The Minton Special

Life was simple while I was growing up in small town Plano, Texas. At the turn of the 1950’s decade Plano had reached a population of 3,695. It was small town America and a wonderful place to grow up. Summers were lazy and easy going. As a kid the guys had Little League baseball as the only organized activity. Otherwise it was a scrub baseball game behind the old high school, swimming in the Texas shaped pool at the edge of town just on the west side of Hwy 75 known as the Central Expressway or maybe a tackle football game in the lot behind Billy Don’s house.

It would be another year before Six Flags Over Texas would open it’s gates in 1961. It was that same year, 1961, that a baseball team was formed bearing the name, Washington Senators. It would be another 10 years before they moved to Arlington as the Texas Rangers. In the fall of 1960 football would make its way to Dallas which lay 20 miles and 30 minutes south of Plano. On the old highway half the trip would still be in the country or sparsely populated areas. For 50 cents local football players could get general admission tickets to watch the games of the new NFL, Dallas Cowboys. They were so poorly attended at times you could move to a seat between the 40 and 50 yard line after halftime.

At the Minton household Sunday nights were mostly family time in front of our black and white TV. Mom would ask what we wanted to eat and most of the time we’d yell out “the Minton Special”. It was a simple meal. She’d take a plate and line the outside with half slices of bologna, salami, pickle-loaf or olive loaf, several slices of cheese and what we called “Liberace” crackers. “Liberace” crackers were a sweet club cracker that was sponsor on his TV show. In the middle would be pickles and olives and at times carrots or celery. Then we’d all sit down and enjoy an evening of “Gunsmoke” and “Cheyenne” or maybe it was “Bonanza” and “Have Gun Will Travel” while enjoying our sumptuous meal. Life was simple.

A while back when our kids came up for a visit we went to Frontier Texas. While going around with our granddaughter she wanted to punch every button and see what would light up. She had a ball and it was fun for me seeing her have so much fun doing something so simple.

Today is different, however, for most people. There’s soccer practice, baseball practice, volleyball, karate lessons, dancing lessons, cheerleader practice etc. Families are torn going this way and that and by the time they are home at night they are so tired that time is spent with the kids in one room and the parents in another. Meals are quick and fast. One eats in her room watching TV while another eats his in front of a video game. Another is busy “texting” or playing games on their I-Phone. Mom and dad plop down somewhere watching a reality show and just enjoying the peace and quiet. The fast paced world has worn everyone out.

Gone is the art of catching fireflies in jars or lying on the grass just gazing up at the stars. Gone in many families is family time where you just sit around together in the same room and enjoy just being together, eating together and laughing together. Our cell phones are rarely turned off and we constantly check our email to see if someone is trying to contact us with a life or death situation. As a result we have lost much of the togetherness that is healthy for families.

James wrote, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” We never know what God has planned for us the next day or the next. Before we know it it’s passed us by and we often live in the regrets of “I wish I had”.

Love your family while you can. Take time to enjoy the simple pleasures that life has to offer. Slow down. Go into the kitchen, make yourself a “Minton Special” then sit down with your family in the den, turn off your cell phones, shut down your computer, put your land line phone on silent, change the settings on your TV to eliminate the color and watch “The Wonderful World of Color” in black and white.

“Put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

A Thought on Kevin Na's 16 at Valero



Photo from pga.com

27 year old Kevin Na knocked in a four foot putt on the 9th hole of the Valero Open today. It was the last in an accumulation of 16 strokes and penalties. Not a good hole for the young man, however it was one better than Chris Gane’s 17 on the 18th hole of the 2003 Diageo Championship and two shy of John Daly’s 18 in 1998 at Bay Hill. Unfortunately, it was all caught on camera since Na was the feature player of the day.

I read several blogs, accounts and comments today about this terrible hole. I guess what really bothers me is how many people out there really seem to enjoy someone else’s struggles. Some people seemed to relish the chance to say “I could do better than that!” He’s been made fun of, second-guessed, put down and laughed at by a lot of people on the internet.

As I watched the replay I was impressed by Kevin; not his golf on this hole or his decision making, but how he handled the situation. I’ve watched other golfers curse a blue streak, break clubs and even walk off in disgust and frustration. Kevin however for the most part kept his cool. He did rush a few shots and drop his club when he hit the drive for the second time into the trees. But, I saw his integrity when he said he thought the ball came back and hit his pant leg. That one cost him an extra shot. Then as he finally got out of the trees with his 13th shot he came out smiling. He then proceeded to shoot 3 under par on the back nine.

I see nothing funny in laughing at people’s struggles. Every one of us has made embarrassing and stupid mistakes in life. We’ve all made bad decisions. We’ve all been in situations where we’d like a “do over”. We’ve all been embarrassed by something we’ve done in life. The only difference is that Kevin’s was caught on film. How would we feel if our bad days were filmed for everyone else to see?

Making fun of people when they are down is simply trying to find a way to make us look better. If we can somehow make others look bad or point out their weaknesses it somehow raises our stature.

Paul wrote to the church in Thessolonica to “encourage each other and build each other up”. Of all the articles I happen to read they all dwelt on the 16 strokes on hole number 9. Not one of them talked about how he kept his cool and came back with that 3 under par on the back nine. I hope his fellow golfers took time to place a hand on his shoulder and encourage him.

Kevin Na will probably not make the cut tomorrow, but I also doubt that he’ll ever shoot anywhere close to another 16.

Next time before we judge someone, we should look in the mirror and ask ourselves, “What if that were me? How would I want to be treated?” And then remember that little saying we have been taught all our lives, “Do unto others, what you would have them do unto you.”

A Light in the Fog



Image courtesy of /www.freefoto.com



The fog was thick as Sam slid into the driver's seat of  his car and began driving home from work. It was so thick in fact that he could only see a few feet ahead. As he crept slowly along he was able to spot the taillights of a car in front of him. “This guy is moving pretty well, I’ll just follow him until we get out of this mess.” He thought to himself. The two moved slowly down the road turning corners and making progress. Then all of a sudden the car in front came to a full quick stop. “Crash!” Sam’s car plowed into the back of the one in front.

Sam was furious. He exited his car and yelled at the guy in front. “Why did you stop all of a sudden like that?” You knew I was behind you! The man who had exited his car quietly turned to Sam and said, “I don’t know where you were going mister, but I’m in my own driveway!”

Life has many directions and turns that make it difficult. At times we get lost and look for direction from different sources. Sometimes the direction we go is the right way. Then again, there are times we make bad decisions. There are times we follow the wrong crowd.

One of the biggest decisions we make is who we are going to be around. With what type of people do we associate? Are they people of integrity and good character who will help us in life? Are they people who are lost themselves? Are they people out for the good of others or people out for only what they can get for themselves?

The tough part is that we are often in a fog. We feel we’re okay when we really can’t see what is happening around us. Then we crash and it’s not until then that we realize the mistake we’ve made. Fortunately, most of the time we can recover and get back on the right road, but often the damage has been done and is difficult to repair.

There is one light, however, that we can always depend on to lead us in the right direction; One light that will help us through the twists and turns we cannot see in the fog; One light that can bring us safely home.

That light is Jesus who simply said, “I am the light of the world”.

So next time you feel that your life is in the middle of a fog, look for the true light. If we follow him we receive the promise that “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

So now, back out of the driveway and get back on the road, but his time watch out who you''re following.