I just left our Sunday morning Church Service and I came away with the thought that the simple is sublime. Pastor Kerry spoke of Naaman who was a commander of the Army of Syria. Naaman had leprosy and was told by the prophet Elisha to wash in the Jordan River…7 times and that, ‘his flesh would be restored to him and you shall be clean.’ Naaman was at first offended by the command of the prophet and wondered aloud why Elisha did not come out to meet him and call on the name of the Lord and he also said that Abana and Pharpar, two rivers in Damascus, were better than all of the waters of Israel. However when Naaman did as Elisha had instructed him to do…his leprosy was cured.

The old Saturday Night Live skit with Steve Martin and Dan Akroyd where their catchphrase was, ‘We are two wild and crazy guys,’ can be said of God. God does what he wants and he does it well. The majesty of nature simply overwhelms me on almost a daily basis. The variety of living creatures that we share our planet with… is fascinating. We worry about office politics and who is up politically and who is down…we seek America for ‘True Americans’…which must mean we are searching for Native Americans. We wonder if we will be able to take the next Holiday Journey and when Covid will end. I often ponder on the fact that I did not purchase a ticket of admittance to be a part of this wonderful and chaotic world…and all that I have and hear and see and feel…is a gift.

As I became a young man and then a middle-aged man…and now an old man…my perspective on the values of life has changed. I first sought to leave my rural environs and become something and someone great and far above my rearing. I knew that I had spent my childhood in the country setting and working poor surroundings of Eldorado, Illinois…and I sought to separate myself from those early beginnings. Now I embrace my heritage and peaceful and fulfilling life. I not only do not seek to be someone that I am not…but I am exceedingly proud of the life’s experiences that created Old 64.

Perhaps you have heard the axiom…’Nothing succeeds like success?’ A life well-lived is success enough…