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During the past few months, I have had the sad experience to attend 3 funerals. The first one was more or less expected – my grandmother was 99 when she passed – but the other two really hit me like a ton of bricks. These deaths came as complete surprises to everyone who was close to the deceased. After I had a chance to reflect back and really take in these tragic losses, I was reminded of something my grandmother always said, “Don’t be afraid to use the good china.” As a youngster I thought it was pretty cool to be able to handle those really nice dishes. It made a regular afternoon meal all the more special. Later, I figured out the real meaning of what she was doing by using the good china. The example she was providing was showing me that people should live while they’re living because you never know when your last day on Earth will come.
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What caught my eye wasn’t the space flight that was the dream of a presumably bored billionaire, it was the quote that came as he was floating around space. Richard Branson talked about being a kid looking up at the stars, and now he is an adult floating in his very own spaceship. Then he said, “just imagine what you can do.” Call me a cynic, but that phrase struck me as being completely out of touch with reality.
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Sitting comfortably in my home in Navasota, it’s easy to distance myself somewhat from “the border crisis,” but after hearing border horror stories firsthand at the 32nd Annual Texas Crime Stoppers Conference at South Padre Island last week, “crisis” doesn’t do the situation justice. I came home with a heavy heart for the folks living in those border counties and not a day goes by now that I don’t think about what they’re enduring.
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Friends, it is with a heavy heart that I compose this message today. The passing of one of my close friends is another great loss for myself, the grieving family, and a large part of our community. Johnny Wisnoski passed away just a few days ago and the emptiness felt by those of you who knew him is a heavy weight indeed. His funeral service was packed with hundreds of family members and friends and the eulogy was flawless. His brother shared some of the stories and adventures they had experienced through the years, and it was as if we were right there with them when it happened. After it was over, everyone stayed in front of the church for a long while, as if to somehow remain connected to Johnny. Not willing to leave and be apart from him. It was a heavy, palatable moment, but I had to keep reminding myself about the passage in Ecclesiastes that talks about how there is a season for everything. God’s timing is not our timing and we have to have faith in Him, even when it’s hard. Especially when it’s hard, actually.
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Do you ever wonder how a newscaster can deliver the most horrific news story with a smile? I know I do. I have been in the industry for almost 13 years of my life, and I cannot seem to master that trick. In the past, I wondered if my emotional attachment to the news we cover made me less capable or less worthy to be part of the journalism profession.
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It is getting to be that time of year when the holiday parties are once again in full swing. Go to the party or don’t. That is your call but now more than ever, in this age of the “vid,” make good choices.
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Greetings all. As you all know, I wrote a farewell column some time back and now here I am again. Well, I thought somebody would pick up the baton and start writing on behalf of the veterans as I had been, but that did not happen, so here I am again. I won’t have a column every week, but I will have something as often as I can find the time to research and write.
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If you are just “tuning in,” this is the last installment of a six-part series of articles that I have written while taking on the role of a boyfriend in my marriage to my wife. Dear readers, it has been quite a journey during the past 90 days, to say the least. I have learned more than I can share here and a result, I have been more active in my relationship with my wife during this time than I have been in a very long time.
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