Whatsoever a Man Soweth, That Shall He Reap

A lot of things we encounter in our daily lives bring back memories.  Like you, I get a few e-mails reminding me of what it was like 50 years ago.  Seems we long for simpler times.  Personally, I like things the way they are now.  I like the friends I have now.  I like the modern conveniences we have today.  I enjoy the ability to connect with people so very far away.   I wonder how many of us would actually go back to our childhood, or early adulthood, if we actually had to stay there.  Sure, there were a lot of good times, but, there was a lot of loneliness.  I had relatives that I very seldom had contact with.  Not true today.  I have friends in far off places that I seldom see, but, have contact with on a weekly basis.  A lot of what I had to do as a teenager, or young adult, to entertain myself revolved around our TV.  No so today.  I cannot remember the last time I was bored (notice I did not say “the last time I was boringâ€).  I certainly do not take all the credit for my life being so interesting.   A lot of that praise goes to my wonderful friends and relatives.  I firmly believe that you reap what you sow.   “Be not deceived, God is not mocked; whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he reap.” (Galatians  6:7). Could be a good thing for all of us to take to heart.  If we want our life to be interesting, acquire interesting friends and do interesting things.  Of course, I would be remiss if I did not tell you that Jerilyn is responsible for a very large part of my happiness.  And, I do assume, since all my friends are interesting, therefore, their lives are interesting to them.  I wonder if I am assuming too much?

Aren’t we all glad that the elections are over.  I was so tired of answering our phone, only to find out that someone representing a politician was on the line encouraging me to vote for their candidate.  I was amazed at how brutal a lot of the campaigns were.  Somehow, we have to get out the message to our politicians that we want them to run a positive campaign.  I read somewhere that studies have shown if you scare people, more of them will vote.  I find it exceedingly difficult to believe that is true.  Oh, did I tell you I saw Elvis in a shopping center the other day?  I’m afraid if I examine myself too closely I will find that I live in a fantasy world.

I, like you, have been watching my investment very closely.  Sadly, they are down approximately 25%.  The one account that I personally manage online at TDAmeritrade is down 50%.  Needless to say, I am expecting President-Elect Obama to figure out a way to restore our faith in our financial system and get our economy growing again.  I have to admit to you that I did, indeed, vote for Obama in the election (as if it were a big surprise to you based on my previous musings).  I think I only had one friend vote for him, so consequently, I get looked at as a “poor misguided soulâ€.   I feel compelled to say that I think he loves our country as much as we do and that he will only do what is good for us as a nation.  From what I have read, his close friends and advisors think his government will closely resemble that of Poppy Bush (left of center).  Only time will tell. I believe he is a reasonable man and will act as reasonable people do.

Jerilyn and I went to a Dolly Parton Concert the other night and had a wonderful time.  The only downer was that I, occasionally, had nosebleed due to the fact we were so high up.  Six of us (Don/Louise, Mary/granddaughter Melissa, Jerilyn & I), piled into Melissa’s van and headed off in the rain to the concert in Norfolk.  It is absolutely amazing how much good conversation occurs when you put six friends together in a moving vehicle.  At times, I felt sorry for Melissa (15), being in an enclosed environment with 5 people  over 60 years old.  Being the good person she is, she never let on that we were “older than dirt†and listened to our chatter attentively.  Dolly, at age 62, put on a dazzling show for two hours.  I was impressed with her interaction with the audience.  If you get a chance to attend one of her concerts I feel certain you will enjoy it.  I would guess about 8,000 people attended.  She is not a top tier attraction, but certainly worth the price of admission.

It gives me great pleasure to say that, for now, the painting and plaster repair work is complete.  It will be resumed next year, but for now it has stopped.  In a few days, we will have the carpet replaced in the Family Room and then we start preparations for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  What a wonder time of year.  The leaves are floating to the ground and the trees are so beautiful.  Just as spring is an inspiration, so is fall.  I often wonder how we can see so much beauty in the world and not believe in God.  In church today I learned there are 100 million church members in the United States, but only half of them attend service, on average, 85 per service.   In our church, that figure (85) holds true.  That is so sad.   Unfortunately, Jerilyn and I are not there every Sunday.  That has to be something we work on.

I hope you’re enjoying whatever season it is in your part of the world.  Thanks for reading my weekly missive.

You can find my blog at:   http://tommyhale.blogspot.com/  or my pictures at:  http://bipolar66.smugmug.com