Wayne and I have been friends since the first grade. He and Ronnie were also friends. The first day of school he went home and told his mother than he made a new friend today and that there were two of him.
The friendship forged has been lifelong and feels more like family than friendship. Another thing that Wayne and I have in common is that we both lived next door to our paternal grandparents.
His grandparents were gracious and kind people and lived in the biggest house that I had ever seen. It was also the first time I had seen mounted deer and elk heads gracing the walls of one's home. His grandfather was a hunter.
When we were in the third grade, Wayne's grandparents took all of us to their cabin on Lake Colorado City, and his grandfather taught us to waterski. In that respect, my love of the water came alive. What an incredible sense of adventure.
Fishing was never a part of the water package that I enjoyed. Perhaps if I had caught fish, it might have altered my perception of the sport, but I am not a fisherman.
Yesterday in response to my blog about the therapeutic value of living on the water, Wayne sent me the picture of the two men in a boat. He and his wife, Mary (friend from the 3rd grade) lived on Lake Belton for many years. Mary is now with the Lord, and Wayne recently moved from their lakeside home.
Along with the photo, Wayne wrote: "I took this photo of these two happy campers from the upper deck of the house. It was Sunday morning at 8:01 December 12,2021. I was up there in my studio. [Note: Wayne is an artist and discovered his giftedness during his elementary school years. I still have a painting that he gave me in the 7th grade. I made the frame for it in woodshop at school. It has been on display in every home where I have lived with the exception of the temporary housing in which we now reside. Everything we own including artwork is in storage pending our move.]
At any rate, Wayne was in his studio and saw these two guys bass fishing in the cove on which their home was located. That Sunday morning, church had been canceled due to hazardous road conditions. Everything was covered with ice.
It was not exactly the kind of day where anyone would want to be outdoors. It was 29 degrees in a freezing mist. Wayne was puzzled how the two guys managed to get on the lake. The boat had to have been stored at one of the marinas. The boat ramps were all frozen over and closed.
Wayne insightfully wrote: "With the effort it took for them to get to that moment, I guess different folks have different pictures of what tranquility is. As long as you are fishing, it doesn't matter what the weather conditions are.
“The photo doesn't look it, but it is in color. The color was cold drab grey! I wondered about their sanity and then I saw a framed photo from the last duck hunt I had been on and was reminded of the cold boat ride back to the launch site in the rain and the two in the bass boat did not seem as odd to me at first glance...When I would look at the lake, Pslams 23:1-3 would always come to mind:
‘"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.’"
All My Best!
Don