Musing on the Sum of Life

My desire from youth was to go forth and see the world. I grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia. In life I once roamed lands and seas, hunted game, and caught fish in trout streams, lakes and oceans. I traveled much in serving our country: crisscrossing America, Pacific Ocean, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, and the Gulf of Mexico. In four years living in Denver I walked to hunt and fish on great mountain ranges in Colorado. In the Air Force I was able to stand on mountains in Korea overlooking the Yellow Sea. In Vietnam, my last tour, I served on detached duty with II Corps Army in the Central Highlands. After retiring from the Air Force, I traveled on 14 journeys with friends to camp, fish and walk on four mountain ranges of Wyoming.

Today I’m a senior citizen and am usually quiet as few people ask me for stories. However, I have written many articles on my experiences in magazine and newspapers. Some time ago the veterans and families of WW II vets were remembered in articles written for folks in Rabun and Habersham Counties.

I was a deer hunter for years but now carry a camera. I still walk on local trails but fondly recall walking on many mountain ranges in Vietnam, Japan, Colorado, Korea, Wyoming, the Carolinas and Georgia. I am thankful I can still take walks now and work out in local gyms.

Today I don’t talk much with others about my life as, frankly, there are few chances. I do have many binders and files containing my memories and stories in newspaper articles, narratives, poems and photos. As a boy I was taught to be polite and listen to what others say as I go through life. In the inner world of my mind I often review old scenes and events; similar to a river passing in review, I have vivid memories of many lands and people, of mountain ranges, plains and vast seas.

What I count as riches are my family and friends, health and faith. Memories adorn the walls, bookcases and desks in my den. Life is a one-way adventure that passes like a brief puff of wind stirring leaves and flowers by the way. I treasure days of peace, a church to worship God, a time free of pain or illness; and time with daughter, Amy, and her family. I strive to stay alert and redeem the times. As others who grow older, I feel life passes too fast, my memory fails at times, and I feel an urgency to see life afresh each day. I find solace, renewal, courage and strength in my faith in God and in the promise that Jesus will return and is now preparing for us who trust Him a new and permanent home.