The Great Outdoors
by Larry Whiteley
BLESSINGS
I am not sure I deserve it but God has sure blessed me. He has blessed me with a wonderful family and great friends. He has blessed me to be able to live in America. I know it seems kind of broken right now but it has before and it probably will again and we will get through it as we always have.
I still marvel at all God’s creations. When I am on the water crappie fishing as the sun starts to set below the horizon, in a frosted field behind a good working dog, in a duck blind watching ducks coming into my decoys or in a deer stand when the morning light awakens the wildlife, I am blessed.
When I see a rainbow, fall colors on an autumn day, an eagle flying in a bright blue sky or snow-capped mountains, I am blessed. When I smell the freshness of a spring rain or campfire smoke, I am blessed. When I hear a turkey gobble, the call of a loon, the bugle of an elk, I am blessed.
In America you have the freedom to believe what you want and I have the freedom to believe what I want. I personally believe God created the great outdoors for all of us to enjoy and take care of. I don’t believe it came from some cosmic explosion or evolution. This Thanksgiving, as I try to do every day, I will thank Him for all my many blessings.
FREEDOM IS NOT FREE
As an American we should be thankful for our many freedoms. Our freedoms though are not free. They have been paid for by the sacrifices of our military men and women past and present.
Thursday, November 11th is Veteran’s Day. If you know a veteran or if you are somewhere and see a veteran, make an effort to show them how much you appreciate what they have done for you and all of us. This COVID thing might keep you from shaking their hand but a simple spoken “thank you” will mean a lot to them. As a veteran myself, I know how good it feels to hear those words.
THE VALUE OF OUR GREAT OUTDOORS
All of us who get out and enjoy our great outdoors know that it is a great benefit to our well-being both mentally and physically. We greatly need that as we continue to battle COVID, deal with politicians and continually hear negative news.
The economic benefit of the great outdoors to America is $646 billion and it supports 6.1 million jobs. Federal tax revenue each year from the great outdoors is $39.9 billion while state and local tax revenue is $39.7 billion.
The great outdoors is an important economic benefit to our nation and our health. If we love the outdoors, we need to vote for those that will fight to protect our right to use and enjoy it.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.” ~ Melody Beattie, Author
