I don’t get is when I’m in the middle lane and another driver comes up from behind. He signals (maybe) to change lanes to the left, passes me, then changes lanes again to the right all the way to the exit lane and exits the freeway. Couldn’t he have just gone to the right and gotten off at the ramp? Couldn’t he have just followed me for, oh, maybe an eighth of a mile, then get off at the ramp? No, he has to go around me, then drive in front of me as he exits, I suppose to show me that I’m not going fast enough.
No, I don’t drive “just the speed limit” all the time. If traffic is very heavy, I’ll go along with the flow. It can be dangerous to drive the speed limit if everyone else on the road is going ten miles over and the lanes are all full. I do try much of the time to give myself a decent following distance between me and the person ahead. That doesn’t always work, however, and my wife sometimes will hit the floor with her brake foot in a vain effort to slow down the car. (At least she doesn’t suck in her breath audibly any more.) Sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do.
I’m not the best driver in the world. I make mistakes. I mistakenly pulled into a lane from a parking lot this morning in front of another car that was closer to me that I like…no real danger and he saw me coming and slowed down. But it’s not what I like to do, and in addition, I didn’t know he was there until I got into the lane. That’s what I don’t like…I missed seeing him all together until it was too late.
So I’m not perfect, and know it. And I really do turn my head and look, twice if possible, and turn my head to check my blind spot when changing lanes. I also look both ways before driving across an intersection on a green light. Some things are just practical, no-nonsense things to do. And still I miss things. I need others to be defensive drivers sometimes. And I appreciate them doing that.
And I don’t mind being a defensive driver most of the time. But if a knothead is going to go around me at 20 over the limit, then a half mile later ask me to be a nice guy defensive driver for him, I’ll do it to avoid having to farkel an accident, but won’t like it.
By the way, farkel (or farkle, no one knows for sure how it’s spelled) is defined in the Urban Dictionary as follows:
The term is well known in the sport motorcycle touring community.
An enthusiast may be in the process of "farkling". The completed motorcycle would be all "farkled up". Radar detectors, Global Positioning System receivers, heated grips, and satellite radios are some of those farkles. Other accessories could be aftermarket seats, side and/or top cases or bar risers, which make the motorcycle more suitable for long miles.
F.A.R.K.L.E. -- Fancy Accessory Really Kool Likely Expensive
So I’ve said my piece in this blog, defined a term, and feel much better. There ya’ go (this term is the topic of yet another blog wherein a sales clerk, upon completing a sale, instead of saying “Thank you, come again,” will say “There ya’ go.” Sheesh!)
I change lanes getting ready to exit the road down the way a piece. Almost immediately, the driver behind me who was content to follow me at a comfortable distance going the speed limit accelerates by several miles an hour in an effort to close the gap between him and the driver now in front of him a quarter mile or more. This happens with such regularity I could bet on it and make money.
I don’t get it. Why is it a bad thing to have empty lane in front of you? What’s wrong with continuing to drive the speed limit?
Another thing I don’t get is when I’m in the middle lane and another driver comes up from behind. He signals (maybe) to change lanes to the left, passes me, then changes lanes again to the right all the way to the exit lane and exits the freeway. Couldn’t he have just gone to the right and gotten off at the ramp? Couldn’t he have just followed me for, oh, maybe an eighth of a mile, then get off at the ramp? No, he has to go around me, then drive in front of me as he exits, I suppose to show me that I’m not going fast enough.
No, I don’t drive “just the speed limit” all the time. If traffic is very heavy, I’ll go along with the flow. It can be dangerous to drive the speed limit if everyone else on the road is going ten miles over and the lanes are all full. I do try much of the time to give myself a decent following distance between me and the person ahead. That doesn’t always work, however, and my wife sometimes will hit the floor with her brake foot in a vain effort to slow down the car. (At least she doesn’t suck in her breath audibly any more.) Sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do.
I’m not the best driver in the world. I make mistakes. I mistakenly pulled into a lane from a parking lot this morning in front of another car that was closer to me that I like…no real danger and he saw me coming and slowed down. But it’s not what I like to do, and in addition, I didn’t know he was there until I got into the lane. That’s what I don’t like…I missed seeing him all together until it was too late.
So I’m not perfect, and know it. And I really do turn my head and look, twice if possible, and turn my head to check my blind spot when changing lanes. I also look both ways before driving across an intersection on a green light. Some things are just practical, no-nonsense things to do. And still I miss things. I need others to be defensive drivers sometimes. And I appreciate them doing that.
And I don’t mind being a defensive driver most of the time. But if a knothead is going to go around me at 20 over the limit, then a half mile later ask me to be a nice guy defensive driver for him, I’ll do it to avoid having to farkel an accident, but won’t like it.
By the way, farkel (or farkle, no one knows for sure how it’s spelled) is defined in the Urban Dictionary as follows:
The term is well known in the sport motorcycle touring community.
An enthusiast may be in the process of "farkling". The completed motorcycle would be all "farkled up". Radar detectors, Global Positioning System receivers, heated grips, and satellite radios are some of those farkles. Other accessories could be aftermarket seats, side and/or top cases or bar risers, which make the motorcycle more suitable for long miles.
F.A.R.K.L.E. -- Fancy Accessory Really Kool Likely Expensive
So I’ve said my piece in this blog, defined a term, and feel much better. There ya’ go (this term is the topic of yet another blog wherein a sales clerk, upon completing a sale, instead of saying “Thank you, come again,” will say “There ya’ go.” Sheesh!)
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
I Don't Even Know What to Pray For
You look at that headline and you think, “OK, this is a religious blog that is filled with scripture and high-sounding words…I don’t think I’m ready for this right now.” That’s OK for you to think that, but this blog really isn’t going to be that way. Instead, it will be more about frustration and dissatisfaction than anything else. Are you still with me?
What do you do when it seems that one family you know and love has more than their share of heartache, illness, trouble, and problems? When that family is doing the very best it can to be Godly and live life appropriately, but still suffers? When that family seems to always be coming apart at the seams? How do you encourage when this has been going on for years? How do you respond when the next crisis arrives? How do you pray when you’ve run out of ways to pray and things to say?
This isn’t the first time I’ve had the helpless feeling that I really don’t even know what to pray for in this situation. When our niece was going through critical stages in her battle with anorexia, I truly had no clue what to pray for, knowing there really was no cure and she would pretty much always have to fight this fight. And now another family I know just seems to have on-going issues that never end. One crisis on top of another; multiple crises at the same time. Single mother (who adopted, by the way, relatives of hers that had no place else to go) who has to juggle work, school issues, kids with emotional disorders, a mother who is not healthy, a home that needs constant repair, and all under the same roof.
My thought this morning was, “If God is merciful, he wouldn’t let this happen to her.” Then I thought, “Maybe God IS being merciful.” He’s provided a loving home environment for several teens and pre-teens who would have been separated and in “the system” long ago if not for her. He’s provided a mother (Grandma) who can stay with the kids while she works. He’s given her a job where she can take off most of the time when needed. He’s kept her from being laid off or terminated. He’s given them a church home where people love on them and encourage and help them. I could continue, but you get the idea.
So maybe we look at these things in a way that is a little selfish at times. Maybe we need to start looking at life through a different lens. Meanwhile, I’ll continue to be frustrated at times, dissatisfied at times, and feeling thoroughly incompetent at times as I go through this adventure called life with you all.
By the way, I now have another blog. It’s on the church website and the posts are different from those on this site. You can go to www.riverwalkchurchofchrist.org and click on “Blog” to see all posts by all ministers, or you can scan the left side of the page under “Ministers Blogs” to see the titles of the individual blogs. As of right now, there is no way to get just my blog, but I’ll ask the webmaster to provide one under “Leadership”, then “Ministers” and have a link under my picture and name.
What do you do when it seems that one family you know and love has more than their share of heartache, illness, trouble, and problems? When that family is doing the very best it can to be Godly and live life appropriately, but still suffers? When that family seems to always be coming apart at the seams? How do you encourage when this has been going on for years? How do you respond when the next crisis arrives? How do you pray when you’ve run out of ways to pray and things to say?
This isn’t the first time I’ve had the helpless feeling that I really don’t even know what to pray for in this situation. When our niece was going through critical stages in her battle with anorexia, I truly had no clue what to pray for, knowing there really was no cure and she would pretty much always have to fight this fight. And now another family I know just seems to have on-going issues that never end. One crisis on top of another; multiple crises at the same time. Single mother (who adopted, by the way, relatives of hers that had no place else to go) who has to juggle work, school issues, kids with emotional disorders, a mother who is not healthy, a home that needs constant repair, and all under the same roof.
My thought this morning was, “If God is merciful, he wouldn’t let this happen to her.” Then I thought, “Maybe God IS being merciful.” He’s provided a loving home environment for several teens and pre-teens who would have been separated and in “the system” long ago if not for her. He’s provided a mother (Grandma) who can stay with the kids while she works. He’s given her a job where she can take off most of the time when needed. He’s kept her from being laid off or terminated. He’s given them a church home where people love on them and encourage and help them. I could continue, but you get the idea.
So maybe we look at these things in a way that is a little selfish at times. Maybe we need to start looking at life through a different lens. Meanwhile, I’ll continue to be frustrated at times, dissatisfied at times, and feeling thoroughly incompetent at times as I go through this adventure called life with you all.
By the way, I now have another blog. It’s on the church website and the posts are different from those on this site. You can go to www.riverwalkchurchofchrist.org and click on “Blog” to see all posts by all ministers, or you can scan the left side of the page under “Ministers Blogs” to see the titles of the individual blogs. As of right now, there is no way to get just my blog, but I’ll ask the webmaster to provide one under “Leadership”, then “Ministers” and have a link under my picture and name.
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
They Believed in Me (Part III)
I am continuing my blog talking about people in my life who believed in me in some way or another and helping me on my way. I may conclude with this blog…I don’t know just yet.
I recall the chief engineer at the radio station where I worked in Goodland who thought enough of me to assign me the responsibility for maintaining the equipment and transmission facilities for the station. During this time I also coordinated a move to new facilities overnight, with the station being off the air only a few hours. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and the work I did…some of the best working years I’ve ever experienced in part due to the confidence Wayne had in me.
I remember very well a woman in Ardmore, Oklahoma who, after a very difficult two-year tenure at a church there (I should never have taken that position), quietly and with no fanfare picked my wife and I out of the ditch, washed and dressed us, and got us going again in life. She graciously offered to pay all tuition and any other expenses I could put onto my account at either of two universities where she was sitting on the Board of Trustees. Of all of the people I will have mentioned in these blogs, she stands out as one of two of my heroes. Thank you, Carrie Lou.
After we moved back to Kansas, due to illness striking my mother, there continued to be those people who believed, encouraged, and mentored. The church we attended helped us with financial aid at a time when we couldn’t find a dime and a nickel to put together. Those who made that decision to help us are special people, and I thank them.
My mentor in health care was also my administrator. Somehow, he saw in me the makings of a white collar worker while I was doing a blue collar job. He took chances on me, mentored me, taught me, frustrated me, and took blows for me in allowing me to do some things others only dream about. Vern is the second of my two heroes. I haven’t a clue where I would be or what I would be doing were it not for him.
The editor of the Hays Daily News took an interest in my writing and encouraged me by giving me space in his newspaper twice a month. I’m indebted to him for letting me express myself and get immersed into that world.
And the mentoring and encouraging doesn’t stop with more advanced age. Even past age 55, I continue to find people who encourage and teach me. Chris in Topeka was one such person. Although I didn’t work with him long, I learned much from him and continue to maintain contact with him and in turn encourage him in his work.
And so it goes (to borrow a phrase from Linda Ellerbee) and so it continues, even to this day. Those I work with now are much, much more astute in the work than I. I have a lot to learn and trust I can fulfill my responsibilities while leaning on them. May God bless all who have had a part in my development and education in life and living.
I recall the chief engineer at the radio station where I worked in Goodland who thought enough of me to assign me the responsibility for maintaining the equipment and transmission facilities for the station. During this time I also coordinated a move to new facilities overnight, with the station being off the air only a few hours. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and the work I did…some of the best working years I’ve ever experienced in part due to the confidence Wayne had in me.
I remember very well a woman in Ardmore, Oklahoma who, after a very difficult two-year tenure at a church there (I should never have taken that position), quietly and with no fanfare picked my wife and I out of the ditch, washed and dressed us, and got us going again in life. She graciously offered to pay all tuition and any other expenses I could put onto my account at either of two universities where she was sitting on the Board of Trustees. Of all of the people I will have mentioned in these blogs, she stands out as one of two of my heroes. Thank you, Carrie Lou.
After we moved back to Kansas, due to illness striking my mother, there continued to be those people who believed, encouraged, and mentored. The church we attended helped us with financial aid at a time when we couldn’t find a dime and a nickel to put together. Those who made that decision to help us are special people, and I thank them.
My mentor in health care was also my administrator. Somehow, he saw in me the makings of a white collar worker while I was doing a blue collar job. He took chances on me, mentored me, taught me, frustrated me, and took blows for me in allowing me to do some things others only dream about. Vern is the second of my two heroes. I haven’t a clue where I would be or what I would be doing were it not for him.
The editor of the Hays Daily News took an interest in my writing and encouraged me by giving me space in his newspaper twice a month. I’m indebted to him for letting me express myself and get immersed into that world.
And the mentoring and encouraging doesn’t stop with more advanced age. Even past age 55, I continue to find people who encourage and teach me. Chris in Topeka was one such person. Although I didn’t work with him long, I learned much from him and continue to maintain contact with him and in turn encourage him in his work.
And so it goes (to borrow a phrase from Linda Ellerbee) and so it continues, even to this day. Those I work with now are much, much more astute in the work than I. I have a lot to learn and trust I can fulfill my responsibilities while leaning on them. May God bless all who have had a part in my development and education in life and living.
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