CONNECTING POINTS (May 4 - 27, 2019)

For the past twenty four days we have been enjoying spring in the mid west.  Our stand by flights from South Carolina to Missouri went without any problems and we arrived in Springfield for our grandson, Justin's, High School Graduation.  Once again I was reminded of how fast time goes by.  He becomes the second grand child to exit High School and our prayers are that he will find the Lord's will and plan for his life.  While in the "Show Me" state, I enjoyed my walks and drives around Wilson's Creek National Battlefield.  The wild flowers were out and the deer made their appearance in the late afternoon.  It was a great time of both relaxing and enjoying family.

Following those great days, we flew to Indiana to spend some time with Autumn's family, visit Sherry's mom, ready the cabin, and get ready for our upcoming cruise and stay in Alaska.  Our grand daughter, Adelyn, had a volleyball tournament and a band concert.  They finished second!  The cabin and yard took some work but by the time we left they looked great. 

This somewhat of a pause was perfect before we begin a busy month in the last frontier with  Sherry's brother, Curt, and his wife, Jenny!  This will be their first visit to Alaska and there is so much to see.

REFLECTIONS

These times with family are more than just time to fill between trips.  They are moments to remember how important family is, to pause and reflect on how blessed we are, and to dream about what the future might hold for our kids and grand kids.  They are moments filled with both tears and laughter. 

I know that our nomadic life style is a little different than most but I pray that it will not ever stand in the way of our family knowing just how much we love them.  Time moves too quickly to not cherish each time we are able to be together.

CHOOSE THE DOLPHIN MOMENTS (April 16 - May 3, 2019)

We wrapped up our final segment of our time on Edisto Island, South Carolina, by sharing one of our favorite places with friends and family.

Jimmy and Doretta Durnil came from southern Indiana and spent four days with us.  Doretta and Sherry graduated from High School together in Bloomington, Indiana back in the 60s.  What a great time we had showing them around and just enjoying our time together.  Sherry and Doretta were able to share memories of long ago and rekindle a friendship.

Then, Sherry's brother and sister-in-law came and spent the final two weeks with us.  Curt and Jenny are also Wyndham owners and we have traveled together before and share "points" every once in a while.  Edisto offers a fantastic place to walk the beaches, watch the dolphins, and enjoy the sunsets.

During our time of traveling, these past two years, we have been reminded of the value of family and friends.


REFLECTIONS

For the last 42 days I have awakened on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean's St. Helena Sound.  I have awakened, with a cup of coffee on our elevated deck, to the laughing and crying of the Gulls as they greet the day.  I have awakened to the frolicking dolphins as they search for breakfast in the mouth of Big Bay Creek.  I have awakened to the fragrance of the flowering bushes and trees.  I have awakened to a quiet, peaceful, beautiful place that I have grown to love.

At night, I have been treated to a variety of fiery sunsets as the western horizon turned golden and orange.  At night, I have been amazed at the numberless stars that filled the darkened sky.  At night, I have listened to the local frogs bellow their repetitive croakings into the otherwise silent darkness.  At night, I have seen the twinkling eyes of the deer as they graze on the shrubs beneath the deck.

It is in between the time that my feet hit the floor and my head hits the pillow that I am reminded how blessed I am.  Blessed to feel the warmth of the sun as it turns my pale skin brown.  I am blessed to watch those beautiful dolphin gently cruise on top of the water or frantically feed with tail splashing and air borne acrobatics. I am blessed that I can see the kaleidoscope of vivid colors that make every sunset just a little different.  I am blessed that I can hear the noisiness of the gulls and the breathing of those dolphins as they catch their breath before diving deep into the blue waters.

Oh, there were days when the sun didn't shine.  There were days when the gentle ocean breeze turned into gale force winds.  There were days when the clouds blocked the sunset.  There were days when the dolphin decided to go elsewhere.  There were days the number of dead jellyfish seemed to outnumber the grains of sand on the beach.

Life, too, is like that.  Not every day will be idyllic.  Some will be way better than others, but they all go together in a mosaic of wonderful color; of great blessing.  We must decide upon what to focus.  Will it be the "jellyfish moments" or the "dolphin moments".  We will have both.  The choice is ours.

I chose the dolphin moments and, with this big guy, wave goodbye to South Carolina and head to Missouri.  There, too, I plan to be blessed.  It's just who I am.

Edisto Island, SC, dolphin dance

THE "TIDES" OF OUR LIVES (April 2 - 15, 2019)

South Carolina Sunrise

As we watched our daughter's family drive out of the resort and head back to Indiana, we understood that for the next two weeks we would be by ourselves in our quiet place.  Edisto Island has been labeled as the Mayberry of beaches in the Carolinas and that's exactly why we like it!

These last 14 days we have enjoyed doing absolutely nothing and doing it quite well if I must say so myself.  It was hours of  walking the beach and trails.  It was hours of sitting in the sunshine and feeling the warmth of its' rays as they kissed your skin.  It was hours of.....well I am sure that you get the idea.

Now, I sit here at the dining room table and await the arrival of our next guests.  A High School friend of my wife and her husband come in this afternoon for their first "Edisto" experience.  Next week it will be Sherry's brother and sister in law who will be our guests for two weeks before our Island Time comes to an end.

REFLECTIONS

Life is always changing, like the tides.  Sometimes the tides are up and things are happening right and left. Life is beating our your shore and it is exhilarating.  Other times the tides are heading out and the emptying leaves behind so much.  It is a quieter time.

We have learned these last two plus years of retirement to ride the tides.  We thoroughly enjoy the high tides with friends and family.  These are the busy times; times of waiting to see what will be deposited in our lives.  They are wonderful times of discovery and fun.  These "high tides" are blessed times.

We, also, enjoy the "low tides" of retreating from the crashing of life.  They are times of renewal and
being able to listen to His still small voice.  They are needed times.

I know that our "transient" life style is different from almost everyone else, but I know that life, for all of us, has its' ebbs and flows.  The difference is that ocean tides are predictable and the tides of our lives are random.  The ups and downs can last for a long time or they can come and go in an instant.

The secret is to not allow them to overwhelm us; to drown us!  Learn to enjoy them both and to treasure whatever they bring.  In the ocean, the low tides bring more beach and deposit shell treasures to be discovered, while the high tides provide those treasures as they crash to the shore.

But here's the deal!  Without the low tides you'd never see the treasures hidden beneath the blue water.  There will be "low tides" in our lives and we must learn to use them to find the beauty underneath it all.  Be blessed in all the "tides of your life".

South Carolina Sunset

DOING LITTLE, MAKING BIG MEMORIES (March 23 - April 1 2019)

Edisto Island, South Carolina Sunset

 

Edisto Pelican

Edisto Island has become a spring stop for our nomadic life style.  The drive from Indiana to coastal Carolina was long and tiring but yet enjoyable as the 12 hour road trip was shared with my daughter and her family.  The first ten days of our seven week stay at WYNDHAM OCEAN RIDGE RESORT would be spent with her, her husband, and my two young granddaughters.

Edisto is one of those places that you either love or hate.  It is a slice of the South Carolina low country coast that time has passed by.

It has no national restaurant chains, unless you count the Subway in the Gas Station.  Good local family owned eateries dot the Island with wonderful sea food and BiLo meets your grocery needs.  

Entertainment?  Pretty much just make your own with beautiful beaches, biking/walking trails, playing mini golf.

If you are looking for the Myrtle Beach/Hilton Head experience it is not here.

Edisto Dolphins

REFLECTIONS

For me, the ten days with family was a great time of just enjoying life and one another.  Enjoying one another away from the busyness of life.  Enjoying the simpler things like; watching a dazzling sunset, playing mini-golf, riding bikes, playing table games, eating chocolate chip cookies, being awed by the dolphins in the bay beneath our deck, telling stories of events from long ago.  So many simple things that combine to make a wonderful tapestry to, itself, be remembered for years to come.

I believe that we all want to be remembered.  When this life's day comes to an end, we want to be remembered.  Therefore, my challenge, and yours, is to make sure that those closest to us have reason to recall times together.  We must, with purpose, take time to "make memories".  We must not be so wrapped up in everything else that we miss what is most important.  We must not be running the race of life so long and fast that we fail to touch the lives of those who we call family.  Find an Edisto somewhere.  A place where you can strip off all the complexities of your life and find peace.  Find a place where you can reconnect with those nearest to you.

BRIDGES TO THE PAST (March 2 - 22, 2019)

Indiana Cabin

Male Cardinal

Returning from warm Florida to chilly Indiana proved to be a difficult adjustment.

Temperatures in the single digits and snow on the ground and in the air were not what we had hoped for in the middle of March.  Yet even with all the climatic discomfort, we found it good to be back in the Hoosier state with family.  Technically, we call Indiana, "home".  We pay state taxes and drive with an Indiana license on our person.  Truth is that we spend only about three months there each year.

Eventually, the snow and cold turned into birds singing and flowers beginning to force their way through the warming soil.  The area around our little cabin in the woods began to come alive.  It was wonderful to see the signs of spring starting to emerge from the frosty winter.

Our next stop will be Edisto Island, South Carolina, where we plan to spend time relaxing and enjoying the low country until the beginning of May.  The Wyndham Resort at Ocean Ridge has been a regular stop for the Dicers since the 1980s.  This out of the way, slow paced, beautiful place is exactly what we enjoy.

REFLECTIONS

One of the primary reasons for the visit this time was to say "Happy Birthday" to my wife's mom, Lois.  She has navigated this realm for 90 years now.  Now, in an Alzheimer's Care Facility, she spends her days in the present with few memories of the past.  Here, with us one minute, and then gone; gone away to a place that we have yet to experience.

There is an old railroad bridge, built in the late 1800s, that looms above a trail I walk here in Indiana.  It is known as "The Haunted Bridge" and stories are told of bridge builders dying tragically during construction, returning to haunt the structure.  Every time that I walk beneath it, I think about its' history.  I think about those who planned it; those who dreamed of a day when the big steam powered locomotives would cross the flowing waters of White Lick Creek as they puffed their way westward.  I think about what this, now suburban, neighborhood might have looked like in those long ago days.  For me, it is a bridge to the past.  It is a reminder of how things change.

Memory is an amazing aspect of our humanity.  The ability to remember times past and to reflect in the importance of the memory is something that we should cherish.  I am not an expert in how the mind functions.  I don't understand all the intricate wiring; the electronic bridges, that come into play for us to be able to remember.  I do know, from personal experience, that as we grow older those connections begin to fail; memories fade.

Our "bridges to the past" are fragile.  Just as the haunted railroad bridge has become scared and damaged by years of use, so too our bridge to the past.  Constant rumblings back to forth will take their toll and our trains of thought will be derailed.  Try as we might to prevent it, our memories will fade into a fog that encompasses all of our living.  I am not trying to be morbid, just saying that, for many of us, this is what's ahead.

Therefore, I chose to do all I can to keep the memories flowing.  I will simply reflect from time to time about my childhood on the chicken farm in Goodells, Michigan and at the lake house on Lake Huron.  I will look back on photos and yearbooks from the years at Port Huron (MI) Northern High School and Olivet Nazarene University.  I will review my ministries.  I will treasure memories of family and friends.  I will, until I can no longer.  Simply put......cherish your past, live your present, and, as best as you can, imagine your future.

Haunted Railroad Bridge, Avon, Indiana

GATORS IN LIFE (February 6 - March 1, 2019)

Wyndham Cypress Palms

The winter part of our Wyndham Resort Wanderings came to a close as we boarded the Delta flight back to Indiana.  It had been a three month journey spent on Grand Cayman Island and at the Wyndham Cypress Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Florida.  The final three week segment in Florida was spent with temperatures in the mid 80s (10 degrees above normal) while our midwest friends suffered through snow, ice, and sub zero temperatures.

Joyce and Gary Miller

Once again, we were blessed with a visit by some long time friends that we hadn't seen in over 30 years.  Joyce and Gary Miller were members at the church I pastored in Tipp City, Ohio back in the 1980s.  They now live in Virginia.  It was as if we had never been apart.

I will return to Indiana having lost about 12 pounds!  Lots of walking in the morning quiet and coolness and being a little more careful about what I ate made the difference.  I'd like to lose another dozen pounds before embarking on our Alaskan cruise at the end of May.  We all know that cruises add pounds.



REFLECTIONS


During my morning walks, I found myself thinking about how wonderfully blessed I am.  I spent considerable time in prayer just thanking the Lord for all the goodness that has been a part of my life.  Oh, there have been some gators cross my path from time to time but for the most part I managed to come out of those confrontations uninjured and able to continue my journey.  Gators tend to be pretty unmovable.  They find a place in the sun and just lay there.They are not afraid to let you know they are there.  I think they enjoy knowing that you know that they are there and that they are the alpha predator.  Problem is that from time to time they get hungry and lay in wait for the unsuspecting critter to wander by.  That's when they are dangerous.  They let their presence be known until it's time to feed.  Then they head to the dark, shaded places and bide their time.

Your best bet is to give them space, walk around them, and stay out of their dark hiding places.  Just continue your trek, knowing that you are wiser than they are and are able to avoid a confrontation that could prove to be fatal.  Fatal.....to the gator that is.

WHERE DOES THE TIME GO? A SENIOR LAMENT (January 12 - February 5, 2019)

Wyndham Cypress Palms

We continue to enjoy our 11 week stay in Kissimmee, Florida.  this middle section was spent enjoying the Florida sunshine and living our nomadic retirement lifestyle.

We were blessed these last three weeks to have had visits with some of Sherry's High School friends, my brother (Gary), long time friends (Fred and Linda Hall/ Mike and Elisabeth Adams/ Sandi Comfort) and a former staff member and wife (now pastoring in Oregon).

                            REFLECTIONS

Shingle Creek

For the past seven weeks we have been living our nomadic lifestyle in one place.  We have bunkered in at the Wyndham Cypress Palms Resort near Orlando, Florida.  Being in the warmth of the Sunshine State has its' advantages but, frankly, the day by day routine of the retired life in one place is starting to drive me crazy!  You see, I am an extrovert; a people person.  After nearly 50 years of ministry and dealing with issues and people every day, it is difficult for me to be somewhat isolated.  

My "Day Timer" would look like this:  

7:00 a.m. -Get Up/Get ready, 
7:30 a.m. - Computer work, 
9:00 a.m. - Morning Walk, 
10:30 a.m. - Morning Snack, 
Noon - Lunch,  
1:30 p.m.- Pool/Hot Tub, 
3:00 p.m. - nap, 
4:30 p.m. - Afternoon Snack, 
6:00 p.m. - Dinner,  
7:00 p.m. - TV (sports),
8:00 p.m. - Evening Snack 
11:00 p.m. - Lights Out!

About the only time I am with people (other than Sherry) is in the Hot Tub.  And, the other day, after declaring that I voted for Trump, I was asked to leave there.  

This blog, facebook, shutterfly, and photography help to keep my creative juices flowing and for that I am thankful.  Thanks for reading and, every once in awhile, connecting.

Please remember that those of us who have retired are facing changes and issues that you might, as of yet, know nothing about.  Be patient, be kind, be there.

That's my brief lament!  Now, I see, it's time for the Pool/Hot Tub!