When does God know to save you?

Growing up in the Sierra Nevadas, we had to be creative about simple things like swimming.  There were not any close public swimming pools.  As I remember it, the closest one was pretty creepy.  There was green moss growing on the bottom of a concrete pool.  I wasn’t much into sliding into the concrete pond.

 

What we did have was a gravel pit with nice clean naturally filtered water.  The bottom was smooth pebbles and the water fresh.  My dad would run us kids over there in his ’59 VW.  As I remember it, my sister was not much of a swimmer.  Considering she became one of the first female park rangers in the US, seems a bit of a contradiction.

 

Anyway, the story is told that my sister was coaxed into a swim.  My brother or I may have pushed her in.  I don’t know.  We weren’t very tolerant of Lou Lou Belle.  Sorry sis.  Just had to throw the nickname in there.  Ha! 

 

She went under and started taking on water.  I don’t know how many times she went under, but they say it was a miracle she survived.  I just wonder how many times God let’s us go under before He steps in and saves us.  Any thoughts?

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Snow Chains Required

I took my mother to the doctor today and it got me thinking about my dad who has passed away.  Then my mind “spider webbed” to my childhood home of Gold Run and joined my dad in the memory.  My dad worked hard as a mission pastor of a very small church in a very spiritually cold part of the world. 

 

It not only was cold spiritually, but it got down right weather cold in the winter time.  Going the road toward Donner Pass many times required snow chains.  My dad would get out on the side of the road and offer to put the “city slickers” tire chains on their cars.  It was cold hard wet work. Many people were happy to pay someone else to freeze their backside off. 

 

When traffic died down or dad was sufficiently frozen, he would come home and hang his money over the furnace to dry.  I remember feeling so sorry for dad and how cold he was, but very proud of him to suffer while providing for his family.  If he were here, I’m sure he would refer to those times as the “good ol’ days”. 

 

And then there were those on the bus to California that professionally work the social programs.  Hard work quickly translated to hardly work.  Sad…

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Most Donations Were Appreciated

Talk about bugs in your food.  We are in a bus loaded down with some of the most interesting people in the world.  When Fred yelled out, “There’s a bug in my food!”, I think some were jealous they didn’t have a bug in their food. 

My friend Sharon made Fred’s day and mine also by contributing to our trip in such a wonderful way.  Fred tossed the bug to a couple children in the seat behind him.  It sure made their day!

Thank you to all my friends and family that made this trip possible.  I’m already thinking about my next one…

Uh.  Probably should have mentioned the trip to Cora before I posted it. 

Love is the Greatest Commandment

A week later with vacation time burned and several hundred dollars from friends and family, I am back from a round trip bus ride between Texas and California.  It was great having Freddy with me.

 

I was asked what was the most memorable experience? Several things come to mind, but seeing Freddy’s grandmother’s face light up when she saw Freddy is at the top of the list.  It is an incredible passionate love that is unconditional.  The grandmother is 96 years old and wise.

 

If I were asked what benefit did I gain from the trip, I believe it is a deeper appreciation for the greatest commandment of all, “Love one another”.  It is easy to love my wife, Cora.  It is easy to love my son and others in our family.  It is not so easy to love those on a bus.

 

Most get on the bus with a protective impenetrable shield about them.  It is selfish and filled with hurt and dashed dreams.  Most feel like life has not treated them fairly and probably rightfully so.  They are ok with letting you experience and take part in their frustrations.  When someone is shouting vulgarities at you, it is tough following the greatest commandment of all.  Love.

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Enjoy the adventure

 

I have invested a week of my vacation time riding in a greyhound bus full of smelly people with destinations.  Oddly, Freddy and I had no destination.  Sure we hoped to go back to the place of our individual childhoods, but the trip had its own value.  If we made it to our destination, ok.  If not, ok.  It was all about the experience.

 

When I failed to turn in my ticket and got on the bus anyway, the bus driver threatened to throw me off.  I had broken rule #1.  “Don’t make the bus driver mad.”  It’s funny.  To everyone else on the bus, being tossed off would be considered catastrophic.  For me, I was ok with it.  Being tossed off was just one more event in my journey.  Not good.  Not bad.  Just an event.

 

I wonder if life should be a little more like my bus adventure.  Buy a ticket with a destination in mind, but be ok with change that creates the uniqueness of the experience.  Enjoy the adventure wherever you are, for the time God gives you.  Regardless whether you planned being there.

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Climbing the Socio-Economic Ladder

I remember in an economics class, the professor said each generation at best will only climb one rung on the socio-economic ladder.  I refused to believe it.  My dreams were big.  I would be the next high techology shooting star.  I would grow stronger and faster than any other company.  I was willing to pay the price.

 

Forty years later, it seems I have wore out the rungs of the ladder.  I've climbed some rungs and seen people at the top.  I've fallen down some rungs and seen people at the bottom.  Today, I wonder if I chose the wrong ladder.  Just because there is a ladder to climb in gaining riches, does it mean you are obligated to step on or "if on" are you obligated to climb?

 

Maybe a better ladder to climb is one that has love as the top rung?  The bottom rung is all about self.  Each step up the ladder is dieing to new selfish ambitions and living a deeper rich life expressing love for others through obedient acts.

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What’s in the word – Mankind?

Was there a time when man deserved the descriptor, "kind"?  Is that the source of the word "mankind"?  I am the kind of guy that looks at a glass of water half full not half empty.  I tend to want to think the best of people.  Traveling by bus is challenging to find the "kind" in man.  Maybe it should be "mankindless"?

 

As a rule, humanity seems indifferent as a whole and down right rude at 1st blush.  Sometimes, ever so infrequent, someone steps up and does a kind act and everyone looks.  Maybe a person is helped with their luggage or boarding questions are answered.  Simple, yet so impactful are acts of kindness.

 

Freddy has a passion for the underdog.  He sincerely goes out of his way to help those less able to help themselves.  More times than not, it was Freddy helping an elderly with their bags or telling someone what bus to get on.  Freddy's natural inclination is to want to get in the face of anyone taking advantage of another.

 

Admittedly, you can't fix the world but you can influence mankind in your world as you experience it. 

 

Thanks Freddy.

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Bus Survival Techniques

Rule #1 – Don’t get the bus driver mad.

Rule #2 – Refer to rule #1.

 

Many of the bus drivers must go through bus driver attitude school.  They make the rules of the road.  Sit down and shut up.  Follow the rules.  Let me see if I can remember…

 

“This bus is going to Bakersfield, Tucson, Phoenix, blah, blah and blah.  Find a seat and be quiet.  If your neighbor can hear you talk, you are talking too loud.  Don’t take your shoes off.  I don’t want to smell your feet.  Use head phones.  If your neighbor can hear it, it is too load.  There is a toilet in the back for your convenience.  Guys don’t wizz all over the seat.  Do not smoke.  I will throw you off the bus.  You ladies in back.  You are talking too loud.  Quiet down or I will remove you from the bus.  No alcohol or drugs of any type.  I will toss you from the bus.” 

 

And did I say, “FOLLOW RULE#1!”  Oh yeah.  Enjoy your trip and thanks for choosing Greyhound.

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Right Every Wrong

Ich.  This ones for you…

 

Back from a 6 day bus trip from Texas to California and back.  I slept 17 hours in my own bed.  Coffee tastes and feels particularly good this morning.  I woke up thinking about all the anger in the world and wondered.  How much wrong are we responsible for correcting in the world? 

 

It would seem like an easy answer, but it's really not.  Suppose, you see a bus driver verbally abusing a fragile old lady.  Do you stop it?  Probably.  Suppose you see a mother yelling at her baby.  Do you stop it?  Maybe.  Suppose, throughout out the day you continually see bad things happen.  Everytime you step up to correct a wrong there is risk to yourself and your family.  How many times do you step up?

 

You get tired.  You only have so much energy.  How many wrongs are your responsibility?

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It’s Time to Pray or Hitchhike

There was a built in weakness in my travel plans. I had only bought round trip bus tickets between San Antonio, TX and Salinas, CA. I hoped to make it to my childhood home of Gold Run, CA. It was 5 hours further north by car. It meant I’d need to rent a car, hitchhike or sweet talk the bus nazi to stop at a stop that didn’t exist or whatever else I could figure out.
 
I don’t have a credit card. I only have a bank debit card and it had about $80 in it. I hoped that wouldn’t be a problem. We got to Enterprise Rental and they didn’t have any cars. They had one truck that they would rent me for $90 / day and I’d have to take it for two days. That wasn’t going to work. I thought it was time to pray.
 
Fred’s stepbrother Robert took us to the next rental place at Hertz. I didn’t have much hope. Typically, Hertz is more expensive than Enterprise. It was worse than that when the agent explained he didn’t have any cars and had a waiting list.
 
I politely listened and prayed. His attitude softened and he volunteered that maybe he could find a car. I gave him my bank card and he said his system couldn’t find me. I gave him my driver license and social security # and he said I didn’t exist.
 
Oddly, I am comforted to know I don’t exist in the credit industry. That is probably a good thing. The agent did find a car. Federico stepped up and put it on his card. Fortunately, he exists so we got a car and headed for Gold Run.

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