Traveling the Rock Road

Recently I reconnected with two dear friends from back in the days when I worked at a drive-in movie theatre. I had almost forgotten about that moment and all the fun we had there and after our duties were completed at the concession stand. After corresponding with one of these old friends, I went to my studio to lay hands on one of my prized possessions; what you’re looking at in the picture. A smile came to my face as I gripped this old relic and the many wonderful memories of those days flooded my mind.

We all had jobs to do in preparation of the horde of movie goers that would descend on the concession stand during intermission. There was the grill for burgers, the pizza oven, popcorn, soda, candy and even the best hot powdered donuts you could get anywhere. We had to operate like a well-oiled machine that could handle many functions all at once. Most of the customers were good folks, but each night there would be a stinker or two whose main purpose was to see how much grief they could give us. Such is human nature. But through it all we would meet the challenge of taking care of everyone’s orders and finish the night with success and pride at the job we did. After we shut down and cleaned we’d gather in the back room for a few minutes of drinking sodas, talking about how the night went, and then take time to laugh and unwind. There were times we all went out together, maybe for some late night bowling or perhaps to just ride around and be silly; for as time went on we became more than a work crew, we were friends almost like family. The longer I hold this treasure between my fingers the more I remember the good times working at the drive-in and the joy it brought me; well at least up to that one certain point. Now let’s see, what happened in that one dismal moment? Oh yeah, I got canned! So how does one go about losing a job they really enjoy with people they love to be with? Well it’s easier than you may realize, all you have to do is be completely full of yourself.

For those who have been regular readers of this blog you’ll know that as a young man my main goal was to carve out a career in music, nothing else mattered more including a good job and good people. At first things were as I described, enjoyable and fun-loving. But if the choice come down to playing music or going to work, then the job was always going to take a backseat and people were just going to have to understand; this was my career–my destiny, not making popcorn or serving pop. Different ones tried to talk to me about this attitude, but I wasn’t interested in listening; guess I went far enough to show I wasn’t the team player they needed because the manager finally let me go. Anger pulsated through every bone of my body and on the night I was fired, I walked out and never saw many of those people, those friends, again.

One of my heroes John Wooden said, “A player who makes a team great is better than a great player. Lose yourself in the group, for the good of the group, that’s teamwork.”

When I hired in at the drive-in, it was more than a part-time job; it was a promise that I’d do my best to be a help to the entire crew, the team and not make it harder on them. Because of an arrogant attitude, I not only failed them, but myself also. I had a great opportunity to learn what is was like to work as a team and I chose otherwise.

Over the years through the help of my Lord I’ve learned what it means to be dependable, even more to depend and trust others. I’m thankful for folks who have nurtured me in understanding we all need help and to be a help.

Hebrews 10:24 – ^“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds”

Like I’ve said in the past, I write exposing the good and bad about this man in hopes it will be helpful to someone else.

As for this object, it’s a car speaker that you’d hang on your window to hear the movie. Well one day I received word they were going to tear down the old drive-in. Hopping in my car I drove the 150 miles over to Ohio just to see the place once more before demolition and perhaps pick up a token as a memory to those days. The rest is history; besides the statute of limitations ran out years ago!

As I stare into this old leftover from an industry my grandchildren will never know, I begin to see the faces of the “Travelers of the Rock Road” from those days and I smile.

“Thanks guys for being such awesome friends.  Sorry I wasn’t one in return, at least until now.

See ya next time!

I remember the threat like it was yesterday; “I’ll get you and I’ll get your family!” These venomous words came in a phone call from a former tenant I evicted out of an apartment complex we owned. This was an individual who lived a rough life and was trying (at least as he told me) to get himself straightened up. In an effort to try and help I let the rent slide a couple of times always with the promise he’d make it right later. Well later never came and so having no choice we served an eviction notice. Immediately he showed his gratitude for all we had done for him by completely trashing the apartment, then calling with the threat before dropping out of sight. When I contacted the police they assured me his past record indicated he was capable of carrying out this evil and for a while we should be very watchful.  It was not even a second thought when I sent Cathy and the children away for a period of time for their own safety.  A friend asked how I planned to protect myself in case he showed in the night. “I guess I’ll keep my softball bat by the bed and hopefully get the first swing in.” “I don’t think that’s good enough,” my friend answered and headed outside to his car. When he returned he had 410 shotgun in one hand and a box of shells in the other. “I know you don’t use guns, John, but it pays to he prepared, so let me give you a quick lesson; then leave it in the corner next to your bed, just in case.”

I’m not sure how much I slept that first night alone, wondering if this individual would carry out his threat, and also staring that the long barrel gun pointing up and leaning against the wall near me. Don’t know when I fell asleep, only when I heard the noise that woke me enough to grab the gun and run out into the living room. Nothing, only darkness and quiet as I stood there for what seemed to be an hour, gun ready to use. The next evening as I was getting ready for bed a loud knock came from the front door. Once again I grabbed up the shotgun and opened the door just enough to peek out. It was the neighbor wondering where the family was and checking to see if I was alright. I kept the gun hid behind the door as I thanked them, then collapsed on the couch considering what might have happened if I had over reacted; I wasn’t liking what my mind told me could have happened. I realized I was afraid of what could happen at the hands of the perpetrator, but also frightened of the life taking machine I now held over my lap. Taking the shells out of the gun I placed them back in the box with the others, then carried everything out to the trunk of my car.  That night with my Louisville Slugger next to me I slept like a baby.

Rick Warren says, “Fear is a self imposed prison that will keep you from becoming what God intends for you to be. You must move against it with the weapons of faith and love.”

Now I’m not going to get into the debate on gun control and ownership; I have many friends and family that are veterans and/or skilled hunters that have fired weapons extensively. But even though I consider myself an outdoorsman I’ve never been around or used guns; just something I never got much opportunity to do and frankly at this point in my life have no desire for. So having one in my home after a 2-minute crash course on how to use it really didn’t bring the security my friend with the good intentions meant. As a matter of fact, it brought me greater fear than the one who had threatened me and my family.  The thought that I could accidentally shoot a person out of fear just wasn’t worth the security that was meant in having the weapon in the first place; it just wasn’t me.

I remembered a couple of promises from God’s Word that seem to bring things back into perspective.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)

The Lord is my light and my salvation–whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life–of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)

As this “Traveler of the Rock Road” looked back on my life, there was as realization that I had to face bigger obstacles than this treat and not once did God leave my side.

Charles Spurgeon also said this: “The worst evils of life are those which do not exist except in our imagination. If we had no troubles but real troubles, we should not have a tenth part of our present sorrows. We feel a thousand deaths in fearing one, but the Christian is cured of the disease of fearing.”

This guy could possibly harm me, but he wasn’t going to make me fear him. At worse he could take my life, but all he’d be doing is giving me a new and better one. That’s a cool thing to know, huh?!!

The following week I brought the family home and never heard another word from my menace–that is until I spotted him in a store several months later. The moment his eyes saw me walking toward him, he put down what he was looking at, headed out of the store to his car and was gone lickety split! For a moment I wondered what he saw coming toward him to make him that afraid. As one person put it perhaps he could see me approaching with a couple of giant angles on my flanks. But I think it was more about something he and I both forgot about; I was a good head taller and outweighed him by at least 50 pounds. Sometimes it’s the “little” things that bring a smile to your face!
See ya next time.

I once had the good fortune to sit in a couple of times as the drummer for an up and coming young lady that I was sure someday would make the big time. Besides being incredibly beautiful she was a gifted song writer, piano player, guitar player and vocalist.  Performing with Patti (her name) could be quite demanding as she insisted on as near perfection as could be achieved when we hit the stage. If you made a mistake during a set she’d let you know at the break. If you made more during the evening; pack you gear, you were done. At the end of one show she took me aside, explained her objective for performing and the record she planned to record. I was flattered when Patti offered me to be her full time drummer. I told her that would be awesome but it wasn’t what I was looking for in the music; but if she ever needed a stand in let me know. Patti gave one of her beautiful smiles, thanked me, then said I’d never play for her again. Oh well. I never saw her again after that night but figured one day I’d hear her voice on the radio with some chart busting hit. It’s just been recently I learned that wouldn’t be the case for pretty Patti.

Patti hired a bass player she became intimate with and they had a baby. Shortly after the birth of the little girl the father left leaving her and Patti to fend for themselves. She would later state how she didn’t want this child but there was much responsibility that had to be met so music would have to wait. Over time Patti worked numerous jobs to make ends meet with the end goal being to get back to her dream. As we all know time waits for no one; as the little girl grew older there were more needs. Braces, clubs, school and the list just continued on of financial matters to tend to for her daughter. The longer Patti stayed away from the industry the more her talent and beauty faded. One friend described her as becoming hard with everyone, including her little girl. Perhaps as she dwelled on the things that didn’t go as planned, the career that didn’t materialize; was it that when her dream vanished so did all happiness of life?

Nearly 25 years past while Patti was walking home from work she felt the grip around her heart that drove her to the ground where she was found and rushed to the hospital. The heart attack had been so severe she would never be able to work again and she would need someone to care for her. Enter an unwanted child that loved this woman unconditionally. Patti moved in with her daughter and family and I understand, experienced more happiness and love than she had ever found in her life and she wouldn’t have traded a minute of it for the world.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Here’s another “Traveler of the Rock Road” that saw their life journey going in one direction when God had one picked in another. He knew the day was coming when Patti would need someone to care for and love her like no one else could; that’s the gift of a child.

Patti’s music career did have a resurgence; she started attending the church where her daughter went and ended up singing in the choir. As I hear her most crowning point was when her granddaughter released her own music CD recording some of the songs Patti wrote. Awesome! You may even have heard of the girl by now, but I only recently was given this story and I don’t have permission to use names. I think a certain Grandma would put knots on my head if I did anyway. Patti no longer seeks fans and fame; she’s got all she desires from her family and loves every minute of it.

As others have put and I believe Patti would also, “My entire life can be summed up in one sentence; it didn’t go as planned, and that’s okay.”  Thanks for sharing Patti.

See ya next time.

I’m taking the holiday off but I wanted to post this fascinating video on Francis Scott Key and our National Anthem. Like the modern day song, this will leave you;                             “Proud to be an American”

From me, my Lady and “Traveling the Rock Road” a Happy and Blessed Fourth of July to all!

This last Saturday I competed in my 8^th triathlon, a competition that combines swimming, biking and running; this year I was allowed to choose kayaking over swimming.  On occasion I’m asked why keep doing these races; being well past my prime there’s no chance of winning; so why continue the rigors that come from training for such events? True to a certain point, but I believe there are more benefits than negatives in continuing on. The first would be the physical fitness it takes to compete; the vast majority are younger but there’s a good amount who are in their 60s, 70s and even 80s that are in the mix showing no sign of slowing down. Then there are the inspirational athletes who choose not to compete for themselves; they team up with handicap individuals who can’t walk or don’t have the strength to participate on their own. These heroic volunteers then swim, pedal and push their less fortunate teammate through the course and across the finish line. If that doesn’t inspire you to keep coming back, I don’t what would.  But one of favorite characteristics of the triathlon is how people will encourage each other. Hearing words such as “You doing great!” Don’t quit, you’re almost there!” “You’re awesome, keep up the good work!” Several times when I wasn’t sure I’d make it someone would come along and shout out encouragement that would be just enough to give me energy to push on. One friend put it like this, “For the majority of us we’re not just out there for our own honor, we’re out there for each other.” As I look around at the people, I see that he is right. I could come up with numerous examples but I’ll just give two, one from the past and one from the latest race.

During a tri- up in Michigan I swam well that day, biked hard but when my feet hit the ground to run there was little left. Then Mario, a firefighter came up and ran with me saying, “Come one, we gotta show these young ones what a couple old guys can do.” With his talk and encouragement, the pace became easier, and when we drew within 50 yards from the finish we turned it on, sprinting for all we had, laughing and falling into each others arms as we crossed the line. I never saw Mario again but I turned in my best time ever for the triathlon, because of his help and inspiration.

This weekend I saw that type teamwork again with two dedicated athletes. The first pushed himself hard through the water and on the bike, but he was fading during the run. That is until the other caught up with him and yelled, “Come on, keep up!” That was enough to bring life back into the first runner where he found himself running faster and harder than he ever did before, all the way to the finish line.

The Bible teaches us the same thing, that we should look to be a help to others every chance we get,

Philippians 2:4 “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Without a doubt one of the greatest joy I can experience is when I can be a help or encouragement to someone else. Undoubtedly there is something to gain for the individual in need; but there’s also a fulfillment that comes to the giver. Rick Warren puts it like this, “You cannot live a selfish and significant life—significance comes in serving others.”

I run triathlons for what it gives me–health, fitness, friendship, and joy in helping and being helped by others. If that’s not a good reason to keep coming back I don’t know what is.

As mentioned I never saw my friend Mario again, and as for the other two “Travelers of the Rock Road?” Well, they finished, side by side and hand in hand held high in the air crossing the finish line in victory for what they accomplished as a team. I don’t know a prouder moment I ever had of Jeremy and Justin, my two sons.

See ya next time.

I was privileged to spend a portion of Father’s Day up in Grand Rapids, MI with my oldest son, Jeremy; it was great with just the two of us sharing old times and new. When we parted ways, Jer heading north as I headed back to Indiana my mind returned to the early days of fatherhood having three little people running out to greet me as I got home from work. Then there was playing games, singing songs, acting silly, along with showing new places and things and teaching them as well as I could about life. Then my mind drifted to how insecure I felt in the role of being dad. Yes, it’s great to remember the things you do right, but it’s those nagging thoughts that come to haunt and make you ask did I do more good than harm, are there moments I wish I could do over, and did I do enough to prepare them for the real world when the time came for them to strike out on their own?

Of course I realize what brings on these negative feelings; it was the lack of a father in my own life. As a young child I would question why didn’t I have a dad, and if I did have one where was he? It wasn’t until being nearly grown that I learned the truth; Howard (that was his name) was only interested in having relations with my mom, but not a relationship, and certainly not with a child either. A person would see that as a sad scenario, but by then it really didn’t bother me. Perhaps it’s best described as what an individual would say about not having an arm or other regular parts of the body; it would be nice to have but since you never had an arm it doesn’t bother as much and you learn to make the best without. (That’s a quote by the way from a man born with no arms.) So if the old man didn’t want to be there for me that was fine, could get along very well without him.  At least that’s how I felt up until Dec. 31, 1979, the birth date of our daughter followed in later years by her brothers. Not having a male role model to emulate was now pressing on me as I worried about making mistakes in my new character as dad.

It wasn’t until the Lady of my life pointed to the fact that I had a role model, a Father who was with me always and whether I realized it or not was preparing me for the day little ones would look to me for guidance and love. From my Heavenly Father I learned I needed to be a teacher (Proverbs 22”6) plant in them the important things of life (2Cor. 3:2-3) Show compassion (Psalm 103:13) Pray for my children like David did (1 Chronicles 29:19) and never give up on them, just like the father of the prodigal son didn’t (Luke 15:20-24).

Perhaps I didn’t have an earthly father to show me the ropes, but I have to be thankful for him giving me life, that I may learn from my Heavenly Father. “Hey Howie, whether you know it not, ya did good; you ought to see your awesome grand and great grandkids!!”

So did I do things right? Yes. Did I make mistakes? You betcha!! Would I want to do things over? And take a chance of missing the good that came out of the bad; no way!

Without a doubt being a father isn’t easy, but is anything that’s worthwhile having that way? Think about what God has to put up with as Dad to all of us; Whoa! But isn’t it great to know that He loves each of us as if we’re His one and only, and that love doesn’t end; how cool is that?

I’m not perfect and frankly neither are my kids, but at least I’ve had a good example to pass on to them, a Father who leads me as I “Travel the Rock Road.”

“Let me tell you a secret about a father’s love,
A secret that my daddy said was just between us.”
He said, “Daddies don’t just love their children every now and then.
It’s a love without end, amen, it’s a love without end, amen.”

See ya next time.

You could hear the surprise in people as Mike made his way onto the stage; that sound we all make when we suddenly inhale from something unexpected. Many in our little community knew Mike; he would be what a friend called one of God’s special people. You see, though his body showed him to be in his 40s, Mike was mentally closer to a 10-year-old. And it was through that childlike mindset that Mike saw everyone as a perspective friend, especially if he could be of some help to them.

On this evening Christian recording artist Kathy Troccoli was performing at our local park where several thousand had gathered in lawn chairs to hear her, my Lady and me included. It was a fabulous night as Kathy belted out many of her well-known songs and took the time to share her faith.  Toward the end of the concert Troccoli asked, “Is there anyone in the audience that does sign language who would like to come up and help me with this next song?  Enter Mike.  Before anyone else could react he was on his feet and heading to the stage. It didn’t take much for Kathy to realize someone special had joined her. With a little concern she asked if he was sure about doing this. “Oh yes, my mother taught me,” was Mike’s answer while trying to hide a childlike giggle with his hands. Chairs were brought onto the stage because Mike suffered from a degenerating bone disease making it hard to stand long.  And so they began;

“Life can be so good
Life can be so hard
Never knowing what each day
Will bring to where you are
Sometimes I forget
And sometimes I can’t see
That whatever comes my way
You’ll be with me”

“My life is in your hands
My heart is in your keeping
I’m never without hope
Not when my future is with you”
“My life is in your hands
And though I may not see clearly
I will lift my voice and sing
Cause your love does amazing things
Lord, I know, my life is in your hands”

Friends and family, I’m here to tell you, there might have been two people on that stage but the onlookers were only seeing one; and it wasn’t Kathy. At that moment every eye was fixed not on an individual deemed mentally challenged, they were gazing on a face that appeared ever so angelic in the spotlights of the stage. With hands and arms moving like a maestro that leads an orchestra, Mike took empty space and drew vivid pictures for all of us to see conceptually. His eyes, mouth and whole appearance took on the movement of the music and song showing gladness and sadness, hope and determination, reverence and complete awe. At first when they completed the song, there was silence. As I looked around the audience many were wiping tears from their eyes, (yours truly included) before bursting into the biggest ovation of the night as Kathy hugged a once again boy in a man’s body trying to hide his happiness. When leaving the park at the end of the concert I heard a gentleman remark, “I’ve listened to this song many times, but tonight is the first time I actually heard it.” As I pondered his statement a thought came to me on why that was.

Mark 10:15 “Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

In others words God doesn’t love us on the merits of our talents and intellect, He wants us to strip off the pride and come to Him in humility, meekness, complete faith. For Mike that was easy I suppose because the innocence of youth never left him, but for the rest of us I know it’s a struggle as we find ourselves growing up in a cynical world. But I like a quote from Catherine Doherty where she says,

“Faith walks simply, childlike, between the darkness of human life and the hope of what is to come.”

Perhaps if we could find a way to emulate the faith of this happy hearted “Traveler of the Rock Road” more of us would be inclined to place our lives in His hands. Or as Catherine Doherty would put it,

“Lord give me the heart of a child, and the awesome courage to live it out as an adult.”

Thanks for being my friend, Mike; you taught me more than you’ll ever realize here on earth.

See ya next time.

5’2”, long blond hair, blue eyes with a face like an angel; and there she was sitting and talking to me. “Lord if you call me home now, I will definitely die a happy man!”  It was summer and the hot spot to be in northern Ohio was a club called Surf Place, a place that catered to the 18 to 21 crowd and where my buddy and I would go whenever we had the chance. It was there he introduced me to Jill, a senior in college who was vacationing with her parents on Lake Erie. Though she was 3 years older than me we hit it off immediately and we spent the rest of the evening laughing, dancing and drinking beer. At closing time my friend, his girl, plus Jill and I drove around the lake region until we found a small beach where some others had built a bonfire they were sitting around; so we stopped and joined in. Such a beautiful night and there I was enjoying it with this beautiful girl. So I thought until Jill leaned over, whispered in my ear; “Can we get away from everyone and just be by ourselves?” The sky was star filled; there was a gentle sound of small waves splashing against rocks as they made their way to shore. When we were a good distance from the rest we knelt down onto the sand, and stayed together until the sun began to come up, and we talked. (Had a couple of you going there for moment, huh?!) I confess it was a thrill to have the attention of such a gorgeous creature, but it didn’t take much to see Jill wasn’t looking for a lover or a summer fling; she was looking for a friend, someone to listen to what was on her heart. Perhaps my ego wanted something more, but there was no way I was going sacrifice what she really needed at that time, someone to listen to her. Before she returned to college for the fall semester we met several more times always the same scenario, someplace quiet to talk. Then one day I realized something, I was doing all possible to be a help to Jill when actuality she was being a help and teaching something to me. Before she came along, I don’t know if I ever took time to really get to know a girl, except physically. If there was something else that made them special, other than looks, I totally missed it. For the first time I was seeing a woman in a more intimate setting than I ever had before; I was seeing her heart and all it took was to listen.

It’s been said, “Taking time to truly listen to someone can communicate our love and respect even more than our spoken word.” What I learned from Jill gave me a better relationship with the one I would eventually fall in love with and chose to spend the rest of my life. Without an understanding of just how valuable listening, really listening to others is, I doubt my marriage would be as wonderful as it is some 42 years later.  From me and my Lady, “Thank you Jill.”

As for what I did for her, not much really other than what I’ve related–being a good listener. Well maybe a listener who came to share a small portion of her pain as my heart ached for this child’s sadness. For you see Jill had a deep love for someone who she lost; not a friend or a lover, someone closer. Two years prior Jill’s older brother was killed in action in Viet Nam. Now you tell me, what’s more important, making it with a beautiful girl or being there for her as she tries to put the pieces of a broken heart back together.

Philippians 2:4: “Let each of you look out not only for your own interest, but also for the interest of others.”

It’s now been over 40 years since the last time I crossed paths with this angelic “Traveler of the Rock Road. I would love to know how she is but unfortunately that probably will never happen. I guess I’ll have to be content knowing God allowed me to give a long blond haired, blue eyed girl with the face of an angel what she needed that summer many years ago; a listening and compassionate ear.

Now someone just try and tell me I didn’t have the best time of my life!

See ya next time!

My Lady and I are gone today so I’m not writing my regular “Traveling the Rock Road.”

But as we take a moment to remember all who served in the military and paid the highest price to protect all of us here in the good old U.S.of A., I’d like to share two poems that touched my heart.

God Bless America!

A short Memorial Day poem by Emily Toma

Remember those who served before.

Remember those who are no more.

Remember those who serve today.

Remember them as we eat and play.

Remember our protectors-

who are not home today.

Remember them all on Memorial Day.

Somewhere Out There by Dr. Bill McDonald

Somewhere out there today,

In a land far, far away.

A soldier rides patrol,

Knowing not what may unfold.

He keeps watch, as he rides,

Over dangerous countryside.

Roadside bomb, could be hit.

Scary, but this soldier doesn’t quit.

Think about Mom and Dad,

About the good times had,

State-side, how long here?

Back to watching, a little fear.

This was a good day,

To think and to pray.

Strange, that prayer is so right,

When there could be a fire fight.

Wheel back into base,

Tomorrow, another ride to face.

Convoys done for the day,

Looks like rain’s on its way.

Nerve racking job but boring too,

But that’s what soldiers do.

So many over here, none alike,

Who have gladly joined this fight.

Freedom has a high cost,

Lives given, the ultimate loss.

That cost they willingly give,

So freedom can continue to live.

So, we remember today,

All those who went away-

And gave their lives, that we,

Might live here and stay free.

God Bless America!

See ya next time.

Kate’s fast talking, plus being nearly breathless from excitement made it difficult to understand her over the phone. “I’ve won, I’ve won millions, enough to take care of everyone for the rest of our lives!” Something that came in the mail convinced her that she won a large sum of money and now was calling everyone she knew to celebrate also. “That’s wonderful,” I answered happy as I could for her. When the call ended Cathy and I looked at each other and sighed. The times we had received a call from Kate declaring her new fortune were many. She constantly entered contests that promised great wealth to the winners.  But Kate confused easily, and each time she received a letter from a sponsor of some game she took it to mean she had won, only to realize later she had misinterpreted, and no riches would be coming her way.

Kate’s motives for entering contests weren’t so much greed; earning a small income over her life, of course she hoped to hit it big, but she also wanted to share any winnings with her family that she loved dearly. But out of their love they saw this pattern as a problem and tried hard to convince her that she needed to stop entering sweepstakes and that they loved her without riches. Finally it appeared their efforts paid off and Kate declared she was finished with lotteries and prize programs. Or so she said. When Kate retired she talked about doing some traveling and maybe some volunteer work. Unfortunately, she did little with either plan and mostly sat in her apartment watching TV and little else, at least so everyone thought.

One afternoon a phone rang with the voice on the other end asking, “Hello, are you related to Kate? Well she’s down here with a piece of paper believing it’s a big check and demanding we cash it. Can you come down to help convince her we’re not lying to her?” The task was a big one, but her family got her loaded up in the car and headed for home. Examining what Kate was trying to cash, it did indeed look like a check; but further inspection showed it was nothing but a solicitation for money with a promise that millions would be in her future. There were other letters with the same message; “You’ve won the big cash, just send from $10 to $100 for processing and then the check will be in the mail!” Searching the apartment they found more bogus promissory letters, stacks of them stuffed in drawers and boxes. “Kate have you been sending these people money?” they asked.  She was reluctant to answer for some time, but finally turned over her bank account so they could see for themselves. The amount of withdrawals were countless, literally thousands of dollars had been taken out, all sent to these human jackals. One company even had permission to take money automatically each month. The family worked at trying to get some of her money returned, to no avail. All the different sweepstakes companies had over sea’s addresses which meant nothing legally could be done; a large portion of Kate’s retirement fund was now gone.

It’s easy to look at Kate and wonder how someone could be so foolish. But actually it happens often; con games run on the elderly run rampant here in the good old U.S. of A. She had been charmed into believing fortune waited just ahead of the next so called processing fee, so sad that her and many more learn this lesson the hard way with some left penniless. But what do we say about the perpetrators who steal from these folks? Sure we’ve all heard “Caveat Emptor,” Let the buyer beware, but I’ve wondered about these faceless people who create scams that prey on the senior citizens. What are they like? Do they have a family of their own, their own aged to care for? Is it easier to live with your deceit when you can’t see the people you’ve hurt? I agree with Billy Graham when he says this; “When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.”

In Proverbs we read; “Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.”  One’s who think their wrongs will never catch up with them are sadly mistaken, my hope and prayer is one day conviction will overtake them and they will seek Grace and Mercy, before it’s too late.

As for ones like Kate who “Travel the Rock Road,” well I pray families will do all they can to protect their beloved elderly from the wolves. I know Kate’s family wished they had done something sooner, still it didn’t deter the feelings they had for this old gal. She may have found herself in financial ruin, but she never lost sight of the riches she had through the love of her family and her Lord. I know this to be true for you see Kate was the nickname of my mom.

See ya next time.