Forty Years - Ya Gotta Be Kidding Me!

Forty-four YEARS ago, I ended up, by a series of unusual circumstances, a freshman at this tiny little university in Iowa called Graceland. I went against my parents wishes and took a chance, just "feeling" this was the right thing to do. Well, it was :)  And now we are going back for the 40 year honor class reunion for the Class of 1976. What stories we will all have...  I just wonder HOW did this happen so quickly? :)  I'll be back in a couple of weeks and start up a slightly more regular blog on those simple observations of daily life.

A Life Changer in 1980

I am giving a little talk at church tomorrow about our trip to Nepal and did some thinking about what inspired us to go. I'd have to say my inspiration got it's start in 1980 when I went to the Philippines with a group called Outreach International, the brainchild of a man named Charles Neff. Though he is long gone, I remember much of his manner, grace, and concern for those who were oppressed. When I asked him once why he kept coming back to third world countries, and all of the problems associated with severe poverty, he replied, "You now, I feel honored that I have been accepted by the poor." Wow. Outreach International now has a big presence in 15 countries with thousands upon thousands of lives affected every day by it's mission:  "Give a person a fish and they eat for a day, teach a person to fish and they eat for a lifetime." I found this old picture of Charles and smiled to see that young boy watching him so intently...what a life changer this man was.

Jack, Succulents, and Barb Brock Occasionally...

Greetings to those few dear friends who like to humor me by looking at these "daily" posts :)  I need to try to change the name from "daily" to "occasionally" don't I?  Here's a post of my good buddy Barb Ifft's grandson, Jack, who "helped" me pot these coffee mug succulents yesterday for our local coffee shop. Tomorrow, Vern and I are off on another PCT adventure. I will return with "Two Old Beans on the PCT" highlights in a week! :)