# 115 Tis the season

Santa did not disappoint!

The joy and blessing of having two little girls just under three years old in the house for Christmas is beyond explanation.. It did not stay like this for long! The look on their face when they realized there was a pile of presents to open was priceless! I am happy that everyone was able to be at our house early Christmas morning for homemade cinnamon rolls and coffee. It has been our family tradition that before any gifts are opened we read the account of Jesus birth from the bible. This is the real reason for the season! I have given up midnight mass in favor of the 5 pm vigil mass. I still need the nap Christmas afternoon though...Once again my wife did a masterful job of finding just the right gifts for each family member..including me! I hope all of you had a blessed Christmas too.

Matthew 11

25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 

26 Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

27 “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

# 114 Welcome!

I am late with my posts because of a great event! Our third grandchild was born this past weekend.  What a blessing it is to be able to watch your children have children. It is yet another reminder that we all have seasons in life that we should enjoy. It does not seem like that long ago that we were in that season of babies and no sleep! We will enjoy this Christmas season with a newborn in our midst. I would like to wish all of you a blessed Christmas and hope you will enjoy some family time and lots to eat.

Luke 2

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,

    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

# 113 You Don't Know

You really don't know what you don't know!

I spent a fair amount of time over the past couple weeks returning the favor on the prayer front. My youngest son was in the hospital for a few days and I found out what it was like to be on the other side of things...It was not fun. I was also reminded that plenty of things are going on with friends and family that you may not know everything about. So my hope for you is to remember to pray, even if you think everybody is doing great.....

My son is doing better and some other situations with friends are improving.

I will continue to pray for all of them!

Take some time this week to pray for your families, they may need it more than you know. 

On a personal note I am feeling better each week. I am taking a day of vacation this week to meet with some folks from the Texas Parks and Wildlife to look at a kayak paddle trail on Lake Conroe, that I submitted an application for. You can read more about the program here.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/boat/paddlingtrails/inland/

I will let you know how it goes next week.

Ephesians 6

 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

# 112 For the Birds!

Most folks see robins  (the bird above) as a sign of spring. In Texas they are also a sign of the fall migration. Things must be getting cold up north. I enjoy the many species that travel through the south for the winter. There are new birds,...new for me, every year to add to my life list. Take some time to look around, and up! There is no telling what you may see.

Mathew 6

Do Not Worry

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

# 111 Thankful

I have plenty to be thankful for! And as we start December of another year it is hard to not stop and think "where has the time gone". I am once again reminded how precious our time on this earth is.

I am blessed to have my sons and their families close by so we can visit often. I am not sure what Grandma would do if she could not see the grand kids every few days. I continue to heal and work is good therapy. I guess this means retirement to the rocking chair is out of the question. I am sure one day I may change jobs but I will have to remain busy in some capacity to stay anywhere close to some form of sanity. Winter is a good time to reflect.

Psalm 118

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.

8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in humans.
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in princes.

# 110 Rome Wasn't Built In A Day

This old saying has become very clear to me this week as I continue my  walking program!

One of the photo collections I follow is called "Our Ruins" this was one of my entries. It is a hard thing to see how far out of shape one can get with 3-4 weeks of no or very limited activity.

The rust is everywhere! I guess as we get older this rusting process is more pronounced! I am back at it now with a renewed sense of commitment, but I am sure it will take me several weeks more to get back into any kind of shape. One thing is sure though "sit and be fit" will not work for  me.

Today was my first day back to work.

Proverbs 27:17

As iron sharpens iron,

    so one person sharpens another.

# 109 The speed of things

This is two pictures of the lake Livingston dam taken about 2 months apart. The top is a lake discharge of 1000 cfs. The bottom is a lake discharge of 56,000 cfs. This is a good representation of how things have gone for me the past few months. One day I am fishing in calm water and the next the flood gates are open! I was actually fishing there the day I took the top picture. I continue to recover and work to get stronger every day. I am still walking a 1/2 mile twice a day and expect to increase that next week.  One more week of home bound recovery and I will head back to work. I am ready to get back to it.

One thing is certain in this life, things will change. Sometimes it will be a big change! When the floods do come I hope you have a strong faith to hold on to. We are all looking forward to the thanksgiving and Christmas holidays ahead. We will also welcome a new Batchelder boy in December to our family, our third grandchild,and first grandson.

Enjoy your week!

James 1

Trials and Temptations

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

# 108 Time

We have all heard all the old sayings about time..it waits for no man, it marches on. it slips away, and it flies. I have spent the last month in and out of the hospital, healing from major surgery and heart problems. When forced to slow down you get a new perspective on time, and how fragile our existence is. I added the picture above showing the ripples in the sand  as the water reseeded from our last rain event, to remind us that even nature takes its time getting back to normal. Yes one step at a time! I am pleased to tell you that I am making steps forward and should be back to work in a couple of weeks. Normal? well in my experience that will come sometime late next year.
Here are a few things I have learned in my "time off"
Prayer is a powerful thing.
My wife is a saint.
I have some very good friends.
I am really sick of TV.
The sun feels really good on your face.

Ecclesiastes 1

5 

The sun rises and the sun sets,

    and hurries back to where it rises.

6 

The wind blows to the south

    and turns to the north;

round and round it goes,

    ever returning on its course.

7 

All streams flow into the sea,

    yet the sea is never full.

To the place the streams come from,

    there they return again.

8 

All things are wearisome,

    more than one can say.

The eye never has enough of seeing,

    nor the ear its fill of hearing.

9 

What has been will be again,

    what has been done will be done again;

    there is nothing new under the sun.

# 107 Make Your Plans

"Make your plans, but don't plan on it"

I made this one up when I was in high school. I even did a search to be sure no one had the same saying and found none. So I guess its an original. For you who follow these posts the humming birds did show up last week and plenty! I have not seen the droves of birds from last year but a dozen or so are always fun to watch. I will be tending to some health issues over the next few weeks so be patient if my posts are not on time. I will do the best I can. 

Proverbs 27:1 

Do not boast about tomorrow,    for you do not know what a day may bring.

# 106 Waiting..Still

Last week I told you to get ready for these guys...things have been slow around our house. I guess  we have been spoiled the past couple of years with lots of birds. Anyway I still cleaned all the feeders and filled them with fresh syrup this weekend. Hope they show up soon! 

Psalm 46:10

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

    I will be exalted among the nations,

    I will be exalted in the earth.”

# 105 Humming Birds

This is one of my favorite times of year. The fall migration of humming birds is just around the corner. If you are in Texas get your feeders ready! The next month will be fun bird watching!

 We have been blessed the past few years with hundreds of birds...I can't wait. Even if you are  not a huge birder get a feeder put up and you will be helping feed the humming birds on their migration.

Here is a link to my youtube channel and a video I took a couple of years ago. 

It was a food fight!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSEZ6_leEgY

Matthew 7

16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 

# 104 Take Your Own Advice

On more than one occasion here I have suggested that you ..and me, that we should slow down and enjoy life. Take time to relax. Well we call relaxing getting up before sunrise, driving over an hour to the coast. Launching our kayaks in clouds of mosquito and getting to see this! Yes that is relaxing...

It also makes the afternoon nap that much more enjoyable!

The famous writer  George Washington Sears :(Nessmuk) wrote

 "We do not go to the green woods and crystal waters to rough it, we go to smooth it. We get it rough enough at home; in towns and cities; in shops, offices, stores, and banks. 

This quote seems to fit our lives today more than ever. It is interesting to me that wisdom from the late 1800's is still true today.

James 1

5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and [h]without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

#103 Dog Days

Every part of the country has its seasons where you just need to bear down and get through it. I n Texas that's usually July and August. This year has been very normal HOT! The book sales have been going very well. Store distribution continues and everyone who has gotten one has given me super feedback. I have donated a few to some fishing tournaments and made a few contacts with the kayak specialty stores. All of a sudden my signature is valuable! Don't worry I have too much work to do to get to far off the ground...

It is gratifying to know that the book will help people get out doors and enjoy kayaking.

Ecclesiastics 7;8-9

The end of a matter is better than its beginning;

Patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit.

9 

Do not be eager in your heart to be angry,

For anger resides in the bosom of fools.

# 102 A Thousand Words..

The fisherman, photographer,writer took a few days last week to enjoy the outdoors

I shall let the pictures do most of the talking..

Shameless selfie!

calm waters

What does that top sign say?

# 101 Reflecting

This week has been a busy one with the family. New addresses, boxes and cleaning! I am reminded that we should take some down time for reflection. I also took a trip to the doctor this week and he also reminded me that I should slow down a bit. I am working on that! My close friend lost his mother in the past few days, and having gone through that I know how hard that is. Yet, all of us are heading in that direction. So my message to you this week is to take a step back and enjoy all those in your life. Most of us have more blessings that we can count.

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

1 Samuel 16:7 NASB

# 100 Kids!

I spent last weekend with a bunch of 4-H kids teaching about camera buttons!

This gecko was a hit and they turned him into a star! 

Yea even us big kids got in on the act! after all we do love photography! It is great to work with kids who are truly interested in learning!

# 99 Fruit!

Persistence does pay off! I am pleased to say that this week I got the first few copies of the "Kayak Book". This has been a two year time investment for me,starting from the early days when I decided to write this book. One year + to get the book written and almost a full year to find a publisher, work through the set up and see the book printed. I could not be happier with the way it turned out.

Now the marketing begins.

The publisher, Texas Fish and Game magazine has books already in Academy stores and this will be the new edition. We will also have the book in Fishing Tackle Unlimited as well as kayak distributors like Austin Canoe and Kayak (ACK).

The fruit of this labor looks pretty sweet!

I have learned a lot, and also forged some great new friendships.

The book is available online at http://fishandgamegear.com/

Psalm 103:21-22 (NASB)

21 

Bless the Lord, all you His hosts,

You who serve Him, doing His will.

22 

Bless the Lord, all you works of His,

In all places of His dominion;

Bless the Lord, O my soul!