Here in Almost Heaven; June 26, 2020

Good evening from Huntington, West Virginia.

(If you're under 30, you may not have gotten the heading reference.  And if you're older than 30 and didn't, google John Denver).

I'm beginning my return trip back to a troubled Texas over the COVID-19 crisis after going to Pennsylvania late last week to help my cousin and fiance prepare for and meet with the attorney who will be opening up the estate of my uncle Dave who passed away last Tuesday from injuries suffered in a fire at his house early Monday morning, June 15.

I really hate to say it, but if my grandparents' house were still in the family after my grandmother passed last June 25, I would have stayed in Pennsylvania until everything gets back on track in the Lone Star State.

The county that I'm from - Blair County - may have less than 100 active cases right now.

Granted, I would consider it basically a rural county, but if I were running away from it I would go there.  (Even though I've seen people as cavalier to it all as those in Texas are, including a health care worker that walked into a Sheetz without a mask on.)

I have changed my tune, by the way, on masks after all of the businesses in Pennsylvania and Maryland that I went into required them (even though some in Pennsylvania I didn't see visibly enforcing things).

While I don't spend a lot of time in any business, other than a movie theater recently, I will wear them ongoing, even if I go to Montgomery County to do certain shopping, as I have largely this past week here on the road.

I saw one person on a friend's post calling Harris County judge Lena Hidalgo an idiot and my thought was, "How many people have to die from this for you to stop calling her that?"

One is too many.

You may choose to block, unfriend or unfollow me on social media and avoid me personally, and that's OK, but something I've known all along as I've read how people suffer from - and die from - this disease, many have died the same way my sister did in 2014 -- from the flu.

They go into an ICU, get on a vent and never get off and die.

I'm fortunate and I thank God as much as I can - and certainly never enough - that I can - because of my job - limit my interactions with others.

In some lighthearted moments, I've said that I was social distancing long before it was required.

I like my space and unless I invite you in it, stay out.  And the rules haven't changed, but they just have gotten more serious.

Despite the tragedy last week involving my uncle, I'm thankful to God for many things.

I was glad that my aunt - and my Dad and uncle's sister - was able to make it back to Pittsburgh before my cousin had to make the tough decision to let his Dad go.  My Dad was unable to travel and she was able to be with my cousin and fiance.

I was able to spend time with the two of them on both Saturday and Sunday as well some time with my cousin at the attorney's office Tuesday afternoon and again - the two of them - today before I left to return home.

For two young people, who will marry in the next year or so, to handle this, including my cousin losing both his Mom and Dad within six months of each other, as well as they have - is remarkable.

And I told them both that repeatedly and put it here in writing.

While the desire for my aunt and uncle to make me the executor of their wills were rooted in another time in their son's life, I'm always honored that they trusted me to be wise enough to do the right things by their son.

He's matured a whole lot since then and has a good help mate in his fiance.  And as he said today before I left, "it's time to put on his big boy pants".

I'm proud of them both and look forward to working with them to meet the legal obligations with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and eventually close the estate to their benefits.

It was good to visit with Doug and Pat - my great aunt's son and family friend, respectively - in Tyrone a little bit today, both of whom helped my grandparents and our family out in Pennsylvania while part of us are in Texas.

I'm thankful, of course, for safe travels.

And as I stated earlier, I'm appreciative of my employer who has allowed me to step away a few times to handle some things related to these matters.

However, I am looking forward to being home to get back into some of the routines that I was doing to stay healthy.

I think I've logged over 500 miles of running or brisk walking since mid-March.  That's a new high for me.  And I need to safely maintain and do more, if possible.

I'm also grateful that my daughter is able to be visiting currently her best friend from college and her husband in Virginia this week.

If I've said it once, I've said it 500 times, I'm very proud of my daughter and who she is and what she's made of herself.

I hope to get in a run here in the morning to remember a running friend who passed away this week at the age of 78.  He graduated from Marshall University, which is located here in Huntington.  I plan to get a few miles in in memory of Charlie Viers.

Hug your family members, tell them you love them and reach out to your friends - but don't touch them - and make sure they are doing OK.  (Well, if you shake their hands, just make sure you wash immediately after - just in case!)

Time Marches On; June 17, 2020

You know, maybe it is one of those things that you just experience more as you get older.

And that's people you love leaving this earth.

Some do so after a long, well-lived life and others way, way too soon.

My family has had quite a go of it here the past few years.

Of course, my sister and my grandfather - my Dad's dad - passed away in 2014.

My Dad's sister's third husband, Ted, passed away just after Hurricane Harvey made its way through the Gulf Coast area in 2017.

My great aunt Phyllis - my grandfather's sister - expired on February 17, 2019.

My grandmother - my Dad's mom - died last year at the age of 94 last June.  It will be a year ago on June 25.

My Dad's brother's wife - my aunt Ginger - died unexpectedly three days before Christmas 2019.

My great aunt Jane - my grandmother's sister - joined her sister in Heaven on March 11, just three months ago.

And two family members of my daughter's mother - both on her mother's side of the family - passed away this year in Tennessee.

We learned Monday morning, June 15, that my Dad's brother - my uncle Dave - was burned over 80 percent of his body in a fire at his house in Duncansville, Pennsylvania very early in the morning (close to midnight actually).

He was life-flighted to UPMC's Trauma and Burn Center in Pittsburgh Monday morning and it was determined Tuesday evening that there wasn't any more that they could do for him and that he passed about 90 minutes from midnight.

My Dad's sister - my aunt Peggy - flew there yesterday (Tuesday) to be with Dave's son Travis and his fiance to help deal with everything and it looks like I'll start traveling to Pennsylvania Wednesday evening to assist Travis with all of the legal things that he'll have to be a part of dealing with.

Much of this, including my Dad's stroke earlier this year during our current COVID-19 pandemic, I haven't shared with more than one or two people outside of my immediate family.

For all of my involvement over the years in the community, including what I share on social media,  I've simply chosen - even though I have people that view me in a very favorable fashion - not to share too much of my personal life.

I pulled this up late Tuedsay evening and it fits, "We are okay with the idea of giving our burdens to God, but we aren’t so keen on sharing them with those around us."

Yes, Alyssa J. Howard, the person who wrote this four years ago on a blog, that's me to a "T".

She went on to write that it was pride that was a refusal to share - and even using Galatians 6:2-3 that one might think that they're too important to help someone else.

The verse she went on to reference was, "Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. – Galatians 6:2-3 (NLT)"

The latter - helping someone - simply isn't the case with me.

I think it is more that I'm just a fairly private person, but sharing in this fashion - the written word - is the most comfortable way for me to get out and manage my thoughts and feelings.

My employer and work team has been great over the years in allowing me the time to deal with the situations with my sister, grandparents and my Dad.  I couldn't be more thankful.

The issue is that I'll have some legal responsibilities to fulfill on behalf of the wishes of my aunt and uncle and my Dad, who handled most of the things for my grandmother after my grandfather passed and almost all of the items after she passed, is simply not in the physical condition to be able to travel as he desires to.

I know my Dad shared with those on his Facebook page Monday and Tuesday and all of our family is certainly appreciative of all of the prayers that so many requested of the Lord.

As my Dad shared with me Tuesday evening, relaying a conversation that he had with our church's pastor emeritus here recently, there's just certain things that we won't fully understand until it is our time to pass to the other side.

Friends, hug your loved ones as much as you can.

I've had my failings in this area over the years - and it is just a result of my fighting my own battles and not from any lack of care or concern of those closest to me.

A verse from my childhood, James 4:14 (KJV) -- "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." 

So very true.

Friday Night Something; June 12, 2020

If you had told me 20 years ago that the way to break my boredom for a weekend was to go out and run around the great state of Texas, I'd have laughed at you.

I just shuttered at the thought of sitting still for a whole weekend. 

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy sitting and reading a good book or two, but doing more of that - or other sedentary activities - than other things ... I just feel like I'm wasting a bit of my life away.

Still there's so much that I like to do that I can't, but that's changing in a few weeks.  Let's hope.

In two weeks, I'm going to run a 5K in Jacksboro (Jack County) then drive out to Lubbock to cover the Ironman Texas 70.3 for Texas Runner and Triathlete magazine.

I'm already looking for a race for the Fourth of July.  Likely, I will be going to Mexia (which would be a new county - Freestone - to run a race in), and then to see a Texas Collegiate League baseball game somewhere as they will kick off that weekend.

Next weekend, I may go to Abilene to take part in the Abilene Runners Club's Summer Solstice Run, which includes a 5-miler, a three-hour run and a six-hour run.

Beyond all of this, it is make it up as I go.

There were lots of things in the world that were almost sure things that you could plan on so far in advance.  All of that has been turned upside down.  More than once or twice even!

So who knows what I'm working on these days. 

I will see my 25th movie of the year in my 15th different theatre.  And, yes, I think I have most of the theatres in the state on a tab on my big master spreadsheet.

If you're reading, short and sweet here.

Have a great weekend - and thanks for your friendship.

1992 The Sporting News Covers

06/29/92 - Managers In the Making
06/22/92 - David Cone, New York Mets
06/15/22 - Chicago Bulls and Portland Trail Blazers
06/08/92 - Jeff Reardon, Boston Red Sox
06/01/92 - Terry Porter, Portland Trail Blazers
05/25/92 - Lenny Harris, Los Angeles Dodgers
05/18/92 - Clyde Drexler, Portland Trail Blazers
05/11/92 - Tony Gwynn, San Diego Padres
05/04/92 - Barry Bonds, Pittsburgh Pirates
04/27/92 - Scottie Pippen, Chicago Bulls
04/20/92 - Oriole Park at Camden Yards
04/13/92 - Duke over Michigan
04/06/92 - Rob Dibble, Cincinnati and Joe Carter, Toronto
03/30/92 - Ohio State and NCAA Tournament
03/23/92 - Mark Messier, New York Rangers
03/16/92 - Dennis Rodman, Detroit Pistons
03/09/92 - Charles Barkley
03/02/92 - Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky
02/10/92 - Jerry Tarkanian, UNLV
02/03/92 - Washington Redskins over Buffalo Bills
01/27/92 - Kenny Smith, Houston Rockets
01/20/92 - Buffalo Bills Defense
01/13/92 - John Elway, Denver Broncos
01/06/92 - Michael Jordan

50 Sermons from 50 States: Alaska

Anchorage Baptist Temple, Anchorage, AK
Service Date:  Sunday, May 17, 2020
View Date:  Wednesday, May, 20, 2020
View Method:  Facebook Live

Why am I watching a service from a church in Anchorage, Alaska?

Well, I do crazy things sometime.  That would be one answer, but I thought it would be interesting to view a sermon from a church from each state in the United States.

And, yes, while Alabama comes before Alaska, the 49th state was on my mind first.

As I was getting ready to watch the service this evening, I noticed a couple of things through this church's Facebook page and website.

First, given my interest in promoting Texas private and parochial high school athletics, Anchorage Baptist Temple owns Anchorage Christian Schools.

Its pastor, Ron Hoffman, and his wife, Crystal, both attended ACS, but Ron went on to study at and graduate from Liberty University in 1991.  Liberty, of course, is where my daughter graduated from.

He opened his message by stating that there congregation was able to provide a meal for the nurses at Anchorage Regional Hospital as well as helping out at the VA hospital on east side of Anchorage and then shared the excitement of the graduation ceremonies at ACS.

He said that they were in Phase 2 of reopening and were needing to get to Phase 3 for their church to be able to meet again.  (And as I finished up the sermon, I saw on their Facebook page that they were meeting this coming Sunday, May 24 for a Memorial Day service in their congregation.)

He shared that they were in a series of sermons titled, "Encounters with Christ", and this was "Walking on the Road to Nowhere."

I had to chuckle a little bit as it was close to the former Alaska governor's "Bridge to Nowhere" when Sarah Palin held the office.

His illustration was the there are often times in his life - and in ours - that he just needs to get out and get away from everyone.  He wondered if Jesus meets us where we are and he said that he believes that He does.

And he said he thinks that He really does use times like we're in today.

In referencing Luke 24:15, he said that Jesus drew near the disciples after his resurrection and went with them and he said that while he believes that Jesus is always there with us that He doesn't always make it crystal clear or obvious.

And he illustrated from verse 16 that the disciples didn't know that they were walking with Jesus.

He spoke about how that Jesus never gives us a trial that we can't handle and shared I Corinthians 10:13 that He will provide a way of escape to be able to endure it.

And from verse 17, he said that Jesus wants us to share with Him where we find ourselves.  He shared from personal experience that when he is having a conversation with God that "as my words are coming out how I'm feeling ... Jesus gives me the answer."

He believed that in the scripture that Jesus was looking to see how broad our view of life is.  He said that he thinks that we sometime look at just our life and not the whole picture.

Referencing COVID-19, he said that "this is going to change everything" and that there's "no going back to 100%" and that it would be "years, years, years to go away if it ever does."

And that God's work with this is to show man it is not about man, but rather where He is going to go.

He said that the disciples behavior in Luke 24:19-21 was that, even though they were followers, they proved that they had the right facts and knowledge of the truth, but not the faith to be believe it.  He related that to us today that when we're in a trial, we need to remove ourselves from that situation.

We know God's there with us, but we lack the faith because He believes that we lack the understanding.  And that we've bought into the lies that Satan has created in the culture of satisfaction, leaving us very impatient people who are selfish and self-centered.

As they continued in verses 22 and 23, Pastor Hoffman said that the truth was right before them, but they missed it.  He said that if we would declare that God is control, He would be glorified and that we would present ourselves differently in our circumstances.

He suggested that we need to open our eyes and see generations from now and ask what is the impact of what is happening in your life and how does it play out for your church, your family and so on.

He said that the current COVID-19 crisis should present a new opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and that we should look for opportunity to encourage somebody as we're a part of the body of Christ.

As the Pastor spoke earlier about his praying - or as simple as talking to God - and how God would sometimes show him the answer through the dialogue, the disciples realized in the scripture in verses 30-31 the "a ha" moment when Jesus took their bread, blessed, brake it and gave it to them that their eyes were opened - and he vanished.

Pastor Hoffman wrapped things up by asking us all, "How many people will we pick up along the way?  Not about the journey, the destination, the moment, but how many will we pick up along the way?"

He implored to everyone to think about their journey.  Were they on a journey to nowhere?  Or where they onboard in the direction they were going because they had a "Jesus encounter"?

Squeezing In A Few Words; May 12, 2020

Find it really hard to take time out to write, but I usually feel better after doing so (and not that I'm distressed in any way!)

Today was pretty much consumed with work and it was a busy day at that.  Seven (7) meetings.  Wow.

I got in a late evening 3.7-mile walk in Springwoods Village after riding more than 15 miles on my Air Assault bike Monday evening followed by a four-mile walk of The Woodlands Waterway.

I think I'm holding in check my pandemic appetite. 

Seriously, though, I'm really not eating too much more and I'm replacing eating out in the evenings with the HEB Simple Meals, but the snacking is negating the activity.

I'm at 34.56 miles running, 52.105 miles walking and 30.8 miles cycling for the period of April 25 to May 24, with 12 days to go.

I listened to some NPR podcasts early in the evening, while looking at the weather and seeing if I needed to modify my weekend running routes to dodge as much rain as possible.

They included the following topics:

+ Americans Are Driving Less and Snacking More
+ "There Was So Little Information":  Polio Survivors Offer Pandemic Perspective
+ U.S. Officials:  Beware of China And Others Trying to Steal COVID-19 Research
+ In 'Together', Former Surgeon General Writes About Importance of Human Connection

And then I listed to a podcast from Alaska Public Radio about the winner of this year's Iditarod, the "Last Great Race of Earth", and how the race continued in the midst of the escalation of the COVID-19 crisis.

As I was scrolling through my Facebook feed, I saw this note from the Baptist Bible Fellowship International (BBFI) Facebook page, "The first 30 minutes could be the most important thing you watch during this COVID-19 pandemic."

The church that I attended for much of my life, its former pastor is now the Communications Director for BBFI and doing a great job.

This was a video recording of an Online Forum for the organization's pastors and it talked about the legal and liability implications that churches needed to consider as they were reopening their services across the country.  Really a fascinating listen as a believer.

Often criticisms from non-believers who didn't attend church or those who did believe but thought that church had a lot of rules, well, for a while, there might be many rules to follow just simply to keep fellow congregants safe from COVID-19.

The pastors that shared their numbers from the surveys they took of their churches showed that about 60-70% would return immediately, given the church was taking necessary precautions, while one pastor in Iowa shared that - even though they tried to make sure that they exceeded their congregation's expectations - for the first Sunday back that they were only 25% of their regular attendance.

I think there's a lot of perception that churches are being reckless.  There will probably be a few that will be, but given the potentiality of lawsuits, most will make sure that they document what they plan to do and work to follow their plans to protect against legal action and/or loss of insurance coverage.

A couple of podcasts that I want to listen to soon. 

I'll bookmark them here in case you get a chance before I do.

They are Telos Running's interview with Dick Beardsley which can be heard here -  and three episodes of VAULT Studios' "Selena: A Star Dies in Texas", which can found here.

More tomorrow.

Quiet On A Sunday; May 10, 2010

Mother's Day 2020.  My daughter and I had the opportunity to spend the evening yesterday with my Mom and Dad.

We normally take my parents out to eat each year for Mother's and Father's Day, but given the fact the restaurants are just opening back up and Dad isn't in the best spot to getting out after having a stroke nearly three weeks ago she asked for their favorite barbecue in.

Naturally, we obliged.

Like most other visits, we had a great time with them.

My daughter has already spent time today with her Mom and is heading to her grandparents' for an evening meal with her Mom's family.

It was really good to get out last weekend and I have plans to do so again next weekend.

I took off 11 counties from my list of 254 Texas counties to run in and I have plans to - hopefully - remove 15 or 16 from the list next weekend.

Two weeks after that, I plan to get on a plane for the first time since February and head to Midland to do the same.

Since many things I have enjoyed doing are no longer options until larger crowds are able to gather, I can still run and as I said earlier this goal to run a mile or more in every Texas county is something I will strive to complete in 2020.

I was pretty flattered this week to be asked to write something by the daughter of a long-time friend of our running and triathlon community who is about to turn sixty.

She wrote to me saying, "I am asking 60 people to share something they admire about him or a fun memory with me to put in a booklet for him."

I felt like I was one of the NBA's top 50 of all-time to get to be asked to do something like this.

She said she needed it by Friday.  Her ask was on Monday and when I was out walking on Tuesday I thought about what I was going to write, but I didn't get it done until Friday.

Am pretty thankful for the ability to write that God's given me and I was fortunate to complete it in a single setting.

When I sent it, I shared, "Might be more than what you wanted, and it might be a little different; however, it speaks to what I see in your Dad."

I won't post what I wrote because I certainly don't want to for somebody to read this that might not have been included in the sixth, but his daughter had this to say about what I shared:

"Mr. Walk, this made me tear up!  Thank you for such an incredible write-up!  I agree with you 100%.  May God bless you and your family in this season.  I am so grateful for this truly 🙂.  My dad and I share a birthday so this is so special."

As I share with my daughter all of the time, I might not say it as often as I should but when I open my mouth I try to acknowledge to God how thankful I am for my abilities and the opportunities that He gives me to use them.

The day before the request, I learned that a very long-time sportswriting friend of mine was being let go as the parent company of the newspaper he worked for was paring down other publications around the country, likely due to a drop in advertising during the COVID-19 crisis.

It just gave me a sickening feeling. 

He's one of the good guys, with a great wife and two great boys.

And a talented writer to boot.

I have his one book that he wrote and he's working on another, which he said that he was going to send me a few sections of to preview.  I look forward to getting and reading them

I hope that he'll start a website or blog and figure out a way to monetize a little bit.  I'd love to read more of what he writes.

And finally, for now, it was good to talk to probably my best friend - the only person that I told of my Dad's stroke (aside if he read about it here, a bit buried) - to learn that he started his training group's meetings back on Saturday mornings, but with all of the appropriate social distancing guidelines of the municipality that they run from.

His spirit, I know, was lifted and he shared that he felt others were as well.  (For the record, nobody was allowed to congregate, but rather come in to the common area, say "Hi!", take off on their long run and come back, rinse, wash and repeat.)

He's going to do things by the book because well, he would even if nobody was watching but in this case:  everybody, I'm sure, is watching.

If you're reading, have a great start of the week.