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Day two We live under a big sky. It is a canvas that stretches across the heavens, and it becomes the backdrop of my life when I look up. Focusing only on what is right in front of me, looking down, watching my feet on that road I'm traveling is important, but dwelling on the particulars of the journey is myopic.  Hmm, without the sky, life can…

A year had almost passed, and I was thinking about the anniversary of my stroke. I wanted to  celebrate it. That seemed so weird to me. To honor this bad thing that happened to me. But I decided to do it. Why? Because something amazing happened after the stroke, I woke up. I woke up to a new day. I realize now what I was celebrating was…

Have you heard the poem ”The wonderful one-hoss-shay"?  I can remember reading it in school, probably in high school. Sort of a fuzzy memory, I can't recall any of the particulars, but I can remember what the poem was about. It was about a carriage that lasted for one hundred years and then it broke to pieces all at once.  First some definitions, “hoss” might be referring…

Forty years ago the library at the college I was attending was getting rid of some old books. They were offering them for free.  So I picked one up, a little book called “The Way.'' I can still remember that book. There were a lot of textbooks that I read in college as well, I couldn't name any of them. But as I was working on my…

I can’t remember how I learned to read. Maybe it started with something like Hop on Pop?  I just can't remember. But, I can remember how I learned to read again. It started with the Bible. I knew I needed to start reading, trying to regain what was lost. It was and still is, a big part of my recovery.  So I practiced reading, one chapter every…

What we focus on really matters. If you can’t focus, you are doomed to live a blurry life, flitting about from place to place. Scatterbrained is a good way to describe it. Just as bad, by focusing on the wrong things you will end up at the wrong places. Focusing on the wrong things can overwhelm me. I’m starting to realize how important what I am focusing…

Another year is ending, another year, Hmm, that means a lot to me. Right now I’m working on year 66, or maybe year 3. I'm not sure which. As I think about it, I’m definitely working on year 3.  I really like this time of year. What a great time for looking back on the year that is ending and also looking forward to another year.  Looking…

Lots of things happened the night of my stroke. A lot of things stopped, and a lot of things started.  My recovery started, my retirement started, my new life started, and my love for God, well it didn’t start per se, but somehow it blossomed. And though some good things started, a lot of things also stopped.  My business, for example, stopped. Stopped suddenly. Scheduling of subcontractors,…

This week I again experienced something old, or maybe new?  I have always worked in construction.  As a laborer, an apprentice, a journeyman, a contractor and the owner of Hostetler Construction, my work day always started at 7:00, rolling up to the jobsite bright and early, often after an hour commute. All the cities I generally worked in, lie in a big circle from Temecula to Big…

The thought came out of the blue, “You can sit in the other chair if you want.” You mean that chair I used to use? You know, that chair where I sat when I was in control. That chair where I sat when I asked Jesus to help me, to be my copilot, to help me right this ship. That chair where I heard his voice. I…