If you did not know, our youngest son Brandon graduated this year. In the fall he will be headed off to college. The exciting part about it is he will get to start a whole new adventure in life. For Tina and me it will be a whole new way of life. You see we have had 2 boys in our house for 24 years and we don’t remember what it was like before kids. (Although we are certainly willing to try to remember) We may even find a way to have fun without them, but it won’t be the same.
For 24 years we have gone from changing diapers to wiping tears away from booboos to hyper extended knees and bike wrecks. (Thankfully no broken bones) Oh we won’t forget the brotherly love that came oozing from the back seat of the van while on those long trips. I tell you the love was so thick it just made me want to pull over and walk for a few miles to keep from inflicting bodily harm… yes, you know the kind. The same kind that came from my dad, who had eyes in the back of his head, who would turn 180 degrees around and put his finger in our faces and say “Don’t make me pull this car over”, we knew that bodily harm was eminent. Those looks have migrated to mine and Tina’s faces and trust me they aren’t’ very pretty looks at that… J
Some of our most memorable times we have had came from camping, and usually with friends. Amazingly we all survived. Some of our experiences have come as follows: Getting in trouble for inviting almost all of a Sunday School Department camping and having to help find substitute teachers for about 4 classes… (Children’s department no doubt). Becoming a barber at Lake DeGray, (after buzzing our two boy’s heads I ended up buzzing the heads of almost every boy in camp area “B”. There may have been a girl in there as well?). We have camped thru tornado’s and had our tents blown across the camp ground, our friends van caught fire and burned up in transit to the camp ground. We have camped thru a monsoon rain that flooded our tent with about a foot of running water. As I am sitting here thinking I don’t believe that we have gone on one trip without something happening. So for the most outrageous camping adventures just call John at BR-549, operators are standing by…
All kidding aside, we have had a very blessed life. We have been privileged with the opportunity to be a part of raising two fine young men. We give God the glory for all that we have been blessed with. Oh, along the way, we have picked up some mighty good friends that have been very tolerant of our great, or should I say not so great, fortune in the camping department.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5) does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6) does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8) Love never fails…
God wants us to enjoy our life and have fun. He wants us to cherish this time we have with each other. Enjoy your summer but never forget where your blessings come from, and don’t forget that our loved ones are a gift not a burden… before you know it they will be gone…
“The Greatest Adventure in Life is seen through the Love of Christ”
Bro John 501-262-0015
