February 1, 2010
Tex’s Thought Provokers 012
Ol Base
The fall of 1979 seems in some ways a long time ago. Yet, in other ways it was just yesterday. In those days, a Ranger Station looked like a Ranger Station. Log shaped boards for outside siding, a fire hose drying rack in the back yard. The inside of the building was dressed in stained knotty pine, walls and ceilings. The anemometer (wind speed gauge) was in miles per hour. It even smelled like a Ranger Station should. Rangers dressed in forest green shirts.
The New Brunswick Forest Service was born after world war two. The returning veterans were in need of jobs, and the forest was in need of management, thus, Maritime Forest Ranger School was born.
Back then the Forest Service was almost military in form. The school certainly was, and this remained. The school never really lost it’s form of training, a place of work, but the Forest Service slowly but surely changed as folks retired.
When I went to work for the Forest Service in the fall of 1979, there was still a very strong military mind set. Subtly, over the next few years change came and a way of life started to die.
Now in 2008, it has long since passed away. The change came with almost no notice. We seemed to wake up one morning and our old way of life had become new. We had a choice to make, learn to accept the change and get on board the train, or brace our feet and get left at the station.
From my point of view some of the change, and really the most of it has been positive. That is until we finally reached a point of stall in the new world of do more with less. We were taught at Ranger School to adapt and over come, improvise, get things done. No excuses, just get things done. We were trained to win. It was no wonder; the first Director of the Ranger School was a retired Marine.
So we kept getting things done no matter what was asked of us. We improvised and we adapted and we over came, for 25 years. But now, we have reached that point where we can not win, we are doomed to lose before we start. We have objectives that are unrealistic, unobtainable, and sometimes the goals can’t even be measured. Thus we can not succeed.
So lately, I have been thinking a lot about when I first started in the outfit. Those were the good old days. But then, I guess every generation says the same thing.
9 All things continue the way they have been since the beginning. The same things will be done that have always been done. There is nothing new in this life. Ecclesiastes 1:9
There was an older Ranger at Gordonsville when I first went there, and Basil was his name. He was a man of very few words until he got to know you. And believe me; it took a long time for him to get to know you. Yet, once you gained his trust, he was a true friend for life.
I can remember as if it were yesterday, when we first met and what transpired that day.
Ron, the District Ranger introduced me to Basil.
“Basil….this here is Randi….he is one of our new Wardens.”
Basil turned around very slowly, for every move he made was calculated and deliberate, he stuck out his hand for me to shake and said in a soft growly voice, “Ha’low.”
As I shook his hand I said, “How’s she goin?”
I remember thinking for such a huge man, he had a very soft hand shake, and I thought that a bit strange.
A few minutes went by and I had a cup of tea and a doughnut, as I enjoyed this, I listened with great enthusiasm to the shop talk of the other Rangers and Wardens.
Basil came to me and asked in a slow soft growly voice. “Whachya doin taday? Ya got any plans?”
I looked at him with what I know seemed like the look of a kid excited at Christmas time. “No sir…no plans as yet…no one’s said a word.”
“Well…good nough…ya wana go with me…an do some tallyin?”
A bit puzzled I said, “Sure…not quite sure what ta do….never done no tallyin before…but sure.”
Basil looked at me for a second or two then said, “That don’t make no difference…nothing to it…show ya when we git there….got yer lunch with ya?”
I said, “yes sir..sure do.”
So it was off to the woods with Basil I went. He never said a word to me for what seemed the longest time. To tell the truth, that was just a bit unnerving. We headed in toward the river, and when we got to the Lockhart Mill road we swung out by the mill in Bristol.
I had grown up in the Juniper and Nashwaak area, along with the Hartland area. I had been though the area we were going a few times, but I could not say that I knew it well.
On out by the Shikatehawk Bible Camp we drove along at the horrendous speed of what had to be at least 30 miles/hr, 50Km/hr for you metric folks. I doubt very much that ol Base (What I later would come to call him) ever went much faster than 50 miles/hr. He sure never did whenever I was with him. I guess you could say that he was calculating and deliberate with his driving, just the same as he was with the way he lived.
As I think about it now, I can only remember a couple of times when I ever seen him get excited, and his excited would be most everyone else’s mild uneasiness.
By now we had made it out to the base of Campbell Hill. We continued on until we came to Kenneth. From Kenneth, we went to Chapmanville. Still Base had not said a word. I was now in unseen territory for me; it was the first time I had been in this place. By and by we came to an old road to the left. Base bounced us through what I considered to be the equal of a Goat pass. Now I was totally lost. We finally came out in a clear cut and continued down a long steep hill. We came to a place called Murphy Corner.
Here we swung to the right, and Base finally said, “This here is Murphy Corner…were headin in ta Kilfoil…ya ever bin here?”
I said, “Okay…Murphy Corner…headin ta Kilfoil…no sir…don’t know this here country at all.”
Base gave me a long careful look, never said a word, and continued on.
Now I know that Base was sizing me up. It was just the way he was. He wanted to know what he could expect from me. We drove down over another long hill and at the bottom there was a road to the left, we bared to the right and Base said, “That over there…that’s the Range.” I was trying to remember all I was seeing and what little Base told me.
We continued on and soon we crossed a stream. Base said never changing his tone or expression, “that right there is the east branch of the Monquart.” We then stared to climb up wards for what seemed the longest time. I suppose it didn’t help that Base was now just merely crawling with the truck. He would every now and then out of the blue say names of brooks and roads, “that there Brook ….that’s Craig Brook.” A ways further, “that there road’ll take ya ta Trout Brook Lake.” then, “Randall Brook”.
We had been driving by cut operations along the way and then Base turned off to the right and parked on a higher piece of ground. He shut the truck off, looked down into a fairly new cut and said, “might as well eat R lunch right here….gittin close on ta nose bag time anyway….an this here is a good spot ta maybe see a deer er somethin…ya never know.”
Now I soon learned that Base had a ritual that he never varied from when it came to eating his lunch. It was a sight to behold. First he would lay out a double folded piece of paper towel, folded ever so carefully, and laid with care on the dash of the truck. Then out came the salt shaker, and all the tools for eating. Then the cheese laid on the towel neatly. The same as the cucumber, home made bread, meat, cookies, and a cup on the dash as well. Then he would dig out of his pack a plastic jug of water and fill the cup. There might have been the odd occasion that there would be something added, like an entire raw onion, or several radish, but there was always the other main things, that never changed.
He also loved Kippers and Sardines, and they are one of the few things I really don’t care for. When ol Base learned this, he chuckled, and he would bring them on purpose if he even thought there was a chance we would be working together. Those things sure do stink.
Any way, we were eating, and Base never said a word all though lunch. He ate the same way he did everything, slow, calculated, methodical, and deliberate.
As soon as he finished, he put things away the same way. Then he looked off towards a mountain and said while he nodded, “that there knob over yonder…that’s Porcupine Mountain.”
Then he took a king sized cameo cigarette and put it in his mouth, he stared at the mountain for what seemed the longest time, then very slow and careful, he lit the cigarette. Up until that point, I never knew he smoked.
Now this turn of events made me feel a bit more relaxed. It gave me the go ahead to light up too.
Now I know a body should not smoke, it is not good for you at all. But, it is something that I do and I know I am none the better for it. I have asked the Lord to be patient with me, and for some reason, He don’t seem all that riled up over it. In fact He directed me to the following.
2 Don’t change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but let God change you inside with a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to understand and accept what God wants for you. You will be able to know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect.
Romans 12:2
And then he led me to read;
5 Some people might believe that one day is more important than another. And others might believe that every day is the same. Everyone should be sure about their beliefs in their own mind.
Romans 14: 5
And then;
16 Don’t allow what is good for you to become something they say is evil. 17 In God’s kingdom,* what we eat and drink is not important. Here is what is important: a right way of life, peace, and joy—all from the Holy Spirit.*
Romans 14: 16-17
And then;
22 You should keep your beliefs about these things a secret between yourself and God. It is a blessing to be able to do what you think is right without feeling guilty.
Romans 14: 22
7 Christ accepted you, so you should accept each other. This will bring honor to God.
Romans 15: 7
And Then;
10 Jesus called the people to him. He said, “Listen and understand what I am saying. 11 It is not what people put in their mouth that makes them wrong. It is what comes out of their mouth that makes them wrong.”
Matthew 15:10-11
Now right here, I want to make it clear that I am not trying to make excuses for myself.
Following is the point I want to make.
I still know that it is bad for my health, and I shouldn’t do it, but I am not encouraging others to do it.
Another way to put it I guess is this. I don’t feel guilty about it. And I think Jesus would let me know if it was that displeasing to him.
I wonder, which is worse, those that smoke, or those that look down on those that do?
1 “Don’t judge others, and God will not judge you. 2 If you judge others, you will be judged the same way you judge them. God will treat you the same way you treat others. 3 “Why do you notice the small piece of dust that is in your friend’s eye, but you don’t notice the big piece of wood that is in your own? 4 Why do you say to your friend, ‘Let me take that piece of dust out of your eye’? Look at yourself first! You still have that big piece of wood in your own eye.
Matthew 7: 1-4
On top of all these things, I figure, that smoking is likely not near as bad as some things a body could be doing.
All that said, I wonder if there are things that folks do that are just as bad as smoking, yet not viewed with the same dislike, for example, over eating.
7 The Jewish leaders continued to ask him their question. So he stood up and said, “Anyone here who has never sinned should throw the first stone at her.” John 8:7
Did you ever wonder how many folks stay away from church just on account of being judged? I can tell you that there are a mighty lot of them. I know because I have been out there amongst them.
I can also tell you that there are a lot of good folks that would come to church and give their life to Jesus. And they steer clear because of legalism. Another reason they stay away is because they view some folks as not being real. In other words, they view some as Sunday morning Christians.
It is my belief that Jesus loves all folks the same. He don’t give a hoot as to whether you have millions of dollars and appear to be a saint, or if you are just an ordinary person being real. He loves us all.
I know for sure in my heart that He looks down on people that cause other people harm. Now there are many ways to harm someone. Hitting them up side the head with a baseball bat is one way. Encouraging them to smoke or drink or do drugs is another. Showing no respect for another person is another way. Judging a person is another. And one of my long time pet peeves is, putting others down or saying mean things to them. Those hurts are deep and very long lasting. Words are sometime a lot sharper than swords. Words are a lot like shooting a bullet from a gun, once said, you can’t reach out and take them back. Just the same as when you pull the trigger on a gun, you can’t reach out and bring back the bullet.
If you get shot though, and you are fortunate enough to live, the Doctor goes in and he finds the bullet and takes it out. He also repairs the damage. But tell me, how do you find a wounding word or words inside a person. How do you remove that hurt? I suppose you could go to some Sigmund Froid type, he might give you a pill to feel better about things. He might be able to get you to talking, and that may help. But the hurt is really still there.
There is one way, and one way only. At least as I see it. Give the pain to Jesus. Forgive the sayer of the words. And you will find, that the Lord can remove the pain.
We then went to work scaling logs and pulp. Base showed me what to do and I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the day.
In my life, I have had many great people to teach me and lead me. There are many that I consider great mentors of mine. My Dad is my hero. He is not perfect, no one is. I could never asked for a better Dad. He is my greatest teacher, my friend, and I love him dearly. Some of the other mentors I have been fortunate to have are;
Mum Charlene, both Grand Mothers Laura and Kate, Grand Father Earl, Uncle Richard (Old Buddy Unc), Aunt Dianne, Uncle Gennie, Aunt Shirley, Uncle Roy, Great Aunt Ella, Great Uncle Jap, and I could go on for ever. These are all folks that I have learned much from. There are many.
Dad, Gramps, and Uncle Richard were family members that taught me things about the woods and nature. I have had enough other teachers that taught me things about the forest and nature to fill several pages with names alone. I have been and am a very fortunate man.
Even though I learned things about the woods and nature from the best, I would have to say outside of my family members; Basil was one of my greatest teachers. He taught me things from a technical and common sense view. When he dealt with people, he was teaching me without even knowing.
I have a great many Basil stories, and I am sure that if you continue to read my writings, you will see Basil turn up several times.
Now when Basil retired, things were never quite the same.
As it is in life, things moved on at a fast pace after Base retired. My good buddy and partner Steven and I were always going to go and visit ol Base. We never got around to it.
Out of the blue and very unexpectedly, we got a call at the office; Base had passed away from a massive heart attack.
He had just about one full year of retirement in when he passed.
We tend to put things off thinking things will stay the same forever. Here on earth, in this dynamic life, we find that time waits for no person. We are all so wrapped up in our busy lives, that we end up taking for granted a lot of things. These reclusive habits are easy to get used too. Then we end up becoming numb to things that happen around us. This leads a person to start subconsciously thinking that unless it affects me directly, we end up appearing like we do not care.
I am going to make every effort to not put things off. When I get a chance to do things I will do them.
For this time I will leave you with the following.
2 1Think about what we have in Christ: the encouragement he has brought us, the comfort of his love, our sharing in his Spirit,* and the mercy and kindness he has shown us. If you enjoy these blessings,
2 then do what will make my joy complete: Agree with each other, and show your love for each other. Be united in your goals and in the way you think. 3 In whatever you do, don’t let selfishness or pride be your guide. Be humble, and honor others more than yourselves.
4 Don’t be interested only in your own life, but care about the lives of others too. Philippians 2: 1-4
Until Next Time; I pray that you do not put off for tomorrow what you can do today. Always be ready. Tomorrow may not come. In Christ Tex.
Ol Base
The fall of 1979 seems in some ways a long time ago. Yet, in other ways it was just yesterday. In those days, a Ranger Station looked like a Ranger Station. Log shaped boards for outside siding, a fire hose drying rack in the back yard. The inside of the building was dressed in stained knotty pine, walls and ceilings. The anemometer (wind speed gauge) was in miles per hour. It even smelled like a Ranger Station should. Rangers dressed in forest green shirts.
The New Brunswick Forest Service was born after world war two. The returning veterans were in need of jobs, and the forest was in need of management, thus, Maritime Forest Ranger School was born.
Back then the Forest Service was almost military in form. The school certainly was, and this remained. The school never really lost it’s form of training, a place of work, but the Forest Service slowly but surely changed as folks retired.
When I went to work for the Forest Service in the fall of 1979, there was still a very strong military mind set. Subtly, over the next few years change came and a way of life started to die.
Now in 2008, it has long since passed away. The change came with almost no notice. We seemed to wake up one morning and our old way of life had become new. We had a choice to make, learn to accept the change and get on board the train, or brace our feet and get left at the station.
From my point of view some of the change, and really the most of it has been positive. That is until we finally reached a point of stall in the new world of do more with less. We were taught at Ranger School to adapt and over come, improvise, get things done. No excuses, just get things done. We were trained to win. It was no wonder; the first Director of the Ranger School was a retired Marine.
So we kept getting things done no matter what was asked of us. We improvised and we adapted and we over came, for 25 years. But now, we have reached that point where we can not win, we are doomed to lose before we start. We have objectives that are unrealistic, unobtainable, and sometimes the goals can’t even be measured. Thus we can not succeed.
So lately, I have been thinking a lot about when I first started in the outfit. Those were the good old days. But then, I guess every generation says the same thing.
9 All things continue the way they have been since the beginning. The same things will be done that have always been done. There is nothing new in this life. Ecclesiastes 1:9
There was an older Ranger at Gordonsville when I first went there, and Basil was his name. He was a man of very few words until he got to know you. And believe me; it took a long time for him to get to know you. Yet, once you gained his trust, he was a true friend for life.
I can remember as if it were yesterday, when we first met and what transpired that day.
Ron, the District Ranger introduced me to Basil.
“Basil….this here is Randi….he is one of our new Wardens.”
Basil turned around very slowly, for every move he made was calculated and deliberate, he stuck out his hand for me to shake and said in a soft growly voice, “Ha’low.”
As I shook his hand I said, “How’s she goin?”
I remember thinking for such a huge man, he had a very soft hand shake, and I thought that a bit strange.
A few minutes went by and I had a cup of tea and a doughnut, as I enjoyed this, I listened with great enthusiasm to the shop talk of the other Rangers and Wardens.
Basil came to me and asked in a slow soft growly voice. “Whachya doin taday? Ya got any plans?”
I looked at him with what I know seemed like the look of a kid excited at Christmas time. “No sir…no plans as yet…no one’s said a word.”
“Well…good nough…ya wana go with me…an do some tallyin?”
A bit puzzled I said, “Sure…not quite sure what ta do….never done no tallyin before…but sure.”
Basil looked at me for a second or two then said, “That don’t make no difference…nothing to it…show ya when we git there….got yer lunch with ya?”
I said, “yes sir..sure do.”
So it was off to the woods with Basil I went. He never said a word to me for what seemed the longest time. To tell the truth, that was just a bit unnerving. We headed in toward the river, and when we got to the Lockhart Mill road we swung out by the mill in Bristol.
I had grown up in the Juniper and Nashwaak area, along with the Hartland area. I had been though the area we were going a few times, but I could not say that I knew it well.
On out by the Shikatehawk Bible Camp we drove along at the horrendous speed of what had to be at least 30 miles/hr, 50Km/hr for you metric folks. I doubt very much that ol Base (What I later would come to call him) ever went much faster than 50 miles/hr. He sure never did whenever I was with him. I guess you could say that he was calculating and deliberate with his driving, just the same as he was with the way he lived.
As I think about it now, I can only remember a couple of times when I ever seen him get excited, and his excited would be most everyone else’s mild uneasiness.
By now we had made it out to the base of Campbell Hill. We continued on until we came to Kenneth. From Kenneth, we went to Chapmanville. Still Base had not said a word. I was now in unseen territory for me; it was the first time I had been in this place. By and by we came to an old road to the left. Base bounced us through what I considered to be the equal of a Goat pass. Now I was totally lost. We finally came out in a clear cut and continued down a long steep hill. We came to a place called Murphy Corner.
Here we swung to the right, and Base finally said, “This here is Murphy Corner…were headin in ta Kilfoil…ya ever bin here?”
I said, “Okay…Murphy Corner…headin ta Kilfoil…no sir…don’t know this here country at all.”
Base gave me a long careful look, never said a word, and continued on.
Now I know that Base was sizing me up. It was just the way he was. He wanted to know what he could expect from me. We drove down over another long hill and at the bottom there was a road to the left, we bared to the right and Base said, “That over there…that’s the Range.” I was trying to remember all I was seeing and what little Base told me.
We continued on and soon we crossed a stream. Base said never changing his tone or expression, “that right there is the east branch of the Monquart.” We then stared to climb up wards for what seemed the longest time. I suppose it didn’t help that Base was now just merely crawling with the truck. He would every now and then out of the blue say names of brooks and roads, “that there Brook ….that’s Craig Brook.” A ways further, “that there road’ll take ya ta Trout Brook Lake.” then, “Randall Brook”.
We had been driving by cut operations along the way and then Base turned off to the right and parked on a higher piece of ground. He shut the truck off, looked down into a fairly new cut and said, “might as well eat R lunch right here….gittin close on ta nose bag time anyway….an this here is a good spot ta maybe see a deer er somethin…ya never know.”
Now I soon learned that Base had a ritual that he never varied from when it came to eating his lunch. It was a sight to behold. First he would lay out a double folded piece of paper towel, folded ever so carefully, and laid with care on the dash of the truck. Then out came the salt shaker, and all the tools for eating. Then the cheese laid on the towel neatly. The same as the cucumber, home made bread, meat, cookies, and a cup on the dash as well. Then he would dig out of his pack a plastic jug of water and fill the cup. There might have been the odd occasion that there would be something added, like an entire raw onion, or several radish, but there was always the other main things, that never changed.
He also loved Kippers and Sardines, and they are one of the few things I really don’t care for. When ol Base learned this, he chuckled, and he would bring them on purpose if he even thought there was a chance we would be working together. Those things sure do stink.
Any way, we were eating, and Base never said a word all though lunch. He ate the same way he did everything, slow, calculated, methodical, and deliberate.
As soon as he finished, he put things away the same way. Then he looked off towards a mountain and said while he nodded, “that there knob over yonder…that’s Porcupine Mountain.”
Then he took a king sized cameo cigarette and put it in his mouth, he stared at the mountain for what seemed the longest time, then very slow and careful, he lit the cigarette. Up until that point, I never knew he smoked.
Now this turn of events made me feel a bit more relaxed. It gave me the go ahead to light up too.
Now I know a body should not smoke, it is not good for you at all. But, it is something that I do and I know I am none the better for it. I have asked the Lord to be patient with me, and for some reason, He don’t seem all that riled up over it. In fact He directed me to the following.
2 Don’t change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but let God change you inside with a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to understand and accept what God wants for you. You will be able to know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect.
Romans 12:2
And then he led me to read;
5 Some people might believe that one day is more important than another. And others might believe that every day is the same. Everyone should be sure about their beliefs in their own mind.
Romans 14: 5
And then;
16 Don’t allow what is good for you to become something they say is evil. 17 In God’s kingdom,* what we eat and drink is not important. Here is what is important: a right way of life, peace, and joy—all from the Holy Spirit.*
Romans 14: 16-17
And then;
22 You should keep your beliefs about these things a secret between yourself and God. It is a blessing to be able to do what you think is right without feeling guilty.
Romans 14: 22
7 Christ accepted you, so you should accept each other. This will bring honor to God.
Romans 15: 7
And Then;
10 Jesus called the people to him. He said, “Listen and understand what I am saying. 11 It is not what people put in their mouth that makes them wrong. It is what comes out of their mouth that makes them wrong.”
Matthew 15:10-11
Now right here, I want to make it clear that I am not trying to make excuses for myself.
Following is the point I want to make.
I still know that it is bad for my health, and I shouldn’t do it, but I am not encouraging others to do it.
Another way to put it I guess is this. I don’t feel guilty about it. And I think Jesus would let me know if it was that displeasing to him.
I wonder, which is worse, those that smoke, or those that look down on those that do?
1 “Don’t judge others, and God will not judge you. 2 If you judge others, you will be judged the same way you judge them. God will treat you the same way you treat others. 3 “Why do you notice the small piece of dust that is in your friend’s eye, but you don’t notice the big piece of wood that is in your own? 4 Why do you say to your friend, ‘Let me take that piece of dust out of your eye’? Look at yourself first! You still have that big piece of wood in your own eye.
Matthew 7: 1-4
On top of all these things, I figure, that smoking is likely not near as bad as some things a body could be doing.
All that said, I wonder if there are things that folks do that are just as bad as smoking, yet not viewed with the same dislike, for example, over eating.
7 The Jewish leaders continued to ask him their question. So he stood up and said, “Anyone here who has never sinned should throw the first stone at her.” John 8:7
Did you ever wonder how many folks stay away from church just on account of being judged? I can tell you that there are a mighty lot of them. I know because I have been out there amongst them.
I can also tell you that there are a lot of good folks that would come to church and give their life to Jesus. And they steer clear because of legalism. Another reason they stay away is because they view some folks as not being real. In other words, they view some as Sunday morning Christians.
It is my belief that Jesus loves all folks the same. He don’t give a hoot as to whether you have millions of dollars and appear to be a saint, or if you are just an ordinary person being real. He loves us all.
I know for sure in my heart that He looks down on people that cause other people harm. Now there are many ways to harm someone. Hitting them up side the head with a baseball bat is one way. Encouraging them to smoke or drink or do drugs is another. Showing no respect for another person is another way. Judging a person is another. And one of my long time pet peeves is, putting others down or saying mean things to them. Those hurts are deep and very long lasting. Words are sometime a lot sharper than swords. Words are a lot like shooting a bullet from a gun, once said, you can’t reach out and take them back. Just the same as when you pull the trigger on a gun, you can’t reach out and bring back the bullet.
If you get shot though, and you are fortunate enough to live, the Doctor goes in and he finds the bullet and takes it out. He also repairs the damage. But tell me, how do you find a wounding word or words inside a person. How do you remove that hurt? I suppose you could go to some Sigmund Froid type, he might give you a pill to feel better about things. He might be able to get you to talking, and that may help. But the hurt is really still there.
There is one way, and one way only. At least as I see it. Give the pain to Jesus. Forgive the sayer of the words. And you will find, that the Lord can remove the pain.
We then went to work scaling logs and pulp. Base showed me what to do and I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the day.
In my life, I have had many great people to teach me and lead me. There are many that I consider great mentors of mine. My Dad is my hero. He is not perfect, no one is. I could never asked for a better Dad. He is my greatest teacher, my friend, and I love him dearly. Some of the other mentors I have been fortunate to have are;
Mum Charlene, both Grand Mothers Laura and Kate, Grand Father Earl, Uncle Richard (Old Buddy Unc), Aunt Dianne, Uncle Gennie, Aunt Shirley, Uncle Roy, Great Aunt Ella, Great Uncle Jap, and I could go on for ever. These are all folks that I have learned much from. There are many.
Dad, Gramps, and Uncle Richard were family members that taught me things about the woods and nature. I have had enough other teachers that taught me things about the forest and nature to fill several pages with names alone. I have been and am a very fortunate man.
Even though I learned things about the woods and nature from the best, I would have to say outside of my family members; Basil was one of my greatest teachers. He taught me things from a technical and common sense view. When he dealt with people, he was teaching me without even knowing.
I have a great many Basil stories, and I am sure that if you continue to read my writings, you will see Basil turn up several times.
Now when Basil retired, things were never quite the same.
As it is in life, things moved on at a fast pace after Base retired. My good buddy and partner Steven and I were always going to go and visit ol Base. We never got around to it.
Out of the blue and very unexpectedly, we got a call at the office; Base had passed away from a massive heart attack.
He had just about one full year of retirement in when he passed.
We tend to put things off thinking things will stay the same forever. Here on earth, in this dynamic life, we find that time waits for no person. We are all so wrapped up in our busy lives, that we end up taking for granted a lot of things. These reclusive habits are easy to get used too. Then we end up becoming numb to things that happen around us. This leads a person to start subconsciously thinking that unless it affects me directly, we end up appearing like we do not care.
I am going to make every effort to not put things off. When I get a chance to do things I will do them.
For this time I will leave you with the following.
2 1Think about what we have in Christ: the encouragement he has brought us, the comfort of his love, our sharing in his Spirit,* and the mercy and kindness he has shown us. If you enjoy these blessings,
2 then do what will make my joy complete: Agree with each other, and show your love for each other. Be united in your goals and in the way you think. 3 In whatever you do, don’t let selfishness or pride be your guide. Be humble, and honor others more than yourselves.
4 Don’t be interested only in your own life, but care about the lives of others too. Philippians 2: 1-4
Until Next Time; I pray that you do not put off for tomorrow what you can do today. Always be ready. Tomorrow may not come. In Christ Tex.
No comments:
Post a Comment