In Reply to: Journey questions posted by Zither on April 11, 2006 at 19:32:11:
I experienced extremely painful emotions as well as threatenning health problems for ten years during my time of 'coming out.' While at the start of my time in the Valley of Baca, I restored an old cedar strip canvas canoe and introduced my kids to alot of hunting and fishing. That was thereputic to a point in that some of it was EXTREMELY physical - slugging a canoe and kids, guns and decoys, etc., through marsh muck and slime. Some of the anger I harbored was dissappaited in that manner and I have very fond memories of some of the hunts and fishing trips - the time away from thinking, the sunsets, the moon rising over the marsh, the music of the marsh...... the successes of the hunt or the fishing trip............... hmmmn, fishing season opens in a few short weeks and the boreal forest beckons. I like to slip a very comfy lawn chair into the front of the canoe and park Ethel in it (facing me) and paddling the wilderness lakes, fishing line in toe.
I went back to some of my farm roots, as well, gardenned and bought a bunch of chickens, turkeys, ducks, bees and pigeons just for the therapy of it. I even got a dog for of one of my boys and that dog was heaven.
I joined an art club and painted (I'm gifted in that) and have made some money off commissions. I have thought to make art my winter month's retirement within a year and know that I can do very well there.
After getting over coming out of the Fam, I turned to Ethel and told her that I'd make it safe for her to heal, too, and she did. We've gone on to build a thriving little summer business in cottage country, a beautiful home and a beautiful yard. We're in the process of landscaping the ponds we had dug.
As a boy growing up in the back 110, I took to birding. That passion returned a few years ago and is now very much a part of my on going mental health and well being. Just today, as the spring run off flows out into the ice covered lake, a flock of merganzers were working the open water at the entrance to a creek, fishing the minnows and small fish that are trying to get upstream for spawning. We're planning, now, to rv and bird as well as paint (probably birds) for the winter months.
I like to read true crime, watch the CSI programs, Survivor, the Super Bowl and some of the golf championships. I like spending time with the grandkids and plan on including them in my birding, rv'ing and fishing adventures now that the snow has melted and the migrations are in full swing.
I know I'm a sinner only saved by grace and still like to get into the Word, daily.