FOOTNOTE: JULY 2026
I was contemplating going camping this weekend, after a hiatus of some 8 years not
doing anything like this. Most of my camping has always been done with others or some
partner. I’ve been waiting for someone to be discovered who would want to go camping
or skiing with me, and since no one stepped forward, I have done neither. My daughter
said she did a lot of camping alone at one point, and found it quite fun and therapeutic.
She has now taken her four kids camping many times, and more recently on a cruise.
Today, my son phoned and needed me to watch the grandkids…and wow, I can
camp with them out on the farm. They did that with their parents last week; the tent may
still be up. Now for the hard part of being with, mentoring, and using the time with the
grand children to enhance their skills and experience.
I’m told that we should show interest and be engaged with people on an individual
level in order to create a bond of friendship with others. I’ve been told, too, I do this
very well, but the older I get the less I seem to do. I’ve always done well with letter
writing, and I may be the only male who still does this frequently. But, a week or so ago,
I had the opportunity to greet and talk with someone I did not know…and totally blew
it. I remember actually avoiding that person. I realized afterward that for some reason I
didn’t want to be engaged in learning about this person…I’m not sure why. Maybe it
would be hard work. On the other hand, I’ve been delivering sermons to a few people
who couldn’t come to church, and while I may have lost some of my skills of the past in
reaching out to greet people, I’m pleasantly surprised at the fun it is, getting to know
these people, who are so much less mobile than I am.
An addendum to all this is, now in Senior living, I have to be focused on learning
about others, just as I was at churches, conferences, and camps, and especially, because I
volunteered to be editor of their (our) monthly publication. One of my philosophies as
an editor and writer is, and has been, “Stories need to be told.” We learn from others’
stories, and what we read, so we shouldn’t be hiding from learning more about those
around us.
Hebrews13:2 reminds us, "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so
doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it."
Keep engaged with God and others.
Updated from Aug 2008 by Paul T. Jackson
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