MY HEROES (Sept. 28-Oct. 4, 2019)

Our standby flights winged us from Indianapolis to Nashville, Tennessee, without a hitch and we were able to spend a couple of days with friends before heading on to Crossville, Tennessee, and the Wyndham Resort at Fairfield Glade.  We would spend the next five days there enjoying the company of seven other couples from our past.The Dicers, the Solomons, the Rosses, the Dunningtons, the Halls, the Bittenbenders, the Moores, and the Smiths have been friends for a long time.  Some since childhood and all since our days at Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois.  We have gone our separate ways but have somehow managed to keep the flame of friendship alive.

For the past three years we have been able to clear our calendars and meet for some days of remembering and just being together.  Everyone is free to be themselves and do what they would enjoy doing.  Some hiked, some played golf, some shopped, some did picture puzzles, some watched sports on TV, some went to bed early, some got up early, and some played games.

This year I was able to book two 4 bedroom condos at "the Glade" for five nights at a 50% discounted rate.  This meant that we could add two couples to our usual group.  Dr. and Mrs. (Jane) Don Dunnington from Bethany, Oklahoma made the long drive to Tennessee as did Wes and Marcia Bittenbender from Indian Lake, Michigan.

Eight couples, all married around 50 years ago, shared side splitting laughter, and quiet tears as they reflected on their journeys through life.  No two couples the same but all with continued faith in God and His plan for their lives.

What a wonderful time we had as we told story after story of days gone by and consumed so much food that we didn't think we could eat another bite (but we did).  They were days that, I hope, we will never forget.

REFLECTIONS

As I looked around at all who had gathered I was overcome with a sense of gratitude.  I was reminded how blessed my life has been.  I had wonderful parents who loved me and each other.  I have a big brother who has become my friend.  I have pastored some wonderful churches and folks.  And I have a great number of "long time" friends (that sounds so much better than "old")!  

My heroes are not in the political arena, they are not on the sporting fields, they are not in the entertainment industry.  My heroes were with me at the Wyndham Resort at Fairfield Glade this week.

These 14 who gathered on the Cumberland Plateau for five days are an example of lives lived rightly and marriages that have endured.  It can be done.  Unfortunately, it seems that today many give up too easily.  Friendships are cast aside over trivial matters and marriages are ended without much effort to sustain them.  We have become a throw away society in way too many ways.

So I pay tribute to these wonderful people who have bucked the trends of the times in which we live.  I pay tribute to these who, when they said "til death do us part", meant it.  They are my heroes!

The Solomons

The Halls

The Rosses

The Smiths

The Dunningtons

The Moores

The Bittenbenders