A NEW WAY TO FLY

Garth Brooks mentions a new way to fly in his song, but in his song he mentions people who are having a hard time breaking from their old ways…”if they could just find a new way to fly.”

I am finding that I have found my new way to fly. I was stuck in a muck of unhappiness in my past. I had “lived only to discover that I had not lived” as Henry David Thoreau would write in Walden about men who lived lives of quiet desperation. I had no idea how desperate my life had become.  I lived my life of duty as a mother and wife, and never sought any pleasure.  My pleasure came from raising my kids and serving in the Church. I was able to ignore the hurt and injustice because of the time that I spend devoted to the kids, to my family, to others. But my home was not a happy one. I was not happy, and there wasn’t much around me that led on to my unhappiness. I had fallen contented to live my lot in life.

NIGHT FISHING

After the great exodus and the changes that came with it, I am learning that I like to do things I never thought I would. I actually went fishing this summer…and I enjoyed myself!!! I find that fishing for the sport of it is
fun, but it operates outside of my belief system that if you catch a fish, you should eat it. JJ’s practice of throwing the fish back once they are caught just blows me away, but I enjoy the sport of doing it and the fellowship that comes with spending time on a boat with friends or family.  Even fishing from the dock has its merits, and night fishing is extremely relaxing.

MJ and JJ December 2013

One thing I never said I would do is hunt. I am not against bringing home the tenderloin and roasting it all day or cooking the venison in a pot with the other chili ingredients…but that cold is for the birds!  I actually learned that once you have enough clothes on, youcan be warm. I also learned that being out in nature during my favorite part of the day—when the world is waking up—is so very peaceful. I’ve even come to enjoy the sport of having a trophy mounted on the wall as a testament to the bounty the Lord has provided.  JJ has a deer mounted on the wall that he caught last January.  He is so regal and beautiful. We admire him often and even call him Prince.  I actually wouldn’t mind having one with my name plate under it one day! J

As far as Church goes, I am taking a break from working in the church, and sadly I have even lost my dedication to the church that I once had, but I haven’t given up on my faith. Actually, I am able to share my faith with my family. JJ and I visit his mom’s church on occasion, and we sit with the family…which consists of the nephews, the niece, the brother-in-law, the grandparents, my kids, and occasionally his kids. Our being there brings great joy to his mom, and it brings such peace to JJ and to me.  One thing I have never had the ability to do before is pray with my spouse, and JJ and I make sure we pray together. We are not perfect at it, but we lift our needs up to the Lord and we try to remember to thank him at every meal.

Phil Robertson
The Duck Commander

Do we have the Duck Commanders to thank for any of this? Perhaps the bearded red-necks have had some positive influence on our daily life, and just perhaps their core values are at the core of what JJ believes himself, but
has never had a partner to share it with. I certainly have not had a significant other to share my faith with, and I am so thankful to now have that opportunity.

We may be starting over, but we are starting over together as partners, as friends, as lovers. We are building a new life together, and we realize that it will take both of us: heart, body and soul to make the commitment stick. We both realize our inadequacies as humans, and we pray individually each day to be the spouses, parents, children, employees and friends that the Lord would want us to be.

Merry Christmas and a Happy Happy Happy New Year!
               
                                                                                                                  MJ, JJ, and the Family