"As a young woman, I did my thinking with a youthful mind that was housed in an energetic, youthful body." Those words were spoken to me by a lady that I only knew as Mrs. Pitre. She was an older lady at the time, speaking to me as a young man full of vim and vigor. I never forgot what she told me, but as I look back on that conversation from about thirty years ago, it's now easier than it was then for me to identify with what she was telling me. The ideas, values and opinions that we hold today are the ones that we expect to cling to for the rest of our lives, no matter what stage of life we happen to be in at the time, but let me assure you, some of those ideas and opinions will change with the passage of time. Let me give you a couple of examples that will help you understand what I'm talking about. When Valerie, our daughter, was a little girl, we gave her a subscription to "Highlights Magazine." One day she said to me, "I love Highlights! I want to keep getting this magazine even after I'm an adult." I'm 99.99% sure that subscription was dropped years ago, even several years before she grew up. Then, just one day last week, Lake, my five year old grandson, was talking to me about some books that he likes, and he asked me what books are my favorites. When I told him, he wanted to see one of them, and he asked, "Why do you like books that don't have pictures? I like books with a picture on every page." I replied, "That's because you're five and I'm sixty." He responded, "Well, when I grow up, I'm still gonna like books with pictures."
I'm sure you're aware that we're about to enter into the year 2012. Have you thought about how old you'll be on your 2012 birthday? I've thought about my age, and I've also thought about how differently I view the world than I did thirty years ago when I had that conversation with Mrs. Pitre. Let me fill you in on just a little bit more of what she told me that day: "When we were young, my husband and I had just started our business and we made a conscious decision to pour our lives into it so that by the time we got old and decided to retire, we'd be financially able to do anything we wanted to do. Well, here we are. We're old and ready to retire...and just like we planned, we can basically afford to do anything we want. The problem is, we're old and we don't feel like doing any of these things we dreamed of doing when we were younger. If we had it to do over, we would've enjoyed life a little more when our energy levels were higher."
What are your goals and dreams? As a younger man, wealth was one of my life's objectives, but like I was telling you earlier, with maturity, my thought process has changed. I now find myself agreeing with a statement I heard my dad say one time: "I wouldn't have any use for money if I didn't need to buy some things sometimes." Kudos to my friends who have dreamed and set out to make those dreams come true while they still have the time and energy. Our good friend, Sondra Hartt, dreamed of riding her bicycle from Mobile, Alabama to Niagara Falls, and Angie and I were privileged to join her husband, Mike, as we traveled to Niagara to see her finish that five week journey. Another good friend, Janice Lally-Gonzales, is now in the process of fulfilling a dream to run a full marathon (26.2 miles) in each of the fifty states, and I have no doubt that she will see that goal accomplished. (She's well over half way there already.) We'll be joining her for a couple of them this year as she adds Oklahoma and Illinois to her list, and Janice, we plan to be there for number fifty, when ever and where ever it is.
Hiking the entire Appalachian Trail (2,174 miles) at one time has never been a dream of mine (I just wouldn't want to be away from home and family for the six months required to make that journey.), but hiking a portion of it has been, and I'm putting plans in motion now to make it happen. You see, I know how old I'll be on my next birthday, and if I don't start making some dreams become reality now, I'll wake up one morning to find that it's too late. I must say that I've already accomplished some goals...I wanted to see if I could run a full marathon, and now, twelve marathons later, I'm still at it. It's just that I never want to get to the point to where I have no challenges left to look forward to.
Do you have any goals and dreams? It might be a good idea to go ahead and begin preparations to make them come true.
Preston
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCCII
Does it seem to you like the attacks on Christmas are becoming more intense with each passing year? I don't know if I just never noticed it before, or if all these anti-Christmas forces have just started making their voices heard so loudly in the past decade or so. Who are the people that make up these groups, anyway? I'm convinced that there aren't nearly as many of them as they would like us to believe. Just this morning I heard on the news about a town in New Jersey that has a banner that was created by the Knights of Columbus that hangs in the downtown area that says "Keep Christ In Christmas," but the group that is suing to have the sign removed is located in Wisconsin. New Jersey and Wisconsin are not exactly next door neighbors.
The primary reason that I'm hearing for wanting to eliminate the word "Christmas" is that it is offensive to members of other religions, but I'm skeptical of that rationale. I have some good friends who are non-Christian (primarily Jewish), and I can assure you that they're not the least offended that I choose to celebrate the birth of Christ. I think the fact that they send me a Christmas card each year is proof enough of that. By the same token, I take no offense that they like to celebrate Hanukkah. It appears to me that the most noise in opposition to the celebration of Christmas is not coming from other religions, instead it's a small minority of agnostics who have decided to declare war on Christianity. If they are so concerned about me offending a non-Christian by celebrating Christ, then I would like to register a complaint that I find it offensive that they're trying to limit my ability to do so.
There is no doubt that our side is in the vast majority, but if we continue to sit back and let the naysayers nibble away at our freedoms, and if we don't elect politicians who have the backbone to stand up against the few who oppose us, then we will wake up one morning and find our freedom to worship as we please will be a thing of the past. I wish that everyone would believe in God the way I do, and I'm willing to spread the word about my salvation to anyone who is willing to listen, but I'm also realistic enough to know that there will always be non-believers in our midst. But that doesn't mean that we can't all share the same streets and neighborhoods in harmony.
It's the Christian way to treat our fellow man with a cordial respect, but I refuse to stand idly by and allow a few others to steal away my rights to celebrate my Lord. I'm not gonna get nasty about it, but there are just some things that cannot be taken from me. So if you see where someone is using the word "Xmas," you can rest assured it's not me. When I say I'm going to keep Christ in Christmas, I really mean it!
So the greeting you'll hear from me this and every December for the rest of my life is: MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
Preston
The primary reason that I'm hearing for wanting to eliminate the word "Christmas" is that it is offensive to members of other religions, but I'm skeptical of that rationale. I have some good friends who are non-Christian (primarily Jewish), and I can assure you that they're not the least offended that I choose to celebrate the birth of Christ. I think the fact that they send me a Christmas card each year is proof enough of that. By the same token, I take no offense that they like to celebrate Hanukkah. It appears to me that the most noise in opposition to the celebration of Christmas is not coming from other religions, instead it's a small minority of agnostics who have decided to declare war on Christianity. If they are so concerned about me offending a non-Christian by celebrating Christ, then I would like to register a complaint that I find it offensive that they're trying to limit my ability to do so.
There is no doubt that our side is in the vast majority, but if we continue to sit back and let the naysayers nibble away at our freedoms, and if we don't elect politicians who have the backbone to stand up against the few who oppose us, then we will wake up one morning and find our freedom to worship as we please will be a thing of the past. I wish that everyone would believe in God the way I do, and I'm willing to spread the word about my salvation to anyone who is willing to listen, but I'm also realistic enough to know that there will always be non-believers in our midst. But that doesn't mean that we can't all share the same streets and neighborhoods in harmony.
It's the Christian way to treat our fellow man with a cordial respect, but I refuse to stand idly by and allow a few others to steal away my rights to celebrate my Lord. I'm not gonna get nasty about it, but there are just some things that cannot be taken from me. So if you see where someone is using the word "Xmas," you can rest assured it's not me. When I say I'm going to keep Christ in Christmas, I really mean it!
So the greeting you'll hear from me this and every December for the rest of my life is: MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
Preston
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCCI
I don't use the mail all that much any more. I just went to the post office earlier this week and bought twenty of the "Forever" stamps, and the picture on the front is a Christmas scene, which means I'll be using Christmas stamps all through the summer. It hasn't been all that long ago that I had to go to the post office to buy stamps every couple months, and I would buy them in rolls of a hundred, but those days are gone. Now the post office is losing money by hundreds of millions of dollars, which is causing them to go up on postage and cut back on service, which in turn drives more customers away, causing them to lose even more money. It would have been unthinkable just a few years ago that the post office may be about to become a thing of the past. There was even a time in our nation's history when the office of postmaster general was a part of the President's cabinet.
I was thinking about that on the way home from the post office this week, and I've come to the conclusion that we who are alive today are witnessing a cultural revolution like no other generation before has ever experienced. I can foresee a time in the not so distant future when banks won't have so many branches any more. We've already reached the time where we no longer have to take a check to the bank to make a deposit. All we have to do is download an app on our smart phone so that we can take a picture of the check with the phone and send it to the bank, and it is instantly deposited for us. I now pay all my bills online, and on some of them, I actually get credit for the payment immediately. I don't even write checks to my church any more...I make that payment online as well. Remember how we used to count on "float time" with our checks...the period of time between the time we would write the check and when it would clear the bank? Don't try that now! I also believe fax machines are on the verge of becoming extinct, which makes me think that some of the new technology that is blowing our minds today may be already outdated tomorrow.
I could go on and on about how all the technological advances we're seeing today are changing the way we do business, but aren't we also seeing some big changes in the way we live our lives from day to day? I grew up in the era of "Andy Griffith" and "Leave it to Beaver," when certain topics were not discussed in mixed company, much less in front of small children. Now people talk about anything in front of anybody. Not only that, I don't believe friends visit each other the way we did when I was a kid. As I look back on my childhood, it seems like at least every other week, we would go visit friends or those friends would come to our house, and the adults would sit on the porch and drink coffee while the kids were having a great time playing in the yard. We don't do that any more. I can also tell you that all our homes were very simple, and with three or four kids, I can assure you our houses were not always immaculate. I just don't think all that mattered as much back then. Sometimes I wonder if it's because I grew up in a rural area, and now I'm living in the city....or has is changed everywhere?
When I was a kid, there's no telling how many miles I would ride on my bicycle each week, yet I was an adult the first time I ever even saw a bicycle helmet. I stayed hydrated by drinking my water straight from the faucet; I'm not sure if bottled water had even been invented by then. I was probably a teenager before I ever saw the inside of a "sit-down" restaurant....99.9% of our meals were eaten at home. Does it sound like I grew up in an era when life was boring? If it was, I sure didn't know it....I had a terrific childhood and life was good.
I'm really not complaining about all of the advancements in technology; I actually like most of them. But I do have to wonder if life will ever get back to being as simple as it once was. Are we just in a cycle that will eventually rotate back to the slower pace that we used to live? And if so, how long does one of these cycles last? Chances are, my own grandchildren will some day look back to the way things are today and reminisce about how simple their lives used to be. I will say, however, that I'm glad I grew up when I did. I'm one of the lucky ones.
Preston
I was thinking about that on the way home from the post office this week, and I've come to the conclusion that we who are alive today are witnessing a cultural revolution like no other generation before has ever experienced. I can foresee a time in the not so distant future when banks won't have so many branches any more. We've already reached the time where we no longer have to take a check to the bank to make a deposit. All we have to do is download an app on our smart phone so that we can take a picture of the check with the phone and send it to the bank, and it is instantly deposited for us. I now pay all my bills online, and on some of them, I actually get credit for the payment immediately. I don't even write checks to my church any more...I make that payment online as well. Remember how we used to count on "float time" with our checks...the period of time between the time we would write the check and when it would clear the bank? Don't try that now! I also believe fax machines are on the verge of becoming extinct, which makes me think that some of the new technology that is blowing our minds today may be already outdated tomorrow.
I could go on and on about how all the technological advances we're seeing today are changing the way we do business, but aren't we also seeing some big changes in the way we live our lives from day to day? I grew up in the era of "Andy Griffith" and "Leave it to Beaver," when certain topics were not discussed in mixed company, much less in front of small children. Now people talk about anything in front of anybody. Not only that, I don't believe friends visit each other the way we did when I was a kid. As I look back on my childhood, it seems like at least every other week, we would go visit friends or those friends would come to our house, and the adults would sit on the porch and drink coffee while the kids were having a great time playing in the yard. We don't do that any more. I can also tell you that all our homes were very simple, and with three or four kids, I can assure you our houses were not always immaculate. I just don't think all that mattered as much back then. Sometimes I wonder if it's because I grew up in a rural area, and now I'm living in the city....or has is changed everywhere?
When I was a kid, there's no telling how many miles I would ride on my bicycle each week, yet I was an adult the first time I ever even saw a bicycle helmet. I stayed hydrated by drinking my water straight from the faucet; I'm not sure if bottled water had even been invented by then. I was probably a teenager before I ever saw the inside of a "sit-down" restaurant....99.9% of our meals were eaten at home. Does it sound like I grew up in an era when life was boring? If it was, I sure didn't know it....I had a terrific childhood and life was good.
I'm really not complaining about all of the advancements in technology; I actually like most of them. But I do have to wonder if life will ever get back to being as simple as it once was. Are we just in a cycle that will eventually rotate back to the slower pace that we used to live? And if so, how long does one of these cycles last? Chances are, my own grandchildren will some day look back to the way things are today and reminisce about how simple their lives used to be. I will say, however, that I'm glad I grew up when I did. I'm one of the lucky ones.
Preston
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCC
The White Rock Chronicles
"Well, there's one goal that's gone down the drain." I didn't actually say those words out loud, but I thought them time and time again. You know, when you're passionate about something, you want to try to spread that passion to your friends whenever you get a chance, and this was the chance of a lifetime. I wasn't even in on the meeting when this idea first came up, but the people who were involved, all close friends of mine, came to me with their idea right away. "Hey Preston, a couple of us want to run a half marathon, and a couple more want to try the full." (In case you're not familiar with what that means, a half marathon is 13.1 miles, and a full marathon is 26.2.) "Wonderful," I replied. "Count me in." So when we started looking for the right one to run, we discovered that the White Rock Marathon in Dallas even had a five-man relay, which could potentially involve quite a few more people. (The relay covers the entire 26.2 miles, but it is divided into five sections, each of which is covered by a different runner.) To make a long story not quite so long, Emily Stansbury, one of the originators of this plan, created a facebook page called "CLC Marathon Runners," and within twenty-four hours, it exploded into something bigger than we could've ever imagined. (CLC is short for Christian Life Church.) People that we never dreamed would be interested in running were saying, "Hey, we want to be in on this!" By the time marathon day came around, we had a total of twenty-eight runners involved, with the vast majority of them being members of our church. The age range of our runners went from age eleven to sixty, and almost every age in between, fairly evenly divided between male and female. I like to give credit to the proper people when I can, and I think it was Emily who designed our running tee shirts with our church logo on the front, and a neat design on the back that included a line from one of our favorite praise and worship songs, "I am free to run."
December 4th, 2011, marathon day, dawned with heavy rain, high winds, and the temperature was hovering at around forty degrees. That's when those negative thoughts began to invade my mind. For the majority of these friends who had trained and made the trip to Dallas for the big event, this was their first experience with anything of this magnitude, and all I could think was, "They're gonna be coming away from this with a deranged view of what running is all about." And who could blame them? Buses took the relay runners to their proper exchange points and dropped them off, leaving them to stand outside to shiver in the cold wind and rain while waiting for their turn to run when their team member would arrive to hand off to them. Then when they finished their leg of the relay, they would have to stand around waiting for a bus to arrive to take them back. For the full marathoners, half marathoners and the ones running the first leg of the relay, once they moved us from the shelter of the building where we were waiting for start time, it seemed like we stood around forever in the wind and rain waiting for the race to begin. Although I was wearing gloves, my fingers were so cold I couldn't grip the water cups when the people at the water stations would hand them to me, so I finally figured out that the only way I could work it was to hold out my hand with my palm facing up and have them place the cup in my hand. One of our first-time full marathoners took a spill when he was tripped up by someone jumping over a large puddle. One relay runner passed up her finish point without seeing it, and had to turn around and go back. The entire transportation system with the buses seemed to be total chaos, with people wandering around trying to find the proper place to go to find the bus, and then trying to figure out which bus to board. So you can see how understandable it would've been to hear phrases like, "I'll never do this again." There's no way I can take the time or the space to tell you everything I DID hear, but here are some examples of the unsolicited comments I've heard from my friends from postings on their facebook pages:
Leah Gordon: I just finished my leg of the relay!! By far one of the coolest experiences of my life.
Freddy Box: Humbled by the whole experience, but I had a great time with some great friends in Dallas! Cowtown may be next? (Cowtown is a marathon in Ft. Worth, Texas.)
Danny Chance, Jr.: I actually really enjoyed the run despite only 3 hours sleep. I would like to try and run the half.
Lee Ann Box: Didn't get a photo, but my very wet, cold leg of the Dallas White Rock relay is finished! Had a blast, Big D.
Elizabeth Williams: I had the pleasure of running with the Christian Life Church Members. I was touched by their excitement and unity which they had toward each other for the relays, half marathon and full marathon runners.
Emily Stansbury: I think we all were miserable, but the feeling of accomplishment is amazing!
Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm pumped!! If they're talking about how much fun they had through the harsh conditions they faced in Dallas, I can't wait till they get to do it again under better circumstances, and that time may come fairly soon...they're already talking about the next one!
One other quick note: I wish I could remember how many compliments I received about my shirt! One couple caught up with me at around mile 12 and told me that they "loved" my shirt; then they started singing "I Am Free to Run." So the three of us ran along side by side for a while singing "Free to Run" together.
It was a day I'll never forget!!
Preston
Note: Today marks the 300th consecutive week I've sent out "Thinking Out Loud."
"Well, there's one goal that's gone down the drain." I didn't actually say those words out loud, but I thought them time and time again. You know, when you're passionate about something, you want to try to spread that passion to your friends whenever you get a chance, and this was the chance of a lifetime. I wasn't even in on the meeting when this idea first came up, but the people who were involved, all close friends of mine, came to me with their idea right away. "Hey Preston, a couple of us want to run a half marathon, and a couple more want to try the full." (In case you're not familiar with what that means, a half marathon is 13.1 miles, and a full marathon is 26.2.) "Wonderful," I replied. "Count me in." So when we started looking for the right one to run, we discovered that the White Rock Marathon in Dallas even had a five-man relay, which could potentially involve quite a few more people. (The relay covers the entire 26.2 miles, but it is divided into five sections, each of which is covered by a different runner.) To make a long story not quite so long, Emily Stansbury, one of the originators of this plan, created a facebook page called "CLC Marathon Runners," and within twenty-four hours, it exploded into something bigger than we could've ever imagined. (CLC is short for Christian Life Church.) People that we never dreamed would be interested in running were saying, "Hey, we want to be in on this!" By the time marathon day came around, we had a total of twenty-eight runners involved, with the vast majority of them being members of our church. The age range of our runners went from age eleven to sixty, and almost every age in between, fairly evenly divided between male and female. I like to give credit to the proper people when I can, and I think it was Emily who designed our running tee shirts with our church logo on the front, and a neat design on the back that included a line from one of our favorite praise and worship songs, "I am free to run."
December 4th, 2011, marathon day, dawned with heavy rain, high winds, and the temperature was hovering at around forty degrees. That's when those negative thoughts began to invade my mind. For the majority of these friends who had trained and made the trip to Dallas for the big event, this was their first experience with anything of this magnitude, and all I could think was, "They're gonna be coming away from this with a deranged view of what running is all about." And who could blame them? Buses took the relay runners to their proper exchange points and dropped them off, leaving them to stand outside to shiver in the cold wind and rain while waiting for their turn to run when their team member would arrive to hand off to them. Then when they finished their leg of the relay, they would have to stand around waiting for a bus to arrive to take them back. For the full marathoners, half marathoners and the ones running the first leg of the relay, once they moved us from the shelter of the building where we were waiting for start time, it seemed like we stood around forever in the wind and rain waiting for the race to begin. Although I was wearing gloves, my fingers were so cold I couldn't grip the water cups when the people at the water stations would hand them to me, so I finally figured out that the only way I could work it was to hold out my hand with my palm facing up and have them place the cup in my hand. One of our first-time full marathoners took a spill when he was tripped up by someone jumping over a large puddle. One relay runner passed up her finish point without seeing it, and had to turn around and go back. The entire transportation system with the buses seemed to be total chaos, with people wandering around trying to find the proper place to go to find the bus, and then trying to figure out which bus to board. So you can see how understandable it would've been to hear phrases like, "I'll never do this again." There's no way I can take the time or the space to tell you everything I DID hear, but here are some examples of the unsolicited comments I've heard from my friends from postings on their facebook pages:
Leah Gordon: I just finished my leg of the relay!! By far one of the coolest experiences of my life.
Freddy Box: Humbled by the whole experience, but I had a great time with some great friends in Dallas! Cowtown may be next? (Cowtown is a marathon in Ft. Worth, Texas.)
Danny Chance, Jr.: I actually really enjoyed the run despite only 3 hours sleep. I would like to try and run the half.
Lee Ann Box: Didn't get a photo, but my very wet, cold leg of the Dallas White Rock relay is finished! Had a blast, Big D.
Elizabeth Williams: I had the pleasure of running with the Christian Life Church Members. I was touched by their excitement and unity which they had toward each other for the relays, half marathon and full marathon runners.
Emily Stansbury: I think we all were miserable, but the feeling of accomplishment is amazing!
Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm pumped!! If they're talking about how much fun they had through the harsh conditions they faced in Dallas, I can't wait till they get to do it again under better circumstances, and that time may come fairly soon...they're already talking about the next one!
One other quick note: I wish I could remember how many compliments I received about my shirt! One couple caught up with me at around mile 12 and told me that they "loved" my shirt; then they started singing "I Am Free to Run." So the three of us ran along side by side for a while singing "Free to Run" together.
It was a day I'll never forget!!
Preston
Note: Today marks the 300th consecutive week I've sent out "Thinking Out Loud."
Friday, December 2, 2011
Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCXCIX
I'm going to give you a list of three names. There are obviously more names on this list than just these three, but for the sake of making my point, I'll just mention three. Here they are: Denise Gulde, Roland Davidson and Stan Davidson. There's one thing all the people on this list have in common: If you have anything negative or derogatory to say about them, you should make sure I don't hear it. The names I mentioned are the names of my sister and my brothers. They are people I love. We stick up for each other. Although Roland is now deceased, I'm thankful for the fifty-six years that he was a part of my life. I'm thankful that Denise and Stan are still in my life. When they hurt, I hurt. When they are happy, I rejoice with them. That's what brothers and sisters do.
The four of us came from the same mom and dad. We grew up in the same home....the same environment. What our parents taught one of us, they taught us all. As a result, we have similar outlooks on life. However, the word I want to focus on in that last statement is the word "similar." I haven't taken the time to see how Webster defines "similar," but I can give you my definition: "Mostly the same, but somewhat different." Yes, even though we were raised in the same home by the same parents, there are a few topics where we may disagree. That, too, is what brothers and sisters do. When we were children, we would place more emphasis on those differences, but now that we've matured, we have learned to focus on the things we have in common.
I'm glad we've learned how to cast our few petty differences aside and concentrate on the areas where we agree. Life is so much easier that way, and we can get so much more accomplished. It should set an example for us to follow in other areas of our lives. If I'm waiting on the candidate whose philosophy is in one hundred per cent agreement with mine, I'll be waiting a while. If I can only share a pew at church with someone who sees everything the way I do, I may have to sit alone. If I can only go out to eat with friends who are willing to eat at the restaurant of MY choice, I may end up eating by myself. You see, God only made one of me, and He only made one of you. Here's a thought: What if I vote for the candidate whose philosophy is "similar" to mine? Or what if I go to church with people whose convictions are "similar" to mine?
At the time I'm writing this, my brother, sister and I are planning a family getaway in some remote place in the mountains of North Georgia. I have no doubt in my mind that we'll make the necessary compromises to come up with a date and a location for this event, but whatever we decide may not be the first choice of any of us. All I know is we'll make it work, and we're all gonna have a good time. That's what brothers and sisters do. I can be their brother without being their identical twin.
Preston
The four of us came from the same mom and dad. We grew up in the same home....the same environment. What our parents taught one of us, they taught us all. As a result, we have similar outlooks on life. However, the word I want to focus on in that last statement is the word "similar." I haven't taken the time to see how Webster defines "similar," but I can give you my definition: "Mostly the same, but somewhat different." Yes, even though we were raised in the same home by the same parents, there are a few topics where we may disagree. That, too, is what brothers and sisters do. When we were children, we would place more emphasis on those differences, but now that we've matured, we have learned to focus on the things we have in common.
I'm glad we've learned how to cast our few petty differences aside and concentrate on the areas where we agree. Life is so much easier that way, and we can get so much more accomplished. It should set an example for us to follow in other areas of our lives. If I'm waiting on the candidate whose philosophy is in one hundred per cent agreement with mine, I'll be waiting a while. If I can only share a pew at church with someone who sees everything the way I do, I may have to sit alone. If I can only go out to eat with friends who are willing to eat at the restaurant of MY choice, I may end up eating by myself. You see, God only made one of me, and He only made one of you. Here's a thought: What if I vote for the candidate whose philosophy is "similar" to mine? Or what if I go to church with people whose convictions are "similar" to mine?
At the time I'm writing this, my brother, sister and I are planning a family getaway in some remote place in the mountains of North Georgia. I have no doubt in my mind that we'll make the necessary compromises to come up with a date and a location for this event, but whatever we decide may not be the first choice of any of us. All I know is we'll make it work, and we're all gonna have a good time. That's what brothers and sisters do. I can be their brother without being their identical twin.
Preston
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