Thoughts on Thanksgiving....

Well, it has came and went. Thanksgiving, that is. We had family over--two of my brothers and their families--about 15 people in all. We were supposed to have two guests from the local youth shelter, but one of the staff members took them instead. Yes, I over-stuffed myself on turkey, ham, and all the fixins. It was a great time of fellowship for our family But something keeps nagging at me, and it's a deep down nagging...

I can't help but think about the kids that don't have a family to share Thanksgiving with. Kids that have fallen in between the cracks of life and our little social world. Kids that need encouragement, love, compassion, kindness, security, hope, joy, kids that need to see a real God that really loves us and who works in our lives. They don't need to see the fake world that so many people live in, they need real love, real support, real dedication, and a real God.

I visit a local shelter for troubled youth every week. I share the love of the Lord with them, and offer them friendship. The kids here have seen it all. From drug addiction and criminal activities to victims of all forms of abuse, from abandoned kids to runaways, they often end up here.

Let me explain the type of shelter that this is. RCYS really cares for the kids. They have counselors on staff to help the kids, offering several programs aimed at getting and keeping these kids on track to become a positive part of our future. It's not a lock up facility, but it is a place where kids can feel welcome and loved. Yes, they have to abide by rules but it is not like a boot camp. I have seen several kids come to know Christ during their stay here.

I said all that to say this. I am trying to help raise awareness and publicity for Rogers County Youth Services. They have been facing budget cuts as well as many other agencies but you can help. They have a wish list and a needs list on the website. If you can help, please contact them--your help would be greatly appreciated.

Retirement? Really? Could it be?

Wow, after the latest chaser drama, I actually can say that I understand why people become reclusive. I’m talking about well-known storm chasers that seem to drop off the radar. I can think of several that have done this in recent years.

While storm chasers are the best people in the world, they can also be the most eccentric, and can be out and out jerks. There are a lot of ingenious minds in the meteorological/chaser world, and my experience is that geniuses can at times be odd in character-I can’t tell you first hand though, I’m far from being a genius..lol. With all that said, all of our personalities and preferences can clash at times. This clash seems to rear its ugly head during the off season. I mean, one just has to browse the threads over at stormtrack.org to determine what season it is. Winter=multiple chaser drama episodes that can bring out the ugly in all of us. Yes, it has happened to me. I was drawn in to drama and bashed someone with whom I have never even been privileged to shake his hand. That was very Christian of me—not.

When a hobby turns a person into someone that can not have fun or someone that regrets what he/she says to our fellow man, then it’s no longer a hobby, it’s a burden. When that burden comes between two friends, it’s time to release the burden. How? Several ways come to mind.

First there’s the extreme view: Chaser retirement. This option does not seem viable because you will alienate other friends in the chase community and you will lose out of that camaraderie and friendship.

Second: become a recluse. This option parallels the first and should not be given much thought either.

Third: The Smith approach. This I believe is the best option for all and should be widely used by chasers in conflict. Step one-do not log on to Stormtrack during the off-season. I know this is extreme, but there are very few useful threads on there that will make or break a storm chaser at this time. There are several other threads and chaser blogs available for your enjoyment that will keep pressure to become involved in flame wars to a minimum. Read up on chase accounts from chaser websites, compare your forecast to theirs and see if you agreed or not. Finally, the most important step in chaser syndrome is to BAACK UUUPPP from the computer and get out & enjoy your families & friends, and enjoy life! It’s too short for adversities to ruin things for us!

Well you said you wanted an update....

Here's a low-res video. I just threw some chase video together....WARNING!! It is pretty boring...lol. Turn the volume up & you can hear me trying to educate a less experienced friend. I will admit the tornadoes are very hard to see and I'm not sure you can even see them due to the low resolution, but they are there....enjoy!

Update?

Well, I thought I would write something. But, I really haven't been doing much lately, I am not overly upset at anything in particular, and haven't seen a good storm in months. So you thought that I was going to say something and clicked on the ol' blog. Well, I am sorry to disappoint you all, but I just don't have anything worth writing here...lol. I said all that to say this: nothing.