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THE FOOTPRINTS OF JESUS CHRIST THROUGH TIME

I have few recollections of my paternal grandfather, J.B. Stilwell. My grandparents already seemed so old when I was a wee lass. Pardon me. I just dove into my Ancestry DNA origins page. I’m more Scottish than any other heritage, so I’m channeling the words of my people. Was that too feeble of an attempt at humor? The crickets in the background agree. Anyway, whether they were old in age or simply old-fashioned in their habits, probably a bit of both, I didn’t interact with them as often as I did with my mom’s parents. Still, I recall my Gramp dressed to the nines all of the time. He operated a barber shop in the parlor of his modest Wilmer, TX bungalow. There’s nothing like the smell of a barbershop. Give me a whiff of 3 Roses Hair Tonic, some “mixed on the spot” shaving cream, and a bit of Brut aftershave and I will go on for hours about this legend of a man. He wore a barber smock each day: pristine white, zipper up the front, embroidered flowers down the lapels. I recall the white color was blinding. Granny Stilwell once told me she never used bleach, just lemon juice and sunlight. I still live by those words. There he would stand with his horn-rimmed black glasses and his perpetual perfectly trimmed flattop haircut, sporting a crooked smile and a twinkle in his eye. My memory has trouble differentiating between Gramp recollections and those of my own father. That is how closely they resembled each other. Now, my grandparents had 5 children. Many of those children had 5 or more children. I was one of many grandkids. My privilege existed in the fact that I was the youngest granddaughter. Also, there was the fact of my eyes. They are, what is still recognized as the primary family trait, Stilwell eyes – dark brown, heavily browed, and slightly downturned at the edges. This was a fact never unmentioned by Gramp. If we visited on Sundays, he’d be in dress slacks and glossy black wing tip shoes, even though church was never his thing. He wouldn’t so much as step off of his porch without his signature Fedora. He’d get in the floor with me and act like a bear, making growling noises and swiping at me with his “gramp-paw”. I would shriek with laughter and he would sit back on his knees and laugh with me. As his Alzheimer’s took hold, the bear game stuck with us until the end. I was seventeen when he passed away. I remember thinking how ironic it was that all his late-in-life speech attempts sounded like his sweet, cuddly bear alter-ego. That sums up all I knew about this adorable old guy. It’s funny how we don’t realize that our elders had lives and adventures and tragedies of their own, that we are only chapters of a much larger story.

With cryptocurrencies so much in the news, you might be wondering if you should invest in them. But “invest” may not be the right word – because, in many ways, cryptocurrencies, or “crypto” for short, are more speculation than investment.

Home gardeners should pick tomatoes sooner than later.

Do-it-yourself devotees cite a desire to save money as their primary motivator when attempting DIY home improvements. A survey of more than 1,000 homeowners from the insurance provider Clovered found that 85 percent of respondents indicated a chance to save money as their top reason for attempting a DIY home improvement project. The chance to save money was an even greater motivator for homeowners than the opportunity to improve (79 percent) or repair (66 percent) their homes. Those savings can be significant because homeowners won’t have to pay labor costs, which the renovation experts at BobVila.com note can cost anywhere from $20 to $150 per hour per laborer. Though the cost savings of DIY can be hard to resist, homeowners considering a DIY renovation are urged to make an honest assessment of their skills before attempting a project on their own.

With the sweltering heat the past week, I’ve taken a cue from the fish and wildlife I write about, and I’ve been stirring during the ‘cooler’ morning hours and again with the setting of the sun. My outdoor adventures have been a bit limited. Oh, I did join my friend Brandon Sargent with Lead Slinger’s Guide Service for a couple hours of early morning white bass ‘catching’. The fish were on an aggressive bite, and it didn’t take long using half ounce lead slabs to put a couple limits on ice.

I like my phone. I rely on my phone. I truly appreciate my phone (and you, too, Siri!) but beyond that, well, my phone is just a phone. She does for me what I ask her to do, when I ask her to do it and as long as that consistency in our relationship exists, I’m good. We’re good.

If asked to describe how they envision retirement, many professionals might reference travel, time spent with grandchildren and various recreational pursuits. Few, if any, would mention cognitive decline. However, cognitive decline poses a significant threat to aging men and women, especially during retirement.

Juneteenth was recognized as a federal holiday on June 17, 2021. Even though it is in its infancy on paper, Juneteenth is considered the longest-running African American holiday in history.

In the world of gardening, there are three types of plants–annuals, biennials and perennials. Annuals grow and bloom in one year and then die. Biennials grow the first year and bloom the second year and then die. Perennials grow for two or three years before blooming and then continue growing and blooming for many years.

Risk is a normal part of investing. In fact, if you didn’t take on any risk, you wouldn’t have the potential to achieve higher returns. But how much risk should you accept?

This past week, I was out in the middle of Lake Ray Hubbard fishing with guide Brandon Sargent, Lead Slinger’s Guide service. We were dropping baits directly under the boat and staying busy hooking and placing on ice one white bass after the other. Catching was about as good as it gets for about 30 minutes and then the action suddenly ceased. About 75 yards out, on the dead calm surface of the water, a huge school of ‘whites’ had pushed shad to the surface, and the water was frothing!

“I can sense God’s presence through my little brother,” says Cole, 10. For many with little brothers, sensing God’s presence through them would be a most unusual phenomenon. But all things are possible with God.