I Don't Get It

Since moving to South Padre Island, I've had to relearn alot of things...like driving. I've mentioned my attitude adjustment I had to make after driving in Houston for years and then driving down here. I've had to learn to exercise so I can climb stairs to show property. I think most of my buyers like the higher altitudes in the condo complexes...haven't shown a first floor unit yet!

The big mystery to me now is something I read about in the newspaper all the time. It's called "Catch and Release." The idea is to catch some great fish, take a picture, and then release it back into the water drooling blood. Is that a sport? When I was growing up, I did very little fishing until Mom and Dad got a cabin at the Arroyo. We would go 4 or 5 nights a week, catch all the trout and redfish we could, Dad would filet them on the spot and the only thing we released back into the water was the carcasses of the fish for the crabs to feed on. Then we fried the cornmeal coated filets until crunchy and ate them like potato chips. I don't think we ever even thought of taking pictures and then throwing perfectly good fish back into the water. And if I'd ever caught something big and noble, I'm sure it would be hanging stuffed over a fireplace somewhere.

What would it be like if we wounded our beef just for sport and then turned them loose back in the pasture again? Or shot at deer and let them limp back into the brush? I thought the point of going after game of any kind was to bring that sucker home, fry it up in the pan and eat it...with tarter sauce or gravy. But catch and release? I don't get it.

Who Me?

I've been really fussy about a few people lately who seem to be going out of their way to irritate me. My preacher friend has done an excellent series on forgiveness and I understand the principle of forgiving others so I can be forgiven by God. I've also had all of the teachings about praying for your enemies and heaping coals on their heads...which at times has seemed too good for them. So I have to dig a little and remember all of the sermons I've taken in on the subject of mercy. What I'm saying is that I KNOW all of these lessons. Walking them out is another matter. The most important thing is for me, believe it or not, to have a pure heart before God. I've often wrestled with this because I can make myself do the right thing at a later date after having a few days to vex myself over the wrongs they've done to me (and what I'd like to see happen to them)...in the flesh of course. THEN...I take it to the Lord.

It has become increasingly clear that God doesn't approve of this plan of mine. It also occurred to me that in praying for the offenders I have to have give them to God and He might not handle them with the severity they deserve. I'm sure it's just my old carnal self that really wants to see them at least suffer a little. But then I have to go back to what's important and that would be my pure heart before God. Once again I repent, I ask forgiveness, I ask for the strength through the Spirit to take those thoughts of my wounding captive when they surface. And then I pray...for them. It also occurred to me, who might be praying for these people on any given day for any given reason? Hmmm...I think I know who ought to be!

Updating the Downtime

I miss writing here. It's like learning to eat a new dish of some sort. I eat it twice a week for several months and then...nothing...not a bite, not a serving, not even a thought. When I started blogging, I had lots of time and lots to say. I still have lots to say. No. 1 is don't eat at the Chinese Garden on the Island until I get back to you. I got a go plate today, a "C-3" plus soup. It was pepper steak, sweet 'n sour chicken, rice and egg roll. I ordered the hot & sour soup extra. $7.19 later, I'm at the office and I got fried rice and pepper steak, soup, two fortune cookies, no spoon, no egg roll, and no sweet 'n sour chicken. Oh, I've got lots to say about that when I go back again (the food wasn't awful, just the service). No. 2 is that the fireworks here over 4th of July were pretty darn spectacular and I was wishing my grandkids were here to watch them with me. There's more, but I digress.

My issue today is how I've let this wonderful outlet slide. I love my small but devoted fan club (which doesn't include Baby Sister) and I love stringing words together to make a point, tell a joke, or encourage a heart. I just noticed that the original punch began to fade. Maybe it's like falling in love, all hot and heavy in the beginning, then interest fading just a touch, then morphing into a comfortable partnership that wears like an old pair of slippers...not much to talk about but impossible to live without. I can't imagine not writing something at least every now and then. My passion for it isn't there. Maybe it'll return when I get my business in more of an orderly pattern. That's a pretty ambitious goal for this Realtor. Reading my friend Bob's book he wrote as he turned 40 made me realize how much I missed checking in. He wrote a fictional diary to his pastor. Pretty funny stuff.

I'll get my groove back and write more. I think I may redo my picture. I've been talking about it. Think I'll work on that during my next quiet time at work. Stay tuned!...if you're still out there!