Traveling the Rock Road

Well now that’s it over and I’m officially retired, I have to say how overwhelmed and humbled it’s left me from all the well wishers both friends and family. Had a nice sendoff my last day of work that I’ll remember for years to come. Then on Saturday I was given a party hosted by my wife and children; this bought together many people from work and my life here in Indiana that still has me smiling. My two oldest and dearest friends both traveled a good ways to be with me, and that truly meant a lot. But I suppose the biggest moment came when Jeremy, my oldest son grabbed a microphone, had me stand directly in front of him and proceeded like this. “Dad has always tried to make our family’s lives fun and special with doing unique things and traveling many places. Afterwards if we asked dad if he had a good time he’d say, well it was alright but I didn’t get my pony. All our lives we’ve heard about this pony that he wanted but never got. So dad, turn around look outdoors and say hello to your pony.” WooHoo!!!! There she, Sugar, a 40-year-old pony brought to the party by one of my co-workers with blue ribbons in her mane. Too Awesome!! Well it took a little to haul my keister up on the saddle but soon I was making a lap around the yard on this trusty steed; “Hi-Ho Sugar!!”

Okay now for the first time ever I will now confess to my family, no I never really wanted a pony–well maybe a little.  But when you really don’t have any wants, well it’s more fun to ask for a pony than it is a Porsche. I hope you won’t take this wrong, but I’m a man who feels he is deeply blessed with riches beyond my wildest dreams. As a child I never had a real place to call home; so my little ranch style abode may not be much to someone else, but to me it’s a castle.

I had a tremendous mother, but no other immediate family and that can be a little lonely. Now look at me, the greatest wife God could have brought along to make me whole, six kids counting in-law youngin’s, and six grandchildren with another on the way. God took a lonely boy and surrounded him with incredible people to love and make him whole. You throw in others that call me dad or grandpa and I have enough family to file for my own zip code.

You take world possessions and I may not have enough to fill a semi, but over the years I’ve come to see everything as exactly what I need, as what God has given me out of His love for me to enjoy.  So when someone asks what do you want or what would be more fulfilling to me, I really don’t have a want. So my answer “I want my Pony!”

G.K. Chesterton once made this statement; “You say grace before meals.  Alright.  But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink”

In other words if its there for you, it’s worthy of being thankful for.

And Beecher put it like this; “The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!”

But one of my favorite writers says it best;

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

When this “Traveler of the Rock Road” looks at all he has, how can he really yearn for something more. Besides now I’m complete, “I GOT MY PONY!!”

I’m leaving for a few days on what I refer to as a Bethel Trip. Will look forward to catching up with you father down the Rock Road.

See ya soon!