The Journey Continues: Remembrances of 2020
My journey this week takes me to a summary of my last year’s columns with a few added remembrances.
1) I dedicated more space to diversity, inclusion and equality than any other subject. In addition to my own column on racism, Brother Paul Buntyn, pastor emeritus of Abundant Life Christian Church, wrote five columns on the subject, and Professor Oren Renick contributed one more. Race does not matter to God — I Samuel 16:7b — “The Lord does not look at things that man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at his heart.”
2) Service to the Nation commands my columns on Veterans Day and Memorial Day. Remember John 15:13, “Greater Love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” I also wrote about Veterans Patrol, a faith-based organization that supports veterans in finding and maintaining inner peace for their lives. veteranspatrol.org. Ecclesiastes 4:10, “But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up.”
3) The only columns I have repeated word for word annually is at Christmas, when the Nativity Play script is given in a two-week series that offers the complete story of Jesus’ birth as recorded in Matthew and Luke. A follow-up column gave “The Rest of the Story” offering us the challenge of changing directions in life.
4) I had the good fortune of visiting Centro Cultural Hispano de San Marcos over the years. Through research on a screenplay I am writing about migrant workers from the Hays County area, I have met with Dr. Ricardo Espinoza, the Director, and board member, Francisco “Frank” Contreras, and the coordinator of programs, Gloria Salazar; I wrote a column on the anniversary celebration for the center.
5) One column was about the Hays County Salvation Army Red Kettles campaign. Bell ringing lifted up my spirit. I am glad to report that the county goal of $50,000 was exceeded, thanks to many volunteers. Fran Ramirez served as the kettle coordinator; Lisa Cruz is the new Service Center Director. All the coins and dollar bills given by countless people reminds me of Luke 21:2, “He (Jesus) saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins… ‘this poor widow has put in more than all the others’.”
6) Good Neighbors at Redwood Baptist Church. For ten years, the summer nutrition program from the San Marcos CISD has faithfully provided meals. This year the Pandemic brought a new practice — social distancing required the parents to drive up parallel to the church’s outdoor pavilion, where the meals were passed through the car window. During the period March 23 to Sept. 30, a total of 25,463 meals were served at the Redwood location. Driving to the next curbside table, the students (with their parents’ permission) participated in a creative reading program. Children were given takehome worksheets and assignments to return the next day as well as books to keep for free. The pandemic did not stop this outreach. “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6
Other Remembrances:
Health Issues: Analogy — during a spaceship’s reentry to the earth’s atmosphere, heat shields may fall off; those heat shields for me from aging include hearing loss, several tumors, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, diabetes and hyper-vigilance. But my conclusion is that if my head is clear I can drag my body a long way.
After 40 years, three men who were USMA Cadets at West Point under my mentorship contacted me last year. Time faded as we talked about our memories from long ago. I always say the only thing better than a friend is an old friend.
A challenge for 2021 — follow the advice Brother Erasmo Del Bosque gives in his sermons: “When you pray, you talk to God; when you read the Bible, God talks to you.”
The Bible is the story of human nature and God’s love. All of us have the same journey, only different paths. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6
