I think we all worry and I believe it is an internal wiring thing
that requires us to do so. Myself, if I have nothing to worry
about, my mind begins to conjure-up things to worry about, things
that will in all probability, never happen. When that happens I
know it is time to get involved in something quickly. Normally,
I plug in my mp3 player and continue listening to an audiobook
and then head outside to do some physical labor that doesn't
require much in the way of concentration. And that works for me.
By the time I have finished the project the need to worry about
something has vanished and I can move on to other things
unhindered by the built-in need to ponder over that which I have
absolutely no control. I just try to remember that I have the
people on my prayer list that need God's help and that I need to
trust in him to take care of their needs. That's what he does
and he's good at it! There is an old saying that goes something
like this: "Don't feel totally, irreconcilably, responsible for
everything, that's God's job".

A while back I read something, I don't remember what, and it
included a line that said "There is prosperity in hope". I
jotted the line down because it caught my attention. Normally we
think of prosperity as being in a good position financially. So,
what was the meaning in that statement? I have often heard
"Hope and prosperity", but never before "There is prosperity in
hope". Could it mean that we are capable of transcending our
present state of being and be emotionally prosperous if we have
hope in our lives? I have gone through periods in my life where
hope was not present, where hope was so far away it seemed
non-existent. When it re-entered, emotional prosperity returned
also. I think it is utterly impossible to enjoy life without the
presence of hope. Hope is in my life every single day,
therefore, I am a prosperous guy.

The leaves have started their descent from our trees to our
yard. The other day I pulled out our yard vacuum and started
sucking them up. Halfway across the yard I look back and I can
barely tell that I have done anything. They are coming down so
fast that my efforts appear to do little good. I continue on
knowing that it will be several weeks before the last leaf falls.
To complicate my efforts even more, the pine needles have begun
to compete with the leaves for a place to nest in our yard. I
put out some new grass seed the other day to fill in the areas
that did not grow from my seeding efforts back in September and
all the covering material coming from our trees will definitely
impact the growth of the new seeds. All I can do is keep up the
fight and see what happens.

I read an article the other day in which the author tried to
describe the single greatest thing he had ever done. I have been
pondering that question the past few days and, it seems, I'm at a
loss to come up with anything. At first, I thought it might be
the single thing that gave me the most safisfaction, something I
had done that made me happy, but I think it means the single
thing that I have done that did the most good for others. I
have done a lot of good things for others in my life, but nothing
singular stands out. If it pertained to courage, the single most
courageous (stupid) thing I have done is jump off a 25 foot
diving platform, at age 21, head first and almost drowning in the
process. If it had to do with happiness, it would be coaching a
Colt League baseball team in the regional's final game (albeit
losing 7-6). I'm sure somewhere in there should be the birth
of my two children, my 1st & 2nd marriage, or the birth of my
grand-children. Maybe, it would include making the "All County"
football team during my senior year of high school. I must give
this idea so more thought.

Jerilyn and I attended several "Estate Sales" in the past few
weeks . The first one was across the creek from us and started
at 8:00 am. We roll out of bed early, eager, and excited about
the potential "something for nothing" buys we were going to make.
Alas, we don't find much there, but I picked up two small
figurines and took them over to Jerilyn and ask her if they would
be good for her Christmas manger scene. "Nope", says she, so I
take them back and placed them in the small basket they were in
before I took them out. I notice as I walked around inspecting
the items for sale that a couple are looking at me and whispering
and I wonder to myself "What they are saying!". I remembered
once a few years ago a fellow ran up to me at the Virginia State
Fair and asked me if I was Bill Clinton. Another time, a lady
in Bermuda asked me if I was a tennis star. Now, I wondering who
this couple thinks I am. They watch, curiously, as we leave and
walk to the truck. I start the truck and start to pull away when
the guy comes over to my door and indicates that he wants me to
roll the window down. I do so and he ask me "What did you do
with the two figurines you had in your hand?". I explained to
him where I put them, he looks doubtful, but walks back to his
yard. I did not pull away until he located the items and waved
his hand that he had found them. No longer do I look like Bill,
or a tennis star, now I look like a thief. Aging sure changes
things doesn't it?

Most medium sized towns have a freecycle place on the 'net.
Ours, here in Poquoson, is freecyclepoquoson at Yahoo Groups.
You can check to see if your town has one at
http://www.freecycle.org/ . The purpose of the group is to give
things away to others that you plan on sending to the landfill.
I have been a member of our group for 2-3 years now and, although
I get a lot of emails from the website that I'm not interested
in, a lot of the times there are interesting things you can pick
up. The other day a lady had a grass Thatcher, that you pull
behind a lawn tractor, up for grabs. I responded right away and
being the first in line, was given the Thatcher. The next day
Jerilyn and I are at her house, load it in the back of the truck
and head home. I must say that it suffered from a lot of
neglect, but underneath the rust and dirt was the makings of
something that was going to keep a lot of sweat off my brow come
next fall. Over the next several days I take it apart, sand,
wire brush and paint. I am now a proud owner of a new-to-me
sparkling black Thatcher. My next assignment will be to find a
place to store it in the shed. Speaking of sheds, author Gordon
Thorburn examined the shed proclivity in his book "Men and
Sheds", in which he argues that a shed is a place of retreat and
is a male necessity which provides men with solace, especially
during their retirement. Amen!