An Arkies Musings

My An Arkie's Faith column from the January 27, 2016 issue of The Mena Star. I remember as a child being told to tell my sister that I was sorry. I’m sure that every parent has used this technique. Tell your sister you’re sorry. “I’m sorry.” Did that make me sorry? No, it was more likely to make me plan my revenge. Being sorry seldom brings about change. We are usually just sorry we got caught. In 1970 the number one movie in the U.S. was “Love Story.”  The movie is the story of Oliver and Jenny.  Oliver comes from an upper class family and is heir to a fortune. At college he meets Jenny, a working-class student. They quickly fall in love. Jenny reveals her plans for the future, which include studying in Paris. Oliver is upset that he does not figure in the plans. He wants to marry Jenny and proposes. She accepts, and Oliver reassures her that their differences will not matter. Oliver's father tells him that he will cut him off financially if he marries Jenny. They...

On our recent trip to Oregon we visited the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport. It is a great aquarium that also has outdoor exhibits with sea otters, seals and sea lions, and a seabird aviary. The aquarium opened it doors to the public in 1992. The newest exhibit at the aquarium is Secrets of Shipwrecks. The exhibit takes you on a journey through artificial reefs that shipwrecks create. Replicas of real artifacts discovered in historic shipwrecks from the Red Sea to the Caribbean are part of the watery exhibits. In the seabird aviary we saw Tufted Puffins, Horned Puffins, Rhinoceros Auklets, Pigeon Guillemots, Common Murres and Black Oystercatchers. I had a great time at the aquarium and enjoyed taking photographs. If you are ever on the Oregon coast I can recommend a visit to the Oregon Coast Aquarium.

Every couple of years my wife and I travel to the Oregon Coast for her sibling's reunion. Her sister and brother-in-law provide us all a wonderful place to stay, great food, and transportation. Our condos sat on a bluff looking out over the ocean. Every morning I enjoyed getting up early and walking along the beach as the day began. I love the sights and sounds of the ocean. While we were at the coast, a winter storm blew in. The rocky Pacific coast had a special beauty as the power of the storm driven waves crashed ashore. The wind blew so hard that it was difficult to stand up but I didn't let the bad weather keep me from having a good time and taking photos. My wife had a great time visiting with her family. None of us let a little bad weather dampen our spirits. One of the most interesting and picturesque attractions in the part of the Oregon coast that we were visiting is the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. The lighthouse took several years to ...

My An Arkie's Faith column from the January 20, 2016 issue of The Mena Star. Just before Christmas I was at Subway and ordered a sandwich for lunch. As I was standing in line I was visiting with a customer of mine who was in line just ahead of me. When my customer payed for his lunch, he pointed to me and said, “I’m paying for his sandwich too”. I was blown away. That had never happened to me before. I thanked him and he said, “Merry Christmas”. His kindness really made my day. It had been a rough morning at work, but after experiencing this unexpected thoughtfulness my spirits were lifted. As I was eating my lunch and appreciating the gift that had been given to me a couple of thoughts came to mind. The first was how much we can impact the lives of others by even small kindnesses and thoughtfulness. The other was how much the experience had made an impression on me, but that God showed me kindness and thoughtfulness every day and I hardly even noticed. There is a sto...