November 8 – “Some more letters to learn”

I went to another fire fighting related meeting the other night.  Actually I found out about it at the Critical Incident Stress Management Team meeting the other night, so I was actually a representative of two of the organizations there.  The Galveston County Fire Fighters Association (GCFFA) is a gathering of the fire departments in the county as well as a few just outside the county.  The overwhelming majority of them are volunteer departments.  Check out this list of communities that had representatives at the meeting: Sante Fe, Hitchcock, Kemah, High Island, Jamaica Beach, Friendswood, Galveston, Pearland, Texas City, LaMarque, San Leon, Bacliff, Clute, Dickinson, and Alvin.  The CISM Team sends a representative or two, and there were also several vendors on site.  Pretty impressive collection of people who care, I thought.

And that made one of the items of concern at the meeting really stick out to me.  Now granted, my hearing is pretty bad, and the loudspeaker system they had never did start working, but I think one of their concerns was the loss of funding for their annual appreciation banquet.  I’m not sure where the funding had been coming from, but it seems to me that with any group of volunteers every expression of appreciation is a crucial one.  I hope that gets worked out.

The meeting actually began with a supper of red beans and rice with sausage cut up in it as well.  On the side were trays of cornbread and hush puppies.  Hey, you can’t get much done on an empty stomach, I guess.  They also had a raffle of sorts to help the host organization, in this case the Jamaica Beach Volunteer Fire Department, defray their costs.  Among the prizes were: half of the money collected (the other half went to the host department), about a dozen caps from one of the vendors, some Jamaica Beach coffee mugs, some very cool (and very bright) flashlights, a fishing rod, and even an Old Smokey grill.  After the meeting a few of the vendors were set up to show off products.  And by products I mean fire trucks and rescue boats (Jamaica Beach had just purchased a boat) as well as one of the brightest lights I have ever seen.  Pretty impressive. 

I have to say, though, that the one thing I heard that day that really stuck with me came on my way home.  I could finally relax a bit, so I turned on the radio.  And just as I did, the deejay said this: “Whatever stage of life you are in, be all there.”  I’m sure he had other things to say after that (He IS a radio personality, after all.  That’s his job), but I pondered that one statement all the way home.  Don’t live your life always waiting for the next big event that will make a difference.  Live now and give it your all.  Otherwise you will miss some of the best moments God has prepared for you.  Hmm.  Heavy stuff.  I still want to dance with Cailyn at her wedding, but in the meantime … I think I’ll go have a donut hole with Luke.

Matthew 6:33-34 says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Father, forgive my worry days and increase my “live for Your moment” days.  Amen.