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Buzzing Bumblebees!

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Earlier this month of May, I was squeezed in between the house and the backside of our Rhododendron! Once again, I was trying to capture that “perfect picture” of this beloved flowering plant in full bloom! I have been all around this towering plant of spectacular spring flowers doing the same thing for thirty-four years. I can honestly say that I have yet to get that picture that truly reflects the stunning colors and breathtaking beauty of this standout example of God’s creative work! Our Beloved Rhododendron! As I was clicking off one pic after another, that’s when I heard them. The bumblebees were busily buzzing from one petal to another, undeterred by my presence. I have been stung by honeybees, hornets, wasps, and yellow jackets, on occasion. Yet, I am fearless around these buzzing pollinators and thankful for all they do within our ecosystem. I am delighted to see them moving with purpose among several flowering plants throughout our property. The bumblebee has mistakenly been...
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Peace, Power, and Presence!

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I’m not accustomed to seeing very many Mourning Doves in the springtime. Many hunters in our area like to harvest these bullet-fast birds for sport and food in September. I do know that it takes a good mess of dove’s breasts to make a delicious bread-dressing recipe! I have read and understand, though, that many of the eleven varieties of the dove species, who habitat in Illinois, do not migrate, but spend their winters in the Prairie State. In late April and early May of each year, doves begin building nests and mating in earnest. Mourning Doves receive their name from their low and soothing mating call that sounds like a lament or sorrowful song. Some have mistaken this sound for an owl! I looked out the kitchen window recently and saw one of these beautiful birds gracefully moving about our rock patio. It was pecking and foraging for small seeds. Ornithologists say that a dove eats up to twenty percent of their body weight daily! That’s incredible to me! The dove plays a prominent...
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Leading from the Middle

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As advertised in my blog postscript, I am a doting grandfather and Poppi! With four grown children and twelve grandchildren, we have been able over the years to make several observations about these family members based upon their birth order. Those firstborns have tended to be high achievers (if not over achievers!), perfectionists, and sometimes, bossy leaders! The youngest of their families are happy, predictably spoiled, and love the spotlight! Charlie - Stepping Up... Again!! What about the middle child or the one I have always observed as the “most well-adjusted” of them all? As a confrontive, competitive firstborn, I am thankful to have married a well-adjusted, adaptable second born! It is a blessing, too, that Monique brings harmony and common sense to our relationship and family! She is the “glue” that holds us all together! While I am devoted to each of our children, (spouses included!) and grands, I have come to champion, in special ways, those in the “middle” of their fam...
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Who Do You Look Like?

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Last week, I participated in an intensive, three-day training event to equip chaplains, sworn officers, and code employees at the Illinois State Police Academy (ISP). The topics were crisis management and wellness. This may surprise you, but law enforcement is exposed to significant trauma four to six times greater than the general population. Our role, as chaplains, is to not only deal with our own susceptibility to compassion fatigue, but at the same time “help the helpers!” As I was sitting in the instruction room during a session, I noticed a mirror mounted on a board with a placard attached that said, “You only have one chance to make a first impression.” I have seen variations of this quote usually attributed to Will Rogers, who said, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” I was curious how this saying was being applied in a law enforcement setting. One of the new chaplains who serves along with me throughout the Capital City was sitting nearby the day I no...
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Get In the Zone!

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A popular idiom in our day is for an individual to be so focused on his or her sport, creative endeavor, or work engagement, that it is observed by others that they are “in the zone!” In these early days of the baseball season, my favorite team has some exciting young players named Church, Wetherholt, Winn, and Jordan who are achieving this seemingly effortless state of hitting and fielding at such a competitive level that these guys are certainly performing “in the zone!” Focused! In the Zone! Image: stock.adobe.com Athletes aren’t the only ones who “get in the zone” of accomplishment. Our church has recently been celebrating a dozen or so young people who have just completed sixteen weeks of instruction in their confirmation class. The Sunday Bible study class, Monique and I attend, got to partner in their efforts the other evening by serving their pre-instruction pizza and salad meal. These students were in their next to last session and the topic of the evening was spiritual gift...
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"I Ain't Old!"

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I stood in the driveway of Dad’s auto repair shop the day he confronted a gentleman representing the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). Dad informed the man he was not interested in any such membership even though the fellow said it would only cost around $5.00 for three years. Dad ended the conversation that day by saying, “I’ll give you the five dollars if you’ll get off my driveway. I’ve got work to do!” Floating in the Dead Sea! Image credit: pixabay.com That terse response may have been what further emboldened Dad’s lifetime attitude about aging, “I ain’t old!” And he meant it! He was still showing up at the shop on this ninety-fourth birthday when I pulled up to get him to head out to our favorite restaurant for a barbecue baby back rib dinner! Over the years, we had used his birthday and mine as an annual occasion for such a celebration! I just celebrated my seventy-fifth birthday over a recent weekend that included some of my other favorites that I don’t get too ...
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"Splashdown Confirmed!"

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The NASA team, along with many of us watching the event from home, welcomed all four Artemis II astronauts home this past Friday at 7:07 CST after completing what seemed to us to be a flawless reentry into Earth’s atmosphere. The heat shield of the Orion capsule protected its precious cargo through 5,000 degrees of intensely dangerous heat at speeds of 25,000 miles per hour. Many of us whispered our prayers for the crew’s safety. Image: petapixel.com Described frequently as a “dynamic and dangerous mission,” this incredible journey to the moon did not disappoint! I was one among many other space travel enthusiasts who were wowed by the pictures the crew took, and enjoyed their cabin antics over the ten-day mission. This epic and dynamic flight, out and around the moon, required the execution of so many crucial steps and changes. Experts kept reminding us in this historic mission that “a lot of things had to go right” for this to be as successful as it appeared to be. And who could de...
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