Buried Treasure

The Bible is full of parables but two similar parables stand out for me this weekend. They are two in one. Both say the same thing and the lesson to be learned must be really important since they are told back to back.

Matthew 13: 44–46 (NIV)

44: The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all that he had and bought that field.
45: Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.
46: When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

Both parables indicate that the Kingdom of Heaven is the ultimate treasure to be found and it is, however, sometimes there are earthly treasures placed along out paths that can also be very valuable to our walk through life.

How do we handle the treasures placed along our path? Do we forsake everything from our past to acquire the better treasure as indicated in the parable? Do we admire the treasure but walk past because we can’t let go of the inferior treasures we have collected in the past? Do we pass it by because we are unwilling to give up past alliances which are unhealthy to our walk? Finally do we try to hold on to our past treasures or alliances and take the new treasure.

In forsaking all we purchase the treasure with our sacrifice which releases the full benefit of the treasure to change our path and make the way easier.

By passing the treasure by we receive a temporary benefit from the treasure as we pass by but in leaving the treasure behind results in our loosing its influence on our path. We just trudge on in our walk through life in the same old rut just getting deeper and harder to travel.

Holding on to our past and trying to take the new treasure is likened to stealing another’s property because we haven’t purchased it. The weight of the past added to the burden of the stolen treasure weighs us down and grinds us into the path of life until we eventually have to give up everything just to continue.

How many times have we passed up opportunities to change our path but didn’t because of the sacrifice involved? I know that I have and have missed a blessing as a result.

May we each have the maturity and wisdom to find the treasures placed in our path for positive change. Then we should count the cost to determine what a bargain it is. If we do then it will be well worth the sacrifice.

New Addition

New addition to the TomKat clan.

Eat My Dust !!!!

Last weekend I traveled to Kentwood, LA which is the home of B. S. to visit Woody Pop, Poolman, and Coreymon. While there we loaded up the trailer and headed to the Nest of Box, Box Top, Shoe Box, and Toy Box.

A couple weeks ago Poolman took his dozier and cleared an area in the south forty next to the creek. The ground was still pretty rough so everyone grabbed either a machete, chain saw, or brush cutter and commenced to fine tune the landscape for some action.

What kind of action you say? Four-wheeler action of course. Once the clearing was complete off the four-wheelers came from the trailer. Now it was time for some real fun. In the beginning Poolman rode Shoe Box, Woody Pop rode Coreymon, Box rode Box Top, and I rode Toy Box.

Slowly we explored the new virgin territory as well as some old trails carved out of the undergrowth. As we gain confidence in our abilities to navigate the landscape the competitive natures in everyone surfaced. The chase was on.

As we chased each other around the landscape in a very short time we had churned the ground into a fine white powder. A powder so fine that it bellowed into the air making a huge dust storm that reached for the heavens.

The machine in front had the advantage of relatively clean air while everyone behind had to eat dust. After awhile everyone converted to single mode for some real chase sequences. Box being the best rider of the group constantly challenged me to a duel since I am known as a wild man on a four-wheeler (just ask Shades who has ridden with me several times). I love sand riding but that is a different story.

Me being the sharp cookie I am I know how to win (cheat). Box is sharp but not always the most observant. I knew that if I waited he would let his guard down and I would have the advantage. Like the time he wanted to race. I said that I will call the start. He was ready but made the fatal mistake of taking his hands off the handlebars so I said GO and nailed it. Eating my dust he couldn't tell where I or he was going so ultimately I won. OK OK that was dirty but he really is faster than me so I needed some sort of advantage.

At one point of the day Poolman went to the house for a break and said that the dust cloud had totally covered the neighbors property. It is a wonder they didn't try and shut us down. Ha

Later that day when the riding was done everyone there looked like they were coated in flower ready to be deep fried. Yes we were dirty but it was great fun. The only thing better would be rain and the mud it would produce. Mud riding beats dust riding but sand is king in my book.

To finish this story the next day Box showed me who was the best rider. We were on a narrow rabbit trail carved out of the creek bed at the Hollow. This trail is narrow, rough, has hair pin turns, and is difficult to ride fast without ending up wrapped up in the underbrush. Well Box started out with Tool Box on the back. I just had me. He started just in front of me. I rode as fast as I dared and half way through the course Box and Tool Box jumped in behind me.

Little did I know that Box had finished the course and rejoined me half way through the trail. I can't touch that. Tool Box being a little daredevil himself even told Box to slow down on that run. It was an impressive run but was not the smartest run ever made.

In the end I finished the weekend by beating Box in a mock wrestling match, however, me being twenty plus years older than him well you know I had to cheat. Ha Old geezers fight dirty.

It was a great weekend with family. May we all make such good memories.

Let's Play Restaurant !!!

Rubber Ducky tells an interesting tale on one of her friends (you know who you are).

It appears that in her younger days this friend was quite a manipulator of her younger sister. For her younger sister had a strength to be used and a weakness to be exploited.

The young girl’s strength was Waffles. She could make the most delicious waffles. Her weakness was a simple fact that she wanted to be included in her older sister’s activities. She didn’t like to be excluded from the bigger girls.

The scam was perpetrated as follows:

The younger girl wanted to play with the older girls so the older girls agreed if she would play “RESTAURANT”. The game was simple. The older girls were always the customers and the younger girl always owned the restaurant.

The older girls would go to the table and be waited on by the younger girl. The younger girl would take the orders, bring the beverages, cook the food (real food not imaginary), serve the food, and clean the table. When the meal was complete the younger girl would say: “Since I cooked the food you can clean the dishes.” But the older girls would say: “In the restaurant business the restaurant owner cleans the dishes not the customers.”

The younger girl would clean the dishes while the older girls would go their own way and play thereby further excluding the young girl from their activities.

That sounds like a good game, however, this older sister did not play by the entire rules of the restaurant business. Everyone knows that customers that don’t pay for their meals have to wash the dishes and customers who don’t wash the dishes have to pay for the meal. So it looks like the older sister owes her little sister quite a bit of money.

Let’s just say this game was played once a week for three years with the older sister and one friend. That would be 312 meals at an average of $3.50 per meal. That is a total of $1092.00. Now let’s charge 3% interest compounded daily (inflation) for approximately 25 years.

WOW!!! It appears that the older sister owes her younger sister $2,311.69 for those meals.

OK big sister now it is time to pay up (a copy of this is being sent to your younger sister for collections).

MANIFEST DESTINY

Once upon a time in a land far away on a golden seacoast lived a man with his wife and daughter. They were a family of simple means and lived in a simple house near the sea. For many years this family lived by the sea in tranquility but became discouraged each time their home was damaged by the constant storms arriving from the sea.

One day they decided to move from the seacoast and find a safer more stable environment to live. They had heard of the land of the smoking mountains in the province of Tennessee and had set their heart on living there someday.

As they pondered the move and made their plans for the journey a carnival came to their town. While taking their daughter to the carnival they struck up a conversation with the carnival owner. Knowing that he had traveled throughout all the lands they inquired as to where the fairest land was to be found. He told them of a land in the province of Alabama near the village of Gunter, Boaz, and Alberta. North in this province is a land of rolling hills surrounded by a great lake. That was the land he had chosen for himself when his carnival days were over.

This land sounded nice but their hearts were still set upon the province of Tennessee with its towering mountains and gentle springs. Later that week the man of the house became ill and had to be rushed to the local infirmary. While there the wife met a stranger from a far away land. As if by divine intervention it was revealed that the stranger had come from the northern part of the province of Alabama near the very same land spoken of by the carnival owner. The stranger gave a very favorable report of living in that land for many years.

Upon telling her husband of the chance encounter with the stranger and her account of the land he became curious and began making inquiries about this particular land. He discovered that the land was no further away than the province in Tennessee and began to reconsider the location of their new home.

The lady contacted her father about their planned move to a new land and asked his advice. He revealed to her that a longtime family friend had just several months prior moved to a community in the northern Alabama province. Further inquiry revealed that the friend lived just a moderate distance from the village of Gunter and highly recommended the land for their new home.

Everything seemed to be leading them to the province of Alabama. They began to settle their hearts on a move to the province of Alabama.

Finally the day came when they felt in their hearts that it was time to take action. They put their property up for sale and waited. To their amazement all their property sold not only within the week but also for the price in coin that they were asking. That was the conformation they needed that the move was the right thing for their family.

Traveling to the new land they quickly found a house that met all their needs and for a price that required very few coins above what they had left from the sale of their house on the seacoast. The family embraced their Manifest Destiny, moved into the new house in the new land, and LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER.

It is real easy to turn real life into a Fairy Tale. Just begin with Once Upon A Time and end with Lived Happily Ever After. Turning the Fairy Tale into real life is tough because of the Lived Happily Ever After part. Happy Ever After takes work and effort by all parties in the Fairy Tale. Just one deviation by one character and Happy Ever After falls apart.

Fortunately Happy Ever After can live on in the hearts of the characters who do believe in the dreams and magic in the Fairy Tale. As in this tale. Find your Manifest Destiny and follow it wherever it leads. It may not be easy but it will be rewarding.

So go find your Manifest Destiny believe in it with all your heart and LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER.

GONE FISHIN - Catch & Release

This blog site was started as a social experiment which has worked. It has led me out of my shell. Thanks to Rubber Ducky for suggesting it.

Recently I have joined the Grand Fishing Tournament of Life. It consists of a game of Catch & Release of various species of fish in the Sea of Life. The only bait that can be used is the bait that you bring with you. There is no tackle shop of little tricks. The rules are simple and are as follows:

Bring your own bait and equipment.
Cast your bait as much as you like.
Catch as many as you can.
Only one fish allowed in the boat live well at a time.
Every fish caught must be kept until the next fish is caught.
Every new fish will be compared to the last fish caught and the least desirable must be released.
Only Tournament Legal fish can be added to the live well.
Illegal fish must be released until determined legal by the Tournament Official.

The goal is to keep fishing until you catch the fish designated by the Tournament Official as the best suited for your live well.

The reward is the last fish in your live well.

There are only two prizes awarded:

Tournament Grand Champion - Happy rewarding life.
Tournament Booby - Miserable existence or divorce and more time alone.

The difference in being Grand Champion or Booby lies in the right or wrong fish in the live well when you exit the Tournament of Life. You can leave at any time and do have the option to throw all the fish back when leaving but very few take this option.

You may say that this game is easy and it is. The hard part is grading the fish and determining which ones to keep and which ones to release. The Tournament Official leaves the decisions to you. He only gives little tugs on your heart or little thoughts in your head to help you in your judging for his rule for himself is to not override your free will which in combination with your heart is your most important tool. Too many fishermen use their eyes and head primarily (ignoring the heart) and make bad judgment decisions.

The fisherman to play the game well must be able to determine first of all which fish are legal and which are illegal. The Tournament Official has determined the following classifications of fish:

LEGAL FISH:

Singlefish
Widowfish
Divorcefish

ILLEGAL FISH:

Marriedfish
SWODfish (Separated but not Divorced)
SSfish (Same Sex)

I have only entered the Tournament a short time ago and have had very limited success as indicated below:

One Divorcefish got to boat but jumped off hook and jumped back into the sea.
One SWODfish almost made it to the boat but was released before it was landed.
Another SWODfish jumped into the boat and is swimming for the live well. This fish is currently seeking a reclassification by the Tournament Official for a chance at the live well.

Such is life in the Grand Fishing Tournament of Life. As all true fishermen know. The more times you cast the bait the more likely you are of landing the keeper. Just keep on casting and don’t quit until you are crowned “Tournament Grand Champion”.

HAPPY FISHIN!!!!