fourth quarter

I'm scheduled to have hernia surgery this week. Prior to surgery I had to get chest x-rays, an EKG, blood tests and a covid test. Last Saturday morning I drove to Winchester Medical Center for the covid test. Their walk-in office is open from 8 am to noon. I arrived at 9 am. Good! The first wave has gone through. I should be heading back home in a jiffy. it didn't work out that way. the office was jammed with people. there were more people waiting in the hallway. an hour plus wait for a 5-minute test.  while I was waiting the seat next to me opened up and an african american woman probably half my age took it. although we didn't speak I could tell that she was a naturally joyful person. she had a great smile. several times she offered her seat to others--old, young, a mother with a baby, caucasian, african american. it didn't make any difference. She exuded joy. if I had been born african american then I probably would have been angry and militant. I probably would have...

I was surfing the 'net this morning. I came across a social media post that said (I'm paraphrasing): suppose by some miracle that you could speak to yourself when you were 18 years old. what would you say? only 3 words. "God loves you." in good times and in bad times. if only I had repeated this mantra at least once each day for the last 56 years, then I might feel better about the end of the 4th quarter. nonetheless, I still believe that God loves me.

for those who may believe that the fourth quarter is too late to change the game, I recommend:  Game of Life: The Transcendence of Opposites: Lau, Kin: 9780578632520: Amazon.com: Books   the game isn't over until the fourth quarter is done--and the final gun sounds.  in the immortal words of Yogi Berra, "it ain't over till it's over." 

I'm blessed to share my fourth quarter (not to mention the first, second and third quarters too) with my beautiful wife, Jenny. She is a wonderful wife and mother. She's not my "better half". Jenny is EVERYTHING  to me. 

Fire and Rain - YouTube   Fire and Rain James Taylor Just yesterday mornin', they let me know you were gone Suzanne, the plans they made put an end to you I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song I just can't remember who to send it to I've seen fire and I've seen rain I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend But I always thought that I'd see you again Won't you look down upon me, Jesus? You've got to help me make a stand You've just got to see me through another day My body's aching and my time is at hand And I won't make it any other way Oh, I've seen fire and I've seen rain I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend But I always thought that I'd see you again Been walking my mind to an easy time My back turned towards the sun Lord knows, when the cold wind blows It'll turn y...

my daughter and grandson came to visit yesterday. it's been a while since we've seen our grandson. he and I talked. my grandson has it all figured out. he's leveraged his bachelor's degree into a handsome 6-figure salary. he's going to leverage his master's degree (in progress) into even more money. he's going to accumulate enough money to marry his girlfriend and move into a big house. they'll have rooms for him and her, for him, for her, and for anything (or anybodies?) that their hearts desire. not only separate bedrooms for the kids, but also college will be paid for them before they're born. he has it all figured out. I asked him if he was having fun. he stumbled for an answer. I told my grandson that talking with him was like talking to myself when I was his age. I had it all figured out too. then along came his mom. then came the draft and two years in the army. then a son and two more daughters, and the career--the highs, the lows and the in-...

is there an answer for everything?  hardly. there are some who would have you believe that they have all of the answers: self-proclaimed experts government media religion academia science medicine health   absurd. exactly! disease natural disasters poverty hunger ignorance crime the list is endless. the truth is that no human being has all of the answers. reject those  who claim that they have all of the answers. remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from Whom you learned it.   2 timothy 3  with faith I have all that I need to make it through the end of the 4th quarter. 

needless to say, reflecting on one's life is personal.  does everyone reflect on their life? probably not.  some people begin to reflect on their lives while they're still young.  reflection for some increases with age. I'm one of these people. then comes the fourth quarter. I'm retired. my children are grown, are working and have families of their own. I no longer run around 100 mph with my hair on fire. how did I do? I could have done a LOT better. so, now what? finish the game. finishing strong doesn't make up for all of the mistakes that I've made. but what choice do I have? most likely I'm in the fourth quarter of my life. eventually my life in this place will end.  now is all I've got.