Wild Gray Goose

Celtic tradition identifies the Holy Spirit as a Wild Goose. He is the wings of a Wild God best followed by the wildest of men. I'm gray. I'm wild. Like He, I am not always predictable, rational, or safe. I believe my full life and my still maturing years of Walking With God offer both heart and substance for younger lads to consider. Now with 4th stage prostate cancer, following the Wild Goose has a different pace and perspective worth reflecting on...and sharing.

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Location: Full Time RV, mostly near Temecula, California, United States

I'm a young fella not far from 73 who's made it to the far and frayed edges of the adventures I‘ve been hankering for since boyhood. The age thing and my pursuits are relevant since I now have advanced 4th stage cancer, moved from unsuccessful chemo treatment to oral med...and they seem to be working. Now, after selling the ranch, my beautiful life-mate of 48 years and I live and travel in an fifth wheel RV we call our "covered wagon". The new and rich development of 2012 is our purchase of ranch in the marvelous plateau above GRAND JUNCTION at the head of the Colorado National Monument where my young family with six children run a whole-family therapy ranch, DEEP RIVERS FAMILY RANCH.

Friday, March 02, 2012

Winging My Way in Life's Dusk-Light

I am prompted this morning by my quiet wonderings our of yesterday's event as big expensive medical machines scanned silently for a battle report; my Provenge-trained guys in white hats against the fierce black-hatted prostate cancer thugs.  Mostly it's long-forgotten, esoteric writings that give hints of glory found at life's end.  I thought it was time for an update.  Thus, this morning's journal entry.  Long, but deep.  Don't start reading if you don't have five more minutes to grab some dusk-light.

Thoughts along the trail are more like a slide show than a You Tube video of the journey; more a head and heart report than a travelogue.  Oh, but what a journey it has been--AND IS!  There is room in my heart but no words my lips can shape to express the inexplicable glory of Grace and the presence of Jesus deep down and throughout my being.

Seems my life's light is taking on the faint glow of dusk. My reflections may be prompted by the old fashioned stinky day, now yesterday's history; too busy by half, too unfulfilling by whole.  Or, could it be the passion for Cari, Taylor, Colton, Brooke, Gracen, Charis (oh, yes, now there is The Gift that keeps on giving), and Kira.  And Matt?  Distinct because sons-in-law as best friends reflects the unique role we play in each other's lives.  Or, it may be that all of this is framed by the extraordinary love of an extraordinary woman and which makes the reading of today's Scripture so powerful with joy that I find myself--again, inexplicably--grateful, even excited, that the Journey's end is just over there around the corner shimmering in the somehow glorious glow of dusk.

Whatever the source--or, The Source--this glow from the deeps of my soul and the tear forming just above each corner of my smile encompasses a very small world.  I have no fame of worth that is not granted by these few.  And, it is enough.  And it brings cherished light to David's rejoicing in Psalm 9, spoken out of the terror of life gone wrong, "I'm thanking God from a full heart with whistling, laughing, singing, and jumping for joy."  Then my pal Apostle Paul said of a life of worship portrayed vividly in Philippians 4(v4-9) that a "sense of God's wholeness will settle you down."  To which I said, "AAAaaaaah, yes, this God I worship and walk with is worthy of more praise than I can give Him."  And I can ride around that corner on  the trail lighted only dimly at dusk but somehow bright and alluring as if I were finding Home.

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Wednesday, September 29, 2010

WHEN A FRIEND ASKS A SIMPLE QUESTION: "How's it going?"


None of us need walk alone on our way to the Wedding.  Though the Groom awaits, the journey there is anything but smooth. 

Got a note this morning.  "How's it going?"

He's a friend.  A good one.  Never "met" him, though.  Except electronically, and that was through mutual comrades in the Ransomed Heart Net online-sphere.  Then our similar blogs Strategic Fathering.  I knew he was my kinda guy when he signed off, "JC Dude".  "So," he asked, knowing I'd recently discovered that my once-contained Prostate Cancer had begun to wander,"How's it going?"  So, my answer starts out cute, then got more more serious.  Reflect on the latter. 

No, "fun" isn't a form of denial in this case.  It's a field leveler.  When the notion of life's finality become reality there are several routes built around attitude. 

Here's the one I took.  Wonder with me if you'd take the same trail through the forest, the one to the sunny glen or through the dark, if majestic, evergreens. . .    
 
Read more »

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Wednesday, August 25, 2010

LOVING THE HIGH LEVEL JOURNEY

One of the great metaphors for the journey of a life along the path of faith is...is...er..ah, a "JOURNEY". I've used it often. I also like to tell of the Walk, the Walk with God. This one turns me even closer to the "Jesus bumps" my mother used to talk about; dare any of us say we are "Walking with God? Yet we can, many do. Can you grasp the ungraspable imagery, can you sense the conundrum that He, the Lord God Almighty, Creator and Sustainer of Heaven and Earth, has arranged for such a walk, hand-in-hand, as it were?

So, as I reported in broad strokes in my latest post on www.gendads.com, Matt and Taylor and I had an extraordinary journey on the four-day trek, backpacking in the wilderness for Taylor's "rite of passage." At 10,000 feet overlooking eons of His handiwork, the Journey becomes real. There we were, father, son, father's father (inlaw) walking together on The Journey mapped for us somewhere in Heaven before time began.

Walk turns to Journey, Journey become part of The Story. The Story, like the Walk and the Journey, is never alone. It's about us with Him, us with each other. How special that it is with fathers and sons.

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Monday, August 09, 2010

ALMOST READY FOR PRIME TIME

Not quite ready for prime time. But ready enough for you to check our interactive blog--we are calling it a DIABLOG. My Web Pal and I are working on it as I pack for a five day, 100 mile trek with Taylor and Matt. In fact, the last blog on www.gendads.com from today is about that trip. And, of course, I make a point about the life of fathering together.

Here, as the Wild Gray Goose, I will be posting the other things close to my heart, the life of The Walk. Meantime, we (soninlaw Matt and I) would be most pleased if you subscribed to our Gendads blog. Our posts will always be interesting and often inspirational.

Come, visit our journey to the book, Generational Fathering.

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