Thanksgiving 2011 has come and gone. At The Knox Manor, we paid proper respect to time honored traditions. There was turkey on the table, we watched the Dallas Cowboys play later in the afternoon, and we at least thought about getting the Christmas decorations out of the garage. Everything appeared to be in proper order. On the surface, it was a normal Thanksgiving. But that was definitely not the case. We knew that Randall would not be with us for…
Thanksgiving at Grandma’s… There is nothing quite like it. In our early married life, we made the trek to Grannie Obrian’s house situated on a half section of land 10 miles north of Lazbuddie and 20 miles east of Bovina. Grannie was a hard working lady. She knew how to put together a Thanksgiving feast. It never occurred to Grannie Obrian that you could buy pre-made pie shells in the frozen food section at the grocery store. At Grannie’s house,…
My short term memory is well beyond repair. Searching for my keys is a daily ritual. Coffee mugs have been found all over our office suite. My coffee mugs that is… I have been called an airhead and worse… But I can tell you that my first grade teacher drove a baby blue 1966 Mustang. I learned a number of years ago that poor memories are actually not beyond repair. When people approach me and share stories about one of…
She is a pretty girl. And she is young. I would guess that she is in early 20s’. She came to the free eye clinic we offered in one of the small communities near Mission, Texas last week. The poverty in several Texas counties bordering Mexico is overwhelming. I know there are politicians that have all of the answers regarding immigration and the issues that surround it. But the reality is that there are very poor people struggling to subsist…
When you hear a West Texas farmer tell you that his irrigation well is pumping sand, it is never good news. The well is no longer deep enough to pump life giving water that keep crops alive and vibrant. And unfortunately wells can go out at the most inopportune times. A crop can burn up in the August sun without sufficient water. Consequently a wise farmer acts decisively by having the pumped pulled and the well drilled even deeper. Ruth…
I am very good at feeling sorry for myself. In fact I think I could consider myself an expert. I can work myself up into a tizzy of self pity with very little effort. In a matter of minutes, I can pull a dark shade down over my heart that blocks out the light of rational thoughts. But the divine light of reality somehow pierces through that shade and illuminates my heart. This month marks the 20th anniversary of my…
Every Sunday I have the privilege of speaking to approximately 600 people. Having something meaningful to say over 40 times a year is a challenge. As a speaker, I have learned not to be distracted by what is taking place in the audience. But there are times you can tell people are bored. And other times you can sense that someone is very moved by what is being shared. Last Sunday there was a participant sitting out there in the…
It is always nice to be invited… It feels good to be included. But sometimes we take invitations for granted. There is no telling how many 80th birthday parties and 50th wedding anniversary events I have attended over the years. On many of those occasions I dutifully changed out of my Saturday attire, shaved, and cleaned up so I could go and support that individual. I never really thought much about it. I just thought it was the right choice…
Dr. Michael McCoy is my guest blogger today. Dr. McCoy has joined us on several medical mission trips to various locations in Northern Mexico in the state of Chihuahua. Today’s blog represents his thoughts on a trip that we took in October of 2009 to Chihuahua City, Chihuahua. She walked in with her head down. She barely made eye contact as I said good morning in my best broken Spanish. She mumbled something as she took a seat in the…
If you just learn a single trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it. –Harper Lee in To Kill a Mockingbird I think I need to go for a walk. And I don’t mean just any kind of walk. I need to climb inside someone’s skin and walk…