An Arkies Musings

My An Arkie's Faith column from the February 28, 2018, issue of The Mena Star. How is your imagination? Do you ever daydream? What do you imagine? Former Beatle John Lennon wrote a song titled Imagine in the early 70's. The melody is beautiful, and it is one of the most popular songs he ever wrote. But while the melody may be beautiful, the lyrics paint a different picture. Listen to what Lennon had to say. “Imagine there's no heaven. It's easy if you try; No hell below us; above us only sky. Imagine all the people, living for today. Imagine there's no country. It isn't hard to do; Nothing to kill or die for, and no religion, too. Imagine all the people living life in peace.” One of Lennon's ideas was that the concept of God and religion got in the way of world peace; and in the final analysis, caused more bad than good. Karl Marx thought this very same way, and so have many other philosophers over the centuries. Their idea was that if you ri...

My An Arkie's Faith column from the February 21, 2018, issue of The Mena Star. The past few weeks have been a blur for me. The adage seems to hold true; when it rains, it pours. One day, while we were making almost daily trips back and forth to the hospital in Hot Springs, our hot water heater started leaking. Because I didn’t have time to replace the water heater immediately, I drained the tank so it wouldn’t leak, and we were without hot water for several days. As I was feeling a bit sorry for myself for the expense and inconvenience of having to replace our water heater, I realized that I was facing a first world problem. I thought about my friends in Belize. When we visited them, the young couple and their son lived in a 64 square foot apartment with no hot water. Their water source was a cold water spigot outside the apartment. When my wife talked to a group of fifth-grade students in San Pedro, Belize, one of the questions they asked her was, “do you have a bathroom in...

Happy Valentine's Day to My Valentine! The best decision I have ever made was to marry the girl who stole my heart when she walked into Mr. Brost's History class the beginning of my senior year of high school.  I was too shy to talk to girls, so it was almost a year before she had any idea that I was interested.  I think that the good Lord knew that I needed all of the help I could get so he made it so that our paths crossed in a number of ways that year.  Mr. Brost selected five students to work together each week producing learning packets for History class.  Gina and I were both in the group.  We both worked at the Harris Pine furniture factory.  I worked on the dresser jig, and she made drawers.  I would spend my breaks back with the drawer makers, but she still didn't catch on. It came time for our High School graduation and I still had never gotten up the nerve to ask her out. Finally, I mustered up every ounce of courage I could find an...

My An Arkie's Faith column from the February 14, 2018, issue of The Mena Star. My dear Momma passed away February 7th. She had been battling pneumonia, congestive heart failure and atrial fibrillation for weeks. After spending her last few days struggling to breathe, she is now at rest. She can say “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”2 Timothy‬ ‭4:7‬ (NIV) Even though it has been a difficult time with lots of tears, I take comfort in the words found in ‭‭I Thessalonians‬ ‭4:13 (NKJV); “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.”‬‬‬‬ As my family and I made arrangements and a multitude of phone calls, my mind went to an article that I had written a couple of years ago. I want to share it with you. My normal routine on a work day is to go to Wal-Mart when I get off of work. I do my banking there and often pick up a few things for supper. A few...

My Momma's memorial service was very nice with a large group of family and friends in attendance. This slide show was shown during the service. Daddy requested the song, When You Come to the End of the Day by Perry Como be played at the memorial. The service closed with this slide show of sunset photos that I have taken.

Patricia Louise Lawry, age 84, of Mena, died Wednesday, February 7, 2018, at the National Park Medical Center in Hot Springs, Arkansas. She was born on Wednesday, January 10, 1934, to Phillip Morris and Laura Louise Houseman Payne in Palo Alto, California. Patricia spent her life serving God and others. She graduated as a Registered Nurse from Madison College and worked as an RN in Tennessee and Colorado. She was very active in the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Patricia served as a Sabbath School Superintendent and as a teacher in the children’s divisions. She was very involved with the local food pantry and soup kitchen. She was a supporter of “The Voice of Prophecy,” “It is Written,” and “The Quiet Hour.” She was an avid quilter and enjoyed scrapbooking. She loved spending time with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Patricia was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and friend, and will be missed by all who knew her. She is preceded in death by her parents...

My An Arkie's Faith column from the February 7, 2018, issue of The Mena Star. In May of 1970, The Beatles released their final single, The Long and Winding Road. Paul McCartney has stated that he came up with the title "The Long and Winding Road" during one of his first visits to his property, High Park Farm, in Scotland. He was inspired by a winding road stretching up into the hills in the remote Highlands surrounded by lochs and mountains.  This past week I have made numerous trips from Mena to Hot Springs to see my Mom in the hospital. As I was making the drive, I thought that Paul might have used that stretch of road for inspiration if he had ever driven in this part of Arkansas. It is a very winding road, and especially late at night, it seems very long. No matter which route I take to Hot Springs, the road is a long and winding road. All of that time on the road gives me time to think. Sometimes the road before me seems long, steep and challenging. I fe...