For the past two months I have been on a walking kick. It is a lot of fun and I really enjoy getting out and walking. One of my favorite places to walk is around Lake Lynn. There is a really nice paved path around the lake. Oh, did I mention that it is flat all the way around, no hills! Anyway, as I walk, I often find myself people watching. It is hard not too. You watch what people dress in as they walk around the lake. It kills me when I see someone walking around the lake in flip flops or jeans. I also find myself wondering what is going on in people’s lives. I offer you the two following stories to ponder over.
1. As I walked around the corner of the trail, right before it opens into a big field, I noticed a man walking slowly with his son. They were involved in a deep conversation. The man was dressed in Army fatigues from his hat to his army boots. The boy probably eight or nine stood waist high to his Dad. As they walked they came closer and closer to the water’s edge. Dad’s arm was around the boys shoulder and he held him tight as I watched this intense conversation happening between them. When they reached the edge of the lake they sat down, Dad’s arm was still around the boy, as the boy nestled his head into Dad’s chest. I turned down my MP3 player and stopped to stretch for a moment to see if I could determine what they were talking about. A couple of minutes went by as they sat there in very close intense conversation. I did some last stretches and decided to move on so that I could give them some moments of peace with out someone looking over their shoulder. As I turned to walk away, I saw that the boy had started to cry and he reached up and hugged his dad with every ounce of strength he had. Dad picked him up and swallowed him with a giant hug. I smiled and nodded at them as I started to continue my walk. Dad, with tears in his eyes, nodded back and carrying his son started to walk the other way.
What I assumed from the scenes that took place before me was that this man was leaving to go to Iraq or Afghanistan and was saying good bye to his son. He was telling him that he was the man of the house now and that he needed to take care of his Mother until he came back home. That he needed to be strong and know that Daddy loves him so very much. What do you see?
2. Today I decided not to bring my MP3 player as I walked around the lake. I was listening to the geese and ducks as they quacked, the sound of the water as it lapped against the banks, and the chatter from other people as they passed by me on the trail. I was really enjoying my walk when I heard someone screaming behind me. I couldn’t make it out but it was getting louder and closer. I continued to walk but was very conscious of someone coming up behind me. As I came to a bridge I heard the sound of someone running. I turned to see a woman with headphones on dressed in athletic apparel come running up behind me. She smiled as she passed me and I smiled back. She ran a couple of feet in front of me and stopped and turned around. She started to scream at me.
”Did you know that the end of the world is coming! That Revelations is true! They murdered my husband and they are coming for us all. It is here soon! God and Jesus are both aliens! They are coming for us all. If you don’t believe me well you will see very soon!”
She turned and started to run off, quacking at a duck as she ran away. I was in shock. There was no one else around to see or hear this lady that had stopped in front of me. I didn’t know what to think as I stood there. I decided to keep walking. I could hear her yelling ahead of me. She kept talking about the end of the world. People would stop and warn me about her as they walked toward me. I told them that we had already spoken. I asked each of them if she addressed them directly, they all said no that she was just randomly yelling or talking to the ducks.
I continued my walk that day but when I got home I thought a lot about it. Why did she choose me as the one to directly talk to? I came to the conclusion that she chose me because I am supposed to pray for her, and that I can tell others to pray for her too. That she needs prayers and who better to stop and turn around and show that too then the Youth Director at St. Marks UMC. So with that, I ask you to prayer for her. What do you see?
Those are just a couple of stories I share with you from my travels around the lake. Maybe I will share some more in the future. What I take back every time I encounter a story on the lake is that each of us has our own story, our own life. Others don’t know what is going on in our lives or know why we do the things we do. We need to remember that about each other and that God created us each as individuals. He gave us the beautiful gift of free will and allows us to make our own choices. We should try to remember that before we pass judgment on someone. We should remember the military dad and his boy or the lady of the lake.
