Footprints

I haven’t taken the time to sit down and write for awhile so I thought this would be a good time to do so. The summer has been especially busy and time just seems to fly by. Speaking of “time flying by”, I spent the weekend with and old friend I hadn’t seen in maybe 10-12 years. Now, when I say old, I don’t mean he’s really old; although, he is older than I. We were close friends for many years when we lived in Illinois. And as life goes, we moved to Ohio and seemed to lose our connection. We didn’t stop being friends, our life’s journey were just taking us in different directions. Whether it was the busyness of life, family circumstances, or the 400 miles; it just happens. As fate would have it, and a little bit of help from the internet, we have been able to reconnect.
One of the reasons we are friends in the first place is because we both have a great passion for the outdoors. We love to fish, hunt, spend time in the woods, sit by a good roaring fire and tell stories, watch the sunrise and set over a tree line or body of water and enjoy a good cold adult beverage. Even the passing of years hasn’t changed these things in us. Those are the things that make us “who we are” and they are the qualities and characteristics that bring those that are like-minded together.
We had a great weekend staying at an old farmhouse on a 450 acre farm with lots of woods, rolling fields, soggy river bottom ground and a nice little fishing pond. We took a tour of the property in an old Land Rover that reminded me of the tv show when we were kids, “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom”. Later we cruised the property again on ATV’s. We dove hunted Saturday evening and both of us were able to take a deer on Sunday. My friend is quite the outdoors chef as well and we had some incredibly tasty feasts that included; walleye, deer tenderloin, dove breasts wrapped in smoked bacon and pork tenderloin. What more can a guy ask for, right? The times I enjoyed the most this weekend were spent around the fire ring telling stories about the “good ole days”, the “PA” story, catching up on each others lives, and hearing about what’s going with other friends back home we both knew/know.
It was a great break that couldn’t have come at a better time for me, and maybe both of us. My friend has a lot on his plate. He’s certainly not one that would burden others with the things life has dealt him; he’s never been a complainer. The last few years a miserable disease has taken its toll on my friend’s wife, totally changing the bubbly person she used to be and slowly draining the life from her. I know it’s incredibly hard to watch someone you love decline in the quality of life that we usually take for granted. We really didn’t talk about it much. I guess you could say it was the things “not said” and the things we just know about each other. My friend has a saying that pretty much sums up how he deals with things, “It is what it is.” He’s always been one of the most consistent guys I’ve known. He will do what needs to be done and care for his wife because that’s what you do.
I’m sharing this with you because I have many friends who have an incredibly strong faith and prayer life. My friends, old {long time} and new are always special to me. Each in their own way leaves footprints on the trail that is my life journey. We were taught from a young age that “there’s a peace that comes from God that surpasses all human understanding.” I’m not fully aware or can wrap my mind around that kind of peace when you see the conditions of this world. I guess that’s where our faith takes over. I usually don’t do this on my blog, but if you read this I’m asking you to say a prayer for “the peace that surpasses all human understanding” for my friends Brad and Deb. They are good people and have left some dusty footprints on my memory. I’m thankful today, that there are fresh footprints on the path and we’ll have the chance to create some more in the near future. There’s a saying that comes to mind right now, “None of us are promised tomorrow, so make the best of your today.” I’m glad we made the best of our long weekend.
That’s the view from my stand!