Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCCXXXVIII

It was a dreary evening in northern Louisiana. Menacing clouds were hanging low with a fine mist in the air; it was unseasonably warm for November, and I could see lightning in the distance toward the northeast. After spending practically an entire day working in the Shreveport area, I was tired and glad to be on the interstate heading home, but it turned out to be a trip I won't soon forget. Within minutes that distant lightning became not so distant, and almost as quickly it was all around me, the rain was coming down in sheets, and it felt as if the wind would either blow me off the road or blow a tree down in front of me....or both. I turned on my flashers and slowed my car down to about twenty miles per hour. Even the big tractor-trailer rigs were traveling about the same speed as me. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a late model Chevy pickup truck passed me, and it had to be going at least eighty miles per hour. All I could think was, "What an idiot! I'll probably be seeing him wrapped around a tree in a few minutes." I was wrong about the tree, but in no more than five minutes, I saw him in the median, buried up to his axles in mud. All I could say was, "That turned out good. He's better off there than on the road." No, I didn't stop to help. Maybe I should have. At the moment, I was just happy to see him where he was. Later on, as I would tell that story to my friends, some would suggest that maybe he had a good reason for driving so fast, like an emergency at home, etc. Really? Does that excuse him for putting his life and the lives of everyone else on the highway, including mine, in danger? Doesn't arriving a few minutes later beat not arriving at all? The truth is, none of us will ever know what his motivation was that evening. What I do know is he wasn't using wisdom. I'm not really sure why the events of that November evening have stuck so vividly in my memory. Maybe it's because I found out later that night that several tornadoes had touched down in the area, with the town of Olla almost being wiped off the map. I must say, however, that it has served as a reminder for me to use this little brain I have at all times. In other words, to think before I act...or speak, and to ask myself what will be the consequences of my actions or words. At the time that I'm writing this article, I'm sitting in a hotel room in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and I just left a restaurant where a new waitress was on her first night on the job. I know she was nervous, and was more than likely feeling a little awkward. But she could've at least smiled, or is that something she has to be told to do? I had to wonder if it ever crossed her mind how she might be viewed by the patrons in that restaurant. I'm aware of the fact that I'm being a little hard on her, but she'll never know it. You see, I'm an observer of people, and I learn from them. Without knowing it, some of them instruct me how to act, while others are teaching me how NOT to act. All of them remind me to use my brain. Yes, I do see the faults in other people and learn from what I see, but I also see many of my own shortcomings....I just keep those to myself. What I'm really trying to do is become perfect. I've got a long way to go, and so do you. I've been watching us both. Preston

Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCCXXXVII

It was a day that changed my life forever, but when I woke up that morning I had no idea that it would be that kind of day. Can you look back and recall some of those days in your life? Let me tell you about mine. It was Halloween Day...Saturday, October 31, 1970. My best buddies were twins...Ricky & Rocky Melvin. (I'm happy to report that almost forty-two years later, that friendship still thrives.) That morning they had invited me to go duck hunting with them, and after a fruitless hunt, we had planned to try our luck again just before dark that evening. It was not to be, because someone else had made some plans, involving me, that I didn't know about. A Halloween party had been planned for the youth at our church that night, but I wasn't planning on going since I had another duck hunt in the works. About mid-day I was just hanging out at the house, wearing a pair of my dad's old coveralls that were about six sizes too big, and my grandpa's old hat. I had not shaved in over a week. Our pastor's daughter, Mary Gray, who is about my age (also still a friend), just "happened to drop by" looking for some old dresses she might could wear to the party that night, and she had a beautiful friend with her who had come to spend the weekend. That's when Mary introduced me to Angie Fontenot. Wow! Suddenly that evening's all important hunting trip began to lose its luster, and my priorities for the day began to change. We had some weights in one room of our house where Angie impressed me with how much she could lift. Soon afterward, I was showing off by displaying my talent on the keyboard. Actually, I think we were both smitten immediately. So I called the Melvin boys and told them I would not be available for the duck hunt that evening, because I had a party to attend. By nightfall, I was clean-shaven and was wearing some stylish clothes that were actually my size. After spending some time at the party, I asked Angie if she would like to sneak away with me and go to the Burger Barn for a Coke. She and I lived more than a hundred miles apart, but after that fateful Halloween night, it was a trip we both made often. The reason I'm telling you this story is because in just two days Angie and I will be celebrating our fortieth wedding anniversary, and we're more in love now than we've ever been. I also think she's even more beautiful now than she was the day we met. One little joke that I've told down through the years is "we met on Halloween and I'm still trying to decide if I got a trick or a treat." I guess we can say our life together has been a bed of roses, if we consider the fact that a bed of roses has a few thorns. Our union has produced a beautiful daughter and a handsome son that have turned out to be the type of adults that would make any parent proud. I've done some foolish things in my life, and I've also done a few things right, but the best move I ever made was when I asked Angie Fontenot to be my wife. I'm so glad she said yes. That was a pretty smart move on her part too. Preston

Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCCXXXVI

Just a few short weeks ago our nation was shocked by yet another mass shooting rampage, this time in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. Now that some of the dust has settled, I would like to take this opportunity to share some of my thoughts and opinions on this disaster and the controversy that has ensued. When something like this happens, I, and probably most everyone else, have a tendency to surmise how we would react if we had loved ones who were victims of such a senseless act of cowardice. It's hard to image the degree of outrage I would feel, and just how much I may feel the urge to seek revenge on the perpetrator. As a general rule, I am not considered to be a person who is an over reactor, but chances are, in a situation like this, it would be a different story. Therefore, I feel that it is imperative for those of us who were not personally affected by this event to keep a clear head and not allow our emotions to cause us to jump to some conclusions that are not well thought out and based on common sense. Activists on both sides of the political spectrum like to follow the adage, "Never let a good tragedy go to waste," but I believe we come to better decisions when take the time to consider the pros and cons of both sides of the issue. Gun control advocates, like New York's Mayor Bloomberg, started preaching their convictions while the bodies of the ones who died in the massacre were still lying where they fell on the floor of the theater. I have my opinions, and I'm sure you have yours, but let's step back and look at this logically. Do average citizens need assault rifles that are designed to shoot more than a hundred rounds per minute? Those weapons were not created for hunting; they were designed to kill people. My answer is, "No, we don't need them," but does that mean they should be banned? Let's answer that question with a couple of other questions, "How much of our freedom are we willing to sacrifice for the sake of security?," and "Would banning guns make us more secure?" I happen to know that illicit drugs are illegal, yet they are becoming more plentiful in our society with each passing year. What if we just outlawed murder? Wait, I think we've already done that, but it didn't seem to stop that deranged young man in Colorado. I don't have any hard facts to back up my claim, but I would venture to guess that less than one hundredth of one per cent of gun owners in our nation would ever even consider shooting at another human being, so is it fair to take away the constitutional rights of the 99.99% of the population just to get at the .01%? Maybe we should just enforce the laws that are already on the books, especially the ones pertaining to convicted felons and those with mental illnesses. I heard of another group who wanted to ban violent movies. Really? Do we actually want our government telling us what movies we can or cannot watch? As for me, I despise violence, so I refuse to pay my hard-earned money to go see something I hate, but that is my personal choice, and I certainly don't want politicians telling me I can't watch them if I decide that's what I want to do. I heard one report that said the youngest victim of the shooting was six years old. My initial reaction to that information was, "Who would take a six year old to the midnight showing of that kind of picture?," but as strong as my opinion is on that subject, it was not my child, so it's not my place to tell those parents how to raise theirs. The last time I checked, making unwise decisions is still legal, and is one of the privileges of living in the United States. As Americans, we have so many issues that need to be corrected, but I don't believe curtailing our freedom is the proper way to solve our problems. I really do think I know the answer however. It seems to me that our downward spiral began in the 1960s when we began to push God out of our schools and government. Let me refer you to 2 Corinthians 7:14: "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." Notice the last three words of that verse, "heal their land." What is it gonna take to get us to the point to where we will put that promise to the test? Hopefully not much more. Preston

Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCCXXXV

I've had to face up to a few facts. I remember a few years ago I saw a little prayer that a friend had in a picture frame hanging on her wall that said, "Lord, grant me the serenity to change the things I can, to accept the things I cannot, and the wisdom to know the difference." I thought it was a nice prayer for a picture frame, but recently I've been reminded about it as I've had to apply it to my own life. If you will notice, it's a three-part prayer, so I will describe each section and discuss how it applies to me. Part 1: "Grant me the serenity to change the things I can." Things are going to change. Even if I sit here and do nothing, my body will get soft and flabby, my endurance level will evaporate, and my self discipline and work ethic will go out the window. It just doesn't have to be that way, because there's something I can do about it...I can affect that change. It is within my power to change that situation for the better, and with God's help, I'm going to do it. That's why it's important for me to pray that first part. Part 2: "To accept the things I cannot." In the past few weeks, I've had the opportunity to help a couple of individuals that I want to tell you about. In a prior article, I've already mentioned one of them. When my son was stripping out the old flooring from his house in preparation for a new floor, I was there to help. It was hard work, and we had to take quite a few rest breaks. The only trouble was, my breaks were more frequent and longer lasting than his, mainly because he's twenty-eight years younger than I am. The second one is a friend who is fifteen years older than me, and he needed a hand in moving some things around in his office, and I was glad to oblige. This time it was him who was having to stop more often to rest. It made me realize that I'll never again have as much stamina as my thirty-three year old son now possesses, and chances are, I have as much now as I'll ever have. It's a fact of life that I have to accept. Part 3: "The wisdom to know the difference." If I have the ability to view my life as it really is, to know where to place my efforts, and the areas where I would be spinning my wheels, I'll be a happier person. Just the knowledge that I'm putting as much into life as I possibly can, and giving it all I've got, will make me feel better about myself and keep my attitude more positive; and that good attitude will make all the difference in the world. The man I quote the most, T.F. Tenney, once made the statement that "getting old is not for wimps." The older I get, the more I realize just how much wisdom can be found in that short phrase. Accepting the fact that we're aging can be one of the most depressing hurdles we'll have to overcome, but a failure to accept it can make life even more difficult. Now if you're thinking that I'm suggesting that we should just roll over and die, please refer back to "Part 1." If there's something I can do to improve my situation, you can rest assured that I'm gonna be doing all I can to make it happen. However, if it's completely out of my control, I refuse to waste my precious energy trying to change it. I'm enough of a realist to understand that this battle against old age is one I will eventually lose, but I firmly believe that it is within my power to push that inevitable occurrence further into the future. That's where I'm putting my efforts. Lord, give me the wisdom to make it happen. Amen. Preston

Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCCXXXIV

It was just a dream. To be more specific, I was daydreaming. With my job, I spend a lot of time behind the wheel of my car, which gives me time to think. On this particular day, my youngest child, a son, had just gotten married, and as I was driving down the highway, I was giving some thought to the new situation that Angie and I found ourselves in and wondering how we would handle the empty nest syndrome now facing us. Naturally, my thoughts moved into the future as I faced the very real prospect that in a couple years or so, there would be some new, tiny little feet walking on our floors. At first it seemed weird that I may actually soon become a grandparent, but as I thought about it, the daydreaming began. With my mind's eye, I began to picture the "grands" as toddlers, old enough to walk and enjoy spending some time with "Poppa." In this vision, I was walking along the Ouachita River, holding the hand of a small child, as I answered questions that would automatically come from a young, inquiring mind. We walked a long way downstream, which naturally required an equally lengthy stroll back up the river, just to get back to the car. The conversation was non-stop. As the dream continued, we reached the Endom Bridge which has a designated area for pedestrians, so with a tiny hand in mine, we strolled across the river and back. When we finally began to tire, without even being asked, this perfect grandparent offered to stop at the store for a Coke and a candy bar. Of course, I dreamed of several other exploits, but for some reason, the stroll along the river stuck in my mind. Now, let's fast-forward four or five years. The dream about the tiny little feet turned into reality. Then one day I received a text from my son asking if I would be available that afternoon to pick up my grandson from Pre-K. When I had him safely buckled in the car, my mind suddenly went back to that dream from a few years past. What a perfect time to make it happen! With just a few minor changes, that vision came true, almost verbatim to the way I had dreamed it. As I think back, I can only recall two variations from the original version: I was asked to stop by the store before I ever had a chance to offer, and it was to get an Icee instead of a Coke. One other slight change from the dream was the fact that I hadn't foreseen the possibility that he would inherit (from me) a fear of heights, which made the walk across the bridge a little less enjoyable than what I had visioned. Otherwise, it was a dream come true! Ladies and gentlemen, I am one lucky individual! To have dreamed the dream, and then have reality become a carbon copy of that dream, is almost more than I could've asked for. Rest assured, the dreams are continuing, and they're phenomenal! In fact, there's another little set of feet that are now following that first pair, and the dreams for her are just as wonderful as they were for her big brother. Shame on me if I don't thank the Lord every day for blessing me so much more than I deserve. Some great days are ahead! I know, because I dreamed them. Preston