Early in the Morning

I looked outside this morning and saw the dew on the grass in our backyard.  I was reminded of something that I experienced for many summers playing golf at Pokegama County Club near Grand Rapids, Minnesota: the water trails left by a golf putt early in the morning.  

My father worked at the local paper mill and his shift began at 6:30 in the morning.  My three older brothers and I would pack our golf bags in the car, make sure we had the lunch mom prepared for us and off we went - ready for a full day of playing golf.  This was a big deal for my mom because it meant that the four of us were out of her hair for the day.  She would only have to deal with six other children - yikes!

Normally, my dad would not be able to bring us all the way out to the course, so we would walk from the start of the Golf Course Road and HWY 169, a total of about 3.5 miles.  (Funny, when we were kids, it felt like six.)  Actually, there were not too many times when we had to walk the entire way.  Someone driving by would see four boys carrying golf bags and determine that we were not a threat - they would offer us a ride.  That was great because it meant we could get started sooner.  Back then golfers didn't start that early in the morning.  Even the grounds crew didn't start until later.  We had the course to ourselves. 

I'm getting to the point of my short story - you know, what reminded me of the dew on the grass outside of our backyard.  Because it was so early and (as I mentioned) the grounds crew had not started their work, the greens were always wet with dew.  If you were the first to putt, everyone else could see the line perfectly.  As you hit the ball, water would spring up from behind the ball as it made its way to the hole.  We never had to worry about the ball washers being empty - they were cleaned on their way to the hole.

What makes this memory so special for me is the time I was able to spend with my brothers.  If you were to ask me then if it was special, I would not have had a clue what you were talking about.  It was golf and I was only hoping to beat the pants off my older brothers (which almost never happened).  But years later, as I have been able to process some of these memories, I understand how important that time was for me, for my brothers and for my entire family.

We learned some things about life other than just how to swing a golf club.  We learned the rules of golf etiquette, which had a lot of "politeness" built into it.  We learned that you needed to treat each other with respect.  For me that was a big thing because I not only had to learn how to respect my brothers, but they also had to respect me.  I'm not saying that our behavior was wild at home, but there were moments.  I mean, you are bound to have that in a family of ten, right?  

Those mornings on the course helped us all with lessons which could translate into life.  You're not always going to hit it straight down the middle.  Sometimes you get penalized and you have to find your way out of a trap.  You can help someone else find their ball.  And there is no need to throw your five iron into the nearest woods just because you think your brother was talking in your backswing and you missed a shot (details on that incident are a bit fuzzy to this day).

Today, my brothers and I try to get together once or twice a year.  We reminisce about our early days of playing golf, assuming we can remember.  I look forward to those moments because they remind me of those days when four boys were in search of being like Palmer, Nicklaus, Player and other greats of that era.  What we discovered was how to be more like gentlemen, treating others with respect and dignity.

I'm sure my parents appreciated that learning!

By Our Own Devices?

High school graduations are right around the corner.  For the past three decades, I have watched young church members from the communities where I have served receive their diplomas and move on to the next chapter of life.  It does bring a person back to their own rite of passage known as high school graduation.  My graduation from Greenway High School in Coleraine, Minnesota was a big moment.  I watched my three older brothers graduate, go to work at the local paper mill, get a car and go to college.  I could not wait! 

So, I wax a bit of nostalgia around this time of year, just like in September when school starts all over again.  So many things have changed over the years.  It’s crazy when you think about it.  I can list the things we didn’t have - no internet, no devices, no smartphones, no computers.  We had rotary phones and still used the party line (google it).  Cable tv?  What was that?  Who needed cable tv when we only had three channels?  And one of the channels came in focus only when someone had to turn the antenna toward the location of the station!  We listened to the radio or played the 45’s - and if we were lucky, we had an eight track in our car.  You haven’t lived until you listened to an eight track.

I know.  Many of you know the list of things we didn’t have and the things we did have.  One of the things which has changed is the comic strip.  I used to read the Sunday comics from the Duluth News Tribune.  Dennis the Menace, Blondie and Dagwood Bumstead, the gang from Peanuts, Beetle Bailey,  Prince Valiant, and Dick Tracy.  That last one intrigues me because of one thing that Dick Tracy had which was a precursor of things of today: the two way wrist watch.  Introduced first in 1946: it was a two-way voice radio that could only receive and transmit audio.  Twenty years later it was updated by adding a small video screen to view contacts.  Little did anyone know that we were looking at the first smartphone. 

There are so many devices we have which supposedly make our lives a lot easier.  I took a quick inventory of the tech items I have in my possession:  desktop and laptop computer, smartphone, iPad, Kindle Fire, Fire TV, Remarkable 2 pad, FitBit tracker, digital hearing aids, vehicles with computer technology including communications, Skylight calendar, and so many other computerized gadgets that are designed to make life simpler. 

Even with all of this, we humans crave things that technology cannot give us - having a cup of coffee with a friend; giving a family member a hug; shaking hands with someone you just met; talking with a group of people all in the same room.  We crave relationship - with one another.  Certainly we love being outdoors in nature (who in Minnesota hasn’t learned how to love that?)  But we are wired to be with one another - to love one another. 

Being in ministry for over thirty years, I have to say we also desire a connection to the divine.  We want a relationship with God, with Jesus, with the Spirit.  Here is a good reminder for what we need today: grow inwardly with God's Holy Word as the primary guide, make certain we pay attention to reach upward toward God, and be mindful that we need to reach out to each other.

Jesus did that on the cross for us: no device will  ever replace that!