Chaplains on the River

We have all heard the saying:  “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks!”  Well…I have learned that this is NOT true!!  My Sheltie mix dog, Teddy, is 13 years old.  Over the past six months, he has become a new man.  With improved nutrition (he takes more suplements than I do!), socialization with other dogs, and training in both group and individual settings, Teddy has become like a young dog again.  He has high energy, is happy and healthy, and IS learning new behaviors and “tricks.”  He even has tried herding sheep!!

This week, I had the blessing of visiting with a towing company shoreside employee who shared an inspiring story.  As a child, he would see towboaters on the river near his home, and always wanted to be one.  Like a lot of people, life just did not unfold the way he had first imagined, and he became busy working and raising a family.  At the age of 50, he was challenged by some friends in the towing industry to apply to become a deckhand.  He accepted, completed training, worked on the water for several years, and is now in a position of responsibility helping care for crew members.  In his own words:  “How many people get a second chance to live their dream?”  He is one happy and satisfied person.

None of us are ever too old…or too young…to learn new tricks!  Our behaviors can help or hurt us.  The safety training every towboater constantly receives reminds that best practices are in place becasue they are safe practices.  Situational awareness is hammered in because it is important, both on the boat and in everyday life.  One company executive told me that he is a much safer driver everyday because of being more attentive to other drivers and roadway conditions.  Safety trainers will quickly tell us that we can never just drift along being inattentive.

So how about you and your life?  How are you doing with learning AND practicing good, helpful and healthy habits - those “new tricks?”  It is never too late or too early to make changes in your life…your relationships…for the good.  In the Holy Bible, we read these words:  “Happy is he who has found wisdom, he who has acquired understanding, for wisdom is more profitable than silver, and the gain she brings is better than gold!” (Proverbs 3:13-14, The Revised English Bible).  In other words, when we find that which makes our hearts sing, and do it, we will be healthier, happier and fundamentally better for it.

May faith in God, as you understand and know God, be a source of blessing in your life!