Passing the hat

I got the Texas Rangers-branded river hat. It did not happen as planned.

There were plenty of lessons along the way, as usual.

I truly only made the effort to go to the Texas Rangers baseball game on Aug. 31 because I wanted the hat. Gene and I had just gotten back from an 18-day road trip to upstate New York, and it was hectic for me to get from Norman to Arlington. Plus, I know that when I go with my sister, we sometimes have trouble getting to games on time. 

 

And despite our best efforts, we were late again.

 

When I entered the ballpark, the hats had all been given away. I didn't get one. 

 

Instead, I got an important lesson in more important things, including humility, faith, trusting in God, expressing joy and gratitude.

And how to not express anything negative to Bobby. God, I don’t know how. Grace will come solely from you. 

 

A fair measure of grace came. I couldn't completely mask my disappointment but did better than usual.

 

That didn't stop me from taking the opportunity to notice that Bobby's father didn't seem too excited about getting one of the hats. So I asked if I could have his. And he said yes.

 

Joys of travel

This is a placeholder for a travel log of August adventures that I hope to post soon.

Running the race

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1

Interesting thing about this quote, my Bible app verse of the day for Saturday, Aug. 24. 

I had the alarm set for 6:30 AM so I could be ready to go with Gene to the Bassmaster Elite Series event venue at Cayuga Lake in New York, where he had a 9 AM interview. 

I did not want to get up — I wanted to go back to sleep. Gene said go back to sleep and he would come get me later. 

I felt like a jerk — I want to be a blessing not a burden. 

Before turning off the light and snuggling my head back into the pillow while Gene got ready to leave, I wrote in my journal: “How can running the race set before me involve going back to sleep instead of getting up and going with Gene? I guess I will find out.” 

Without going into details, I’ll just say, yes, I found out. And it was good!! I thank God and that cloud of witnesses in heaven and on earth.

Encounters of a memorable kind

My day of fishing on Lake Ontario was filled with interesting moments and encounters, starting before Gene’s alarm sounded at 4:20 AM Tuesday at our hotel in Auburn, NY.

The guide caught the first fish, unexpectedly, while showing me what I needed to do. Gene caught the next one, and it was back and forth between Gene and the guide. It was looking like my highlights would be me getting to hold their fish and release them into the water. Then I caught one. But I still hadn’t really caught on to what it takes to catch smallmouth bass with a drop shot. I’m pretty sure I had two or three good bites that I couldn’t keep on the hook.

The guide changed a few things on my rig, and talked me through some casts, and I got a better feel for what I was doing. I caught 3 decent brownbacks, plus 2 tiny ones and a couple of gobies! I hoped to catch one more nice smallie but it was not to happen.

Other nice encounters of the day included the morning sunrise (viewed over Lake Oneida on the drive to Henderson Harbor), the beautiful waters of Lake Ontario and the western New York countryside.

Less pleasant encounters included one with the nightstand hours before the alarm, when I was trying to find a pillow I had tossed off the bed ... and a little too much sun.

And there was the missed encounter — with my Bible app, breaking my string of consecutive days since before the start of the year, 33 straight weeks and at least 231 days. I did read and pray Tuesday; I guess I just didn’t use the Bible app.

All in all, it was a great day, the kind I would gladly encounter again.

To see the pictures, go to my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/pat.gilliland.35

Photographic memories

Some people have photographic memories.

It seems I need photographs to have memories.

For today, I can accept that.

My latest experience with this came over the weekend when I went to Arkansas to visit my goddaughter Angela and her sister Laura and Laura's 8-month-old son Ryan.

As I posted on Facebook:

My weekend included a long-desired road trip to Arkansas to pick up my dear goddaughter Angela in Greenwood then head on to Conway to see her precious nephew Ryan and his sweet mama and daddy Laura and Jared. Photography wasn’t a priority and didn’t always work out well when I tried. I still managed to get a few pictures to help my feeble brain remember the moments!

Interestingly, my brother (Ryan's grandpa) commented that he wondered whether he would be seeing pictures, although he also noted that pictures are not his priority when he spends time with his daughters and grandson in Arkansas. (He now lives in Texas.)

Later, my aunt expressed appreciation that reminded me of a second big reason I like to take pictures involving memorable experiences.

Thanks so much for the pictures. All those beautiful smiles and precious little boy. For those of us who can’t get out and about much anymore, they are all keepers!

I almost forgot that great reason for taking and sharing pictures!! I agree and am grateful I was able to share.

Surrounded by talent

Friday, I had the wonderful dilemma of deciding which talented friend to support.

I love going to the opening reception at Contemporary Art Gallery in Oklahoma City whenever my friend Renee Lawrence is the featured artist for the month. The opening is during the First Friday festivities at the city's Paseo Arts District, where the gallery is located. Renee's exhibit this month features her fabulous photographs.

But alas, I did not attend.

That's because some other talented friends were having the opening for a dramatic musical that was also the launch of their new Oklahoma Ensemble Theatre. I realized this might be my only chance to see OET founders and newlyweds Colin and Lia Ryan perform "The Last Five Years." I had no idea what to expect, but I knew I wanted to be at The Depot in Norman to find out. I'm grateful I did not miss it.

Afterward, I encouraged my friends to not miss it the next night (when I would be out of town and unable to attend). I posted on Facebook:

Go see this show! “The Last Five Years” is intense and beautiful and funny and heart-breaking and so real. The two performers are breathtaking in their power, musical skill, expressiveness — and endurance! Colin Ryan and Lia Ryan, thank you for sharing your dream and your amazing talent. Jim and Sylvia, thank you for supporting them so fully. What an investment of time and talent! I cried as it ended, partly because I was so caught up in the story but also because I was so proud of the work produced by this creative family, including Jim and Sylvia Watkins Ryan, who, respectively, directed and played every note of that wide-ranging piano accompaniment. There is one more show, 8 pm Saturday at The Depot in Norman. Go. See. It.

I don't know that anyone  followed through. If not, it was their loss.

I am grateful for my talented friends. And I'm grateful to be at a point in my life when, rather than feel jealous or less-than as I once did,  I can be enriched and inspired and blessed by their talent and creativity.