As of yet I have not taken my bow in the woods. I have not spent one minute in a tree stand. This has been a very unusual year to say the least. I officially started deer hunting when I was 14 years old. This marks my 49th. year for trying to put some venison in the freezer, or put a nice rack on the wall. I really want to match wits with a whitetail before January 1st. rolls around, but honestly my hiatus is not making me “crazy!”
My grand kids have had some health issues, the economy has plagued several of my children, my mom hasn’t felt well, and my good friend (like a dad) Joe Giarmo recently had a heart attack. I just got over a bout with gout and an infected saliva gland (by Gods grace and prayer.) Through all this my focus has been, and will continue to be, my family. As important as hunting season is to me personally, it shrinks in comparison to the value I place on my family.
To be honest it wasn’t always that way. At one time my priorities were out of whack. Looking back I now see how selfish I was for many years, as my wife and kids played second fiddle to “MY” time in the woods. When it came to hunting money hardly mattered. Sometimes I would loose all sense of balance when it came to my wants, and my families needs. My wife is a bone-a-fide Saint.
Maybe its a matter of maturing, or maybe its just old age. I’m sure much of it has to do with becoming a born again Christian, and receiving some great bible based teachings on the things in life that matter most. I will not take one of my Pope and Young bucks with me when I depart this earth. My 500 pound black bear (which I sold years ago) will be “wherever!” Caribou, wild boar, turkeys, big fish will all rot and decay and end up in a landfill one day. Pictures and scrapbooks may get dusted off and looked at once every ten years, or hidden in a trunk and sold in a garage sale sometime down the road.
I’ve come to understand that there is only one thing I can take with me and thats the love I give my family, and the love they give me in return. I Corinthians 13:4-6 says “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trust, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails.” I can possess all manner of wisdom, wealth, and power, but without love I am nothing!
I guess I’m trying to say I’m content where I’m at right now. I still have a long way to go concerning getting a grip on Agape love, but I continue to strive toward that calling that Christ has placed on my life. Rev. Martin Luther King said he had been to the Mountain Top, and what a difference it made in his life. I also have been to the mountain top, in more ways than one, and it gives life a whole new perspective. The journey will end for all of us one day. It’s important that we consider “Whats Next?” As for me and my house we will be on the most exciting adventure imaginable. I hope you join me on my travels.
Surely the mountains reflect His glory!
Mike,
I’ve told you already, but I truly think your priorities right on. I love getting out hunting every so often, but I would never put that before family. When my daughter was born last year, I only made it out two times and I have no regrets.
Hunting is great, and it provides some much needed relaxation from time to time, but family is definitely more important.
What a great post.