The Muse is Loose

I hope the weight of all the people and cars will not tilt us into Little Bay! Already they are coming from everywhere. It is a "to be" place for sure, with the Art Festival tomorrow, and tremendous fireworks display Monday evening over the bay. Independence Day is the antique name for all the happenings. That is all often lost in the events. It is just "Fourth Of July".

Independence as a country is never guaranteed. Not by battle or display. In the 1860's this nation was split down the middle. Well - meaning, decent Americans lifted arms against each other in the bloodiest war ever. More Americans died in a single battle than in all of Korea or Vietnam. It was called the Civil War.There was nothing civil about it. Southerners would prefer for many years to say "The War Between The States". The smoke at Gettysburg has long settled. Blue and gray match in our color schemes. Much has changed since those awful years. Our Independence, however, is once again threatened, not by invading armies but invading ideas and ideals. Our financial independence is in a battle for survival. Moral independence to voice a discordant vote against indecency, and speak Biblical beliefs, is being hammered like cannon fire. We are not so slowly being "surrounded" for the final battle. So, our voice of independence is no longer loud and strong. We are laying down the sword and shield and waving a white flag.

I love our country dearly. It has never been perfect. It was flawed terribly in the brutal treatment of Native Americans.. It has fought wars for reasons not understood by most. It has been embarrassed over and again by elected leaders. In spite of all this...I LOVE AMERICA. We should shoulder the responsibility to pray for our leaders...all of them....not just the ones we like. The Bible made no exceptions in the prayer mandate given. So I pray...not for show....but for the purpose God placed on us. Hope you will do the same.

There is a good chance you have never been to Bertram, Texas. We hadn't until Sunday morning, July 3. Three couples who became fast friends through the years because of Wharton, Texas, met in Bertram to surprise the pastor of First Baptist Church. It was the fortieth anniversary of Gordon Bergstrom's first sermon, which was preached on a Sunday morning in Wharton. Gordon and Diana had no idea we were coming. It was Ross and Lou Ann Arth of College Station; Mike and Cindy Arth of "Anywhere USA" (They are RV full-timers); and Ann and Self. Poor Gordon was nearly speechless, but as a good pastor that he is, recovered and brought a wonderful sermon. It was a long trip for us but worth it all. We are so proud of Gordon. His first revival preached was on a youth trip to Mesa, Arizona in the heat of summer. Our Youth and adults conducted VBS in the morning and had church at night. Our softball team practiced on an old baseball field used by the New York Giants in spring training. It was awesome! We knew we really weren't supposed to be on it but no one ever came to remove us. To bat at the same spot as some of the great ball players of all time was unforgettable. When we left Mesa for Flagstaff it was 118!!!

Another word about Bertram; You can visit there on Labor Day weekend for the OATMEAL FESTIVAL. It is a fun spoof on all the chili cookoffs Texas towns so dearly love. Near Bertram is the tiny town of Oatmeal. There is an old rock church there and a brush arbor used many years ago when the church was too hot in summer. The beauty queen selected has to be over 55. She receives the dubious title of Ms Bag.

There you have it. Your next destination can be Bertram, Texas. Make it on a Sunday and drop in at First Baptist. Tell Gordon we sent you.

The "We" is actually you and me. It is us. It is the living, breathing church. We are everywhere in ministries for Christ. A group of us is having a unique ministry in Honduras. Lives will be changed by the presence of the youth and adults there. Those participating will be different. It works that way. Over at Zephyr Encampment a group of kids and leaders are experiencing God working in their lives. Another group of First Baptist folk are preparing a return trip to Taft for Vacation Bible School. They have already had a great one at our church. They are moving it all over there to a mission field of a different sort. We are also seeking to help churches in Connecticut. Others render daily ministries. That's just a tiny bit of what you are doing in and through First Baptist, Rockport, Texas.

A proposal is before Padre Island National Seashore moguls to reduce the speed limit on this mostly deserted sixty-mile long beach from 25 to 15 MPH. The purpose would be so that no Kemp Ridley sea turtles would be run over. Fishermen and others who four-wheel this seashore, the longest undeveloped barrier island in the world, are not happy about it. That is easy to understand. That is slower than some can run! It would make the trip to Port Mansfield Cut a four-hour marathon.

Never fear. It would be difficult to enforce. In these austerity times it is hard to imagine a game and fish fed hiding behind dunes with their radar units.

Now, move the scenario to our Texas highways where others propose 85 MPH speed limits on some open and largely deserted strips of highway. It would not be turtles in danger, but deer, skunks, coyotes, and.....people.

Both of these are mostly a joke. Eighty-five is a common speed already. Enforcement is negligible in those wide open spaces. Some people go that fast on the causeway bridge without a worry.

What ever happened to good judgement? Why do we have to be lawed into safe driving, be it 15 or 85? I truly believe speed limits contribute to speeding by a lot of people. I am a 70 or a little less driver on the Interstate. I am passed a lot of times by folks with heavy feet. Doesn't bother me except when they get on my bumper.

We will watch the speed limit deal with some interest.
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We often talk of bad choices and the consequences that often accompany them. There are many times, however, when innocent and well-meaning choices can be costly. Such was the case at a Rangers game Thursday evening. An Oakland player hit a foul ball that bounced on to the field. Josh Hamilton, Rangers all-star outfielder, retrieved it and tossed the ball toward the stands, as players often do. A man in the second deck reached out to catch the ball. He actually had it in his grip but, leaned too far out and plunged 20 feet head first to the concrete. The fall killed him.

Josh had innocently and acceptably tossed a ball to the stands. It was a bit soft, however, to reach the second deck. This powerful player, who drove in four runs for the Rangers win, could have thrown the ball over the stands if he had chosen to do so. What if he had?

The yet unknown fan saw an opportunity for a souvenir baseball. All guys at a game hope for that. Some bring gloves to help them if the ball comes their way. He reached out for this soft toss from Hamilton. The ball was actually in his grasp, but standing, his weight shifted too much and he plunged to his death. His family can "what if" that incident for the rest of their lives.

So now a struggling Christian ball player who was almost defeated by drugs a few years ago has to come to grips with the "what if" factor. "What if I had tossed the ball to some kid on the ground level?" and so on.

A dear friend of Jesus, Lazarus, died. Jesus was away at the time. When he finally arrived at the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus he had been dead four days. Martha ran to meet Him but Mary did not. She chose to sit at the house and wait for Jesus to come. Her first words to him as recorded in John's Gospel were: " Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died." If you know the story you are aware Jesus turned it from tragic to a wonderful miracle. We do not enjoy that kind of result today, even as Believers. We simply have to dig deep into our well of faith and find the waters of eternal life flowing there for those who follow Him. I prayed for Josh this morning. I know Satan will try to use this innocent accident to defeat him again. Pray that he will be strong in the Lord. Pray for the family of the man who died.

My brother-in-law, Glenn Caldwell, went to be with the Lord July 8, 2011, at the age of 102. Ann and I visited with him just a few days ago in Fort Smith. He was aware of our visit. I held his hand as we all had prayer. Dorcie, my sister, and Glenda his daughter were there.

Glenn was a graduate of the University of Arkansas. He had been their oldest living graduate as far as we could know. He was a devoted Razorback fan.

He was a fourth generation Caldwell to have lived in Sebastian County in Arkansas. His great-grandfather moved there just after the Civil War. He was a third generation potter and a farmer. Glenn's grandfather lived near Greenwood and had a shop there. He had a jewelry and hardware store with coffins in the back room! Glenn's father became a surveyor, working for railroads in Arkansas and Indian Territory (Oklahoma). He later worked for Mansfield Gas company until he retired at EIGHTY.

Glenn remembered their first car as a Studebaker, when he was a boy. There were two seats but no top or side windows. Later his father and grandfather went together to buy a Model T. Just down highway 71 a few miles was a tiny town named Ione. Never heard of it? Maybe you have heard of it's two most famous residents born there, Dizzy and Paul Dean!

Glenn graduated from high school at Mansfield in 1926. There were twelve in his class. He entered Henderson-Brown in Arkadelphia in 1927. After two years he transferred to the University of Arkansas for business courses. He married Alice Stanford in 1931. After her death Glenn married my sister and they had almost twenty-five years together. They literally traveled the world. Quite a treat for my sister who had only been out of Arkansas to move to California during World War II. She had never flown or driven a car. She still hasn't done the car part.

Glenn was a devoted Christian and active member of Goddard Memorial Methodist Church in Fort Smith. We will miss him and his kind smile and gentle voice.

I wrote earlier about the fall of a young fireman from Brownsville as he was killed at a Rangers game while reaching out for a ball thrown to the stands by Hamilton. I asked you to pray for Josh, as well as for the little son who saw it all happen. Today's paper gives some info of his response to it all. In an interview by reporters these are some comments"

(On how he plans to be further involved) "I haven't thought it all the way through yet. Obviously I want it to be personal, face to face. I'd love to know what kind of man Mr.Stone was and just meet his wife and little boy and see where it goes from there. Nothing we can do is going to bring him back"

The newspaper writer goes on to say: "A man who recovered from drug addiction and lives with an abundance of Christian faith.....'It helps me handle life, and this is life, this tragedy. There are things that happen that you have no control over and you don't understand them and you will never understand them until you stand in front of your Maker......just a random act of kindness turned tragic.....it just lets you know how quickly life can change, just in the blink of an eye, that quick.' "

We should all listen to what he had to say. He and his wife have started a memorial fund that he talks about: "My wife and I plan to do something with that and try to do everything possible."

Should our Christian faith make a difference in all of life? Most certainly. I think he and his wife are reflecting this in the face of a tragedy in the lives of a family they never knew.

Some are estimating it is the third worst drought in Texas history. Some others are even saying it is the worst ever. Obviously the state is so big it is hard to call. Some areas have had rains others did not get. Here in Rockport we have recorded less than five inches this year, I believe.

So what do we do about it? We can ask God to open the skies and bring us rain. We can conserve what water resources are available. We can curtail some outdoor activities that are dangerous in this heat. We can wait.

It is amazing that part of our nation experienced some of their worst floods ever...while we dried up! Mark Twain had a memorable statement. "Everybody talks about the weather. No one does anything about it." We have had the cloud seeding and rain dances and all the rest, but God still has this project in His hands. I am real glad that is so. It is a reminder that much of the other things of earth are also in His hands.

An interesting twist.....some cattle are dying from having drunk too much WATER!

Our old boards for the windows had taken a beating since last used. Assured a storm will be headed our way this year I started my preparation. It called for several new sheets of half inch four by eight plyboard. Lowes was good in loading them into my truck. They didn't follow me from Aransas Pass to Rockport for unloading, however. A sheet of plyboard is not an easy thing to handle anytime. It was especially contrary in the wind but I managed somehow.

Now I am extremely uncomfortable in my right hip. Tylenol, ibuprofen, emu oil, and horse linament (sp) have kept me going. At night it all wears off so I have spent the last three evenings sitting up in a chair or tossing about in the bed seeking relief. Better days will come as my damaged muscles, or whatever. heal, but it is an awful reminder of what I can no longer do.

When that inevitable storm bears down on us I will have to have help in putting those boards on sixteen windows and doors. It makes me realize that many more will face the same dilemma. They will either need assistance or simply leave with unprotected windows.

It would be nice if there were teams of young, strong men who would be ready to move in on a house and board it up in short order. Of course they will have their own property to prepare. The fortunate ones with storm shutters to simply crank closed are blessed. These plyboard pieces are not fun to deal with.

So I am now in a position where I cannot install the boards I prepared. My hurting hip will limit for some time what I can do. I am the first victim of a yet to form storm out in some distant island chain.

How often is this so in other areas of our lives? We prepare for something that hasn't come to pass and get hurt in the process. We anticipate too far ahead and get hit by another of life's problems.

One area that DOES call for preparation BEFORE the storm is the spiritual. Making this bit of preparation is never too soon. The consequences are more painful than a hip pointer.

I know most of you could care less that I saw one at my water in the backyard, but someone might give a hoot. (That's a bird sound for you non-br's).
An orchard oriole is an unmistakable bird. They come through in migration but the middle of July seems a bit early. However, were I an orchard oriole spending my summer vacation in Texas I would not think twice about hiking out for the mountains of Central or South America or wherever they go for winter.

My brother and his wife, Chloye, are heading from the Tetons to Colorado and Estes Park. They have a nice fifth wheel to live in. We are wishing to be there, but things just aren't right right now for that. It is a great plan. They saw grizzlies and Elk in the Tetons.

I missed church with an aching hip. At home I gazed out over our burning yard. There were the dead tomatoes, fig trees losing their leaves, grass turning brown, and even our wild olive tree with the droops. Fortunately we have no grapes, sheep or cattle. Seeing me moping over it all Ann proceeded to get her Bible and tell me of Scott's sermon. She read me these verses from Habakkuk: "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vine;though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food;though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior."

I am doing better. Second-hand sermons can work too.

I saw it today on the news so it has to be true. The face of Jesus appeared on a Wal Mart receipt of the Simmons family. They had just been to church. It has to be the real thing......except....how do we know what Jesus really looked like? There are no photos or paintings of Him from that day. Is it a picture of the resurrected Christ or pre-resurrection.? Inquiring minds need to know. Why would it be so blurred if the Creator of the world and everything in it placed it there? Why on the receipt from a Wal Mart store?

This will give us something to mull over as we roast from the heat across the country. If it is actually a picture of Christ on that receipt it might be a reminder that millions and millions of money spent in those stores actually should have gone to Him to spread His message to the world. Were the tithes spent in Wal Marts applied to the work of the Lord we would have a different world than the one we see today. There would be missionaries by the multiplied thousands encompassing the Globe with the Great Commission. There would be help to the widows and orphans and homeless so they could know a better life. There is no end to what could have been done for the Kingdom if the monies Jesus' work should have received hadn't gone to Wal Mart.

You might check your next receipt from Wal Mart for His image. If it isn't there you can still think for a moment about what you gave to His work and what you gave to the god of Wal Mart.

Who said seventy-nine has to be boring? It certainly has not been for me. Yesterday is an example. Medicines I had taken, as prescribed by the Doc, had given me relief in my back. (I thought it was a pain in my hip) Boards of various sizes from 4x8 on down lay scattered about the yard where the project of preparing them for the windows, in case of a storm, lay unfinished and useless. At 8:30 a dear friend, James Bell, showed up. James is a retired policeman. While in Viet Nam on patrol someone in front of him stepped on a booby trap. He received shrapnel through most of his body. God allowed him to make a full recovery. James' favorite activity is helping people. I am grateful to be on his list. Before noon the boards were all sawed and put away. Residue was picked up and prepared for the county dump. All the while it was HOT! It was a great half-day. More to come.

At five o'clock Ann and I were in Portland for a Memorial Service for dear friend, Al Loidl. I wrote about Al at an earlier time but must say a bit more. There was a picture in the foyer of an old passenger ship. It's final name was the USS Abraham Lincoln. In the summer of 1917 Al's parents arrived at Ellis Island in New York from Austria on this ship. Less than a year later it would be sunk in the North Atlantic by a German U-Boat. (submarine). A passenger list had been found and was displayed. There were the names of all the immigrants on board that trip. Loidl was listed among them. Three years later Alfred Loidl would be born. Al began the first grade not speaking or understanding English. He would conquer this barrier and rise to the top of his class. He was a two-time all state football player in high school. Duke University gave him a scholarship to play football in 1939. In 1941 Duke was ranked number TWO in the nation.They were invited to play Oregon State in the Rose Bowl! This son of an immigrant family from Austria had moved to the top.......then it happened.... December 7,1941 the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The next day we were at war. Gatherings of large crowds along the West Coast was forbidden by our government. It was too dangerous. The ROSE BOWL was cancelled......they thought. The coach at Duke had other plans. He invited Oregon State to Durham, North Carolina. They would play the Rose Bowl there. On January 1, 1942 the two teams met in Durham and played this NUMBER ONE BOWL GAME in the nation at Durham. Duke lost 20-16 in a driving rainstorm. Oregon State claimed it was their kind of weather. Al played in that game at right guard as a reserve. He was only in his first year of playing eligibility since freshmen did not play on varsity back then. Players also went both ways in a game.

I got to share that story in the service at 6:00 P.M. We were gathered at Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Portland where Al was a member. This was following a Mass. Never did that before!

So, it was a jam-packed day of events for this old guy. I can hardly wait to see what unfolds on this day. I genuinely hope...not too much!

While most of us hunkered down near a fan and watched "Wheel" there were folks from First Baptist who had put in a full day of work, and were now giving half their evening to work with boys and girls at First Baptist, Taft, in Vacation Bible School. This is a true mission effort. Most of the kids who attend are not members, nor do they attend this church. Some of them have their very first Bibles. Still others have read from it for the very first time. Now, there are those who have been led to a simple but profound faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior. The road from this point will be tough, for they will not have a lot of encouragement. God can work through all of that.

This evening they will bring parents and friends back to the church for the "carnival". Seventy-five cakes have been prepared for the cake walk as prizes. It will be a fun time and the close of a great week for Taft kids and for those who gave of themselves so generously. Thank you Gayle and crew!!! Thank you Taft folks who also helped in many ways. Patty Carver and Johnny led the way from that side. Thank you, Pastor Smith for coming aboard and being a vital part of it all. Results are not counted in heads but in hearts.

Over at Bethel in Ingleside their VBS was going on. They also have had a great week. Their octogenarian pastor, Charles Fake, hung in there like the trooper he is. (Hey Charles! Moses was just getting started at EIGHTY! What's your problem?)

Bible schools are the lifeline for our churches. The numbers of persons who began a walk with the Lord through a Vacation Bible School is enormous. It should have a top priority in all a church is about.

Know what's hot? Hotter than jalapenos? New York City!!! It's funny how the news guys paid little attention to our sweltering, but now are feeling the heat. What goes around comes around.

We met friends at King's Inn near Rivera Beach Friday for lunch. As you know who have been there it is a premier eating place for seafood. Do not forget your billfold.

I was eating a delicious little fried oyster. Suddenly I bit something hard as a rock. Hoped I hadn't broken a tooth! Carefully, I rolled that little feller around in my mouth and then hit it again. Now all table manners were set aside as I felt around and came out with.....a pearl! It isn't a giant one or even very pretty. It lacks perfect roundness. It is a little larger than a BB, but I found a pearl! It is mine! Know what it is worth? What the market will pay. I am guessing that would be nothing!

Jesus told a parable about a pearl buyer. This merchant was looking only for fine pearls. Mine would not have caught his eye at all. He finally found THE pearl. It was the one he had dreamed of owning. It was of great value. I imagine he left something of worth to hold it with the seller. He then went home and sold EVERYTHING he had so he could buy that one pearl.

Jesus said the kingdom of heaven is like that. It is of that kind of value and worth. What would you sell your kingdom home for? If you are like me you would say, "It isn't for sale!". This is the one fine pearl of life and eternity we give everything for. It's value is beyond money or power or lands. If you own that pearl you are exceptionally wealthy today. If by chance you do not, you are at this moment destitute. The pearl of great value is the Kingdom. Nothing like it.

We shall see today. Are the overpaid players of the NFL ready to forget those extra cars they hoped to purchase? Are the super-rich owners ready to make a few more million and forget their giant egos? That these folks are arguing issues like BIG money at a time like this is simply ridiculous. They forget completely the thousands of people who also make a living at pro football. They sell hotdogs and programs and hotel rooms, and a thousand other game related items. What about them?

I have a good friend who is making a commercial for the NFL. It will be shown on their screens all over the country and in turn around the world. It is a really big deal. This will help feed his family. If the strike isn't settled the screens will be blank and so will his income. There are so many people like that.

Greed can destroy a family or church or ministry or a business. Some are never satisfied with what they have, but always look for more. The ones who bother me the most are those wrapped in religious garb. They are pedaling their products like it was toothpaste or shaving cream.

On the other hand I am seeing a church be generous beyond imagination. It has a loving and caring heart for people and persons and missions. It's giving is expanding the world. Our church has sent mission teams to Colombia and Honduras, Connecticut, Taft, and other places through individuals who have sacrificed to travel there to share the good news of the Gospel.

While our politicians and athletes squabble over money, others are about doing the greater work with the same resource. That is right and good.

They have been around my lifetime and a lot longer. I remember one from my childhood with little bits of glass, but when you turned or shook it a bit all kinds of amazing designs appeared. They always reminded me of patterns on quilts women made back then. Jimmie Box sent me an amazing one you can see on a computer. It goes on and on with thousands of new patterns...maybe more. I started researching how kaleidoscopes work but after a few minutes I decided for me it was best not to know. I would simply go on enjoying the amazing, changing, colorful patterns of each moment.

Kinda' like my thoughts about heaven. They are kaleidoscopic. They have changed a bit through the years. They started with streets of gold and gates of pearls. My views are quite different today from back then. Am I right or wrong? Does it really matter? Could Heaven be a kaleidoscope where the beauty and activity and challenges and joy take on different dimensions all the time, in a place where there is no time?

What is the other world God has planned for us like? Better than my kaleidoscopic ideas for sure.
Here's what an expert on the subject stated: "as it is written, no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him." (I cor.2:9)

The Creator has done it again. He has had a lot of practice in making our world and the worlds. This will be beyond that. Wow!!! I don't even want to know how it works. I will wait and see.

Dakota Meyer is a true hero. He was a Marine corporal in Afghanistan in 2009 when he and several others were pinned down under enemy fire for five hours. No help was coming for them. He was surrounded by men who had been shot so he made the dangerous decision to get them out if he could. One by one Dakota carried five men to a safer place. One was his lieutenant, Michael Johnson. Another was Gunnery Sgt. Edwin Johnson. A third was Staff Sgt. Aaron Kenefick. Still another was a Navy Corpsman, James Layton. A fifth was an un-named Afghan soldier they were training. All five of them were dead or died in the process. Dakota Meyer is receiving the Medal of Honor for his actions. It is well deserved. He did what he could.

It is heart-warming to note who they were: a commanding officer; a ranking enlisted Marine; a Navy corpsman; and even an Afghan soldier who he probably didn't know by name. It really didn't matter that much to Dakota Meyer. He did the best he could for each one, knowing if their bodies were abandoned the enemy would take them and no word would ever come to families of their whereabouts, or if they were dead or alive.

In a far different way for sure, there is a word to we who are "soldiers of the cross". Our loving hands should reach out to those who might be, as the Bible says, "dead in trespasses and sins".It is not our main job to feel their spiritual pulse or diagnose their injuries. We are simply to reach out with a plan to rescue them.

Are all our rescue efforts successful? Far from it. Many I shared the good news with died without being rescued. My responsibility was to offer safety, not to make it happen.

Those who work in Vacation Bible Schools and mission trips share with many who will never be rescued.....but some will be. You are still deserving of God's medal of honor.

If you live along the coast of Texas you are watching this storm named Don. He is more than six hundred miles from us this Thursday morning, but with nothing to impede the progress Don could arrive at destination sometime late Friday. So far no one is using the word "hurricane". That of course could change.

Will it break the drought or put a dent in it? We only have to wait and see. I know many many people have been praying for rain. The matter is quite severe. Whether Don does part of the job of drought busting remains to be seen. He could be the start however. These systems can come in and stall and severe flooding occurs. We don't want that. It could take a turn to the right and leave us high and dry. We don't want that. It could gain strength and becoming a raging hurricane. We don't want that.Bottom line is that none of these events are in our hands or control. We trust in the Lord and accept the results.

So we wait and see. Boarding up is only if there is a significant change. We may want to get in lawn chairs and things that could blow about. It would be good to check natural drainage to assure a free flow of excessive water. Drinking water should be on hand other than the faucet.

It's all up to Don right now.

None will ever forget the name Judas of Iscariot. American history taught me of Benedict Arnold years ago. The list has grown through the years.Traitors!

Our military has cause for concern about Afghan soldiers who move in their ranks but are discovered, sometimes painfully, to be traitors to the cause battling terrorism. Even more distressing are those who are traitors in our own ranks. A man with the rank of major in the army went on a killing spree at Fort Hood. It was a terrible tragedy. Now, another potential killer and traitor has been caught, perhaps hours before he would repeat another terrorist act at Fort Hood. It was not a coincidence that both were Muslim. Other such acts have happened at earlier times in Kuwait and Iraq. Has our military been infiltrated with terrorists? Some would say so. There is a chilling book listing many such signs from the Pentagon to the army ranks.You can read if you like by going to "Traitors In The Ranks" . You will have to filter through all the political stuff but it is there. The author is a man named Sperry.

I am not an alarmist but I am alarmed these two men would step out from our military ranks and target the same military base where many of our troops return to after duty. Fort Hood is one of our largest bases. It is in Texas. It has been around a long time and represents the service and those men and women who serve, or have done so.

Are these isolated incidents? Wishful thinking. As we approach the tenth anniversary of 9-11 I am fearful of a much larger and even more dangerous event. We live in a violent world where "hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good will to men".

It was strange. Really weird. This "tropical storm" called Don traveled across the Gulf of Mexico at 16MPH with it's target Corpus Christi and Rockport.It could be the drought-buster we have needed for months. Prospects of bringing us as much as seven inches of rain were on forecasters lips. On Friday morning the first rains from Don poured down on our patio. The hundred or so drops quickly disappeared in our oppressive heat. Friday evening would be different. We thought of having a party awaiting the arrival of Don.

Don had different plans. When he hit the stifling heat of South Texas summer he simply couldn't take it! He disintegrated and quickly melted back into the arid skies.We got nothing from Don except a few red faces on the weather gurus as they shook their heads and slinked off into the week-end wondering if their mothers had been right when they told them to "get a job".

Back to dragging the hoses and turning on our well water that has been a life-giver for what has stayed alive. Deer are even eating rose bushes in the front yard. The drought goes on. Is there another to-be-named storm lurking in the future? That's for sure. This one was a false alarm. It was the storm most wanted. Only the cotton harvesters were not inviting Don. The next one may be different.