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Turn Four is Our Finest Hour!

Turn Four is Our Finest Hour!

Last updated on: February 10, 2022 at 7:44 am by Mark Williams

Turn Four is Our Finest Hour! 2022-02-10T07:44:37-07:00 Mark Williams

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

THIS COULD BE OUR FINEST HOUR!

In life and in life’s partnerships, chances are one of the partners will go before the other, leaving the other behind to cope with the world-alone. Sometimes, if it is way deep in life’s seasons when one leaves, sometimes the other just folds up the tent and quits, leaving within months after their partner. That didn’t happen with me, but I can understand it.

From what I’ve seen and experienced, for the second partner to leave, it is usually a while down the road. Their life still has some strength in the legs to go on—most of the time. The second departure isn’t for years. So, the one left has a choice-get back into the surf or find yourself drinking gin in your linen closet at eight in the morning.

Widowers can make stuff up!

I can only speak for men in this arena and in reality, I can only speak for myself. Women, I think statistics will show, are the ones usually left behind. So, a man in this season, well, not a lot is written about these guys, we few, we not so happy few. So, we can make up our own story. What will we be known for?

Sure, our near ancestors will know and remember our early stories, how we fought the bulls in Spain, how we sailed around the Cape of Good Hope, but it will be the last turn on the 400-meter run of life that we will be most noted because this is what we prepared all our life for, and we didn’t even know it. But God did.

God knew this day would come for us-this season

This is us, refined like gold, God purified us for.

It will be here that will be our finest hour.

HERE’S NEWS-OLD MEN CHEAT!

I sat next to man last night that was thirty years my senior. When he reads this, he will know I am talking about him. He might not make it another year. But then, maybe five years. I know he doesn’t want to last five more years, telling me so, and I agree with him. He did stuff in his life that most of us just read about and yet the best part of him still works like day one. He knows how to cheat for one thing.

The old wisdom of a sheepdog with its grey whiskers. Yeah, who is going to call out a 900-year-old man for cheating? He looks at you with those who—me? Eyes—bastard (typed with pure affection). He can’t hear crap—by choice I wager, and yet he can see truth and a ‘work-a-round’ like no other–he can ‘cheat.’ He is the picture in the encyclopedia when you look up the phrase ‘youth and skill is no match for old age and treachery.’ And he has fallen in love with Jesus.

We are allowed to be wise as we age

But all his life, he has run from God. Until later in life, then he ran towards God and the sweet love of Jesus. Why would a wise man do that? He was doing so well, all his life. He had stuff. A beautiful wife. Traveled. Had friends all over the world. Why? Why now?

STICK AROUND-ENGAGE!

I think men need to stay in the game for their family. You’re meant to be fully in the game. It’s tough. Those things your partner did, you need to pick them up and run with them as best you can. You need to teach your kids or grandkids how to really dance. No, baby showers are not really the top of the list item, but you can still buy a gift, wrap it in newspaper and deliver it. It doesn’t even have to be really good, just leave the receipt. You don’t have to go, unless it’s your kids then, yeah, you need to be there. Bring the gin but you are the ‘widower’ so people will forgive you for leaving the toilet seat up. Yes, that also means if they go to the bouncy house place and the Big Balls are there, you might have to try it, just so you can say you did it. Even if it breaks your butt. We’re not going to live forever and dying from a bouncy house tumble is a good way to go.

If your daughter wants to talk to you on the phone on the way to or from work, talk to her. Turn the volume down on the WWF crap and talk—engage. If your son wants you to come look at the new patio roof, git yer ars over there and look at it. Tell him ‘well done’ and ask him what color he going to paint it. Ask him if he used the double or single gage flange adapter. He will say he doesn’t know which is good because you just made up that term, but it is a term I give you all today to use anywhere when you need engagement discussion.

Our finest hour….

Our families still need us to engage, and we need it as well. Sure, it can be incredibly sad, this season.

Or, it can be our finest hour.

We can, after some time, find ourselves sitting up a little straighter, our eyes a little clearer, our hearts being in the trim. So, you men, whether you are widowed or even divorced or just single–later in life, lace em up, button ’em up, and strap in. We got work to do. Sure, you can be sad and grieve, but maybe not so much today—today lads we pull em up and do the company business! And our Lord Jesus smiles. He smiles at us anyway, but today, ah He knows our hearts.

Today, we cheat!

Enjoy the ride

www.markjwilliams.com

About Mark Williams

Mark Williams retired from law enforcement in Arizona with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, Organized Crime Division, Special Investigations Section, after twenty-one years of service and has been teaching English in an inner city high school since 2001, retiring in 2019. He has frequently traveled around the United States to speak about adult education and law enforcement. Throughout both careers, he has been training educators, business communities and churches on surviving active shooters with his book, Forty-Seven Seconds. Mark has authored several fictional pieces, including screenplays, short stories, magazine stories, training manuals, and novels. The Good and Kind Man is Mark’s eighth novel, coming out this fall through Leaping Armadillo Press. He has been married for over thirty-seven years, and widowed in 2018. He has three grown children, and ten grandchildren. He currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona and attends Open Door Fellowship Church. You can find out more about Mark’s writings at www.markjwilliams.com. You can read more about the author here.

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