The Grand “Fall Ball” is Underway!

It just gets better in spite f the lack of rain late in the season

All right Grand Lakers…let’s step back from the ledge for a moment, realize it is fall on the pond and ponder the beauty of this lake we have called home for the past forty-three years. As I sat on my perch overlooking Grays Hollow a few evenings ago, the waters were nearly calm, with a slight north breeze cooling the air hovering just above our lake of choice. The shad were schooling, which meant the Sand Bass couldn’t be far away. Tranquility to Grand Lake base, come in!

It’s times like these which truly make Grand Lake a very special place. And it’s never more pronounced than in the first few weekends immediately following the Labor Day holiday. It’s almost as though you were awakened to find your favorite weekend lake retreat had been magically relocated. Summer’s night-time sounds of fun and frolic have been replaced by the calls of owls, and soon the honking of geese will be heard from overhead as they wing their way to their winter homes……at least we hope so. And in the not too distant future, we’ll find ourselves before an open fire, longing for those warm summer days and a golf course accented by green, growing grass.

Personally, I can never decide if my favorite time is the “Spring-Fling” or the “Fall Ball.” The renewal taking center stage in March and April always proves to be miraculous, but the fall display of color in these Ozark foot hills is also truly spectacular. With the associated calm waters and pleasant temperatures, it’s hard to imagine a better time to be alive. A time to gaze out and truly ponder what’s important in this life we have chosen to lead. A time to reflect on where it is we have been and what we might have left to do. The changing of the seasons, at least for me, sends a strong signal with regards to our own mortality.

But reality is usually just an e-mail or phone call away. As I look back at this time on the calendar from years gone by, I’m reminded of the less than thirty days of Hell till the upcoming election. Of how tired I’ve become of the “You’re wrong, I’m right” mentality, or is that vice versa? How we will assail one another over political philosophies as though we were from different countries. Where snarls have replaced reason, and where bridges will be burned, which will be difficult to rebuild. But it’s the American way, right?

I’m often told how fortunate I am to live on this great lake. I’ve even had a friend repeatedly say over the years, “When I grow up, I want to be just like Rusty.”  But no matter where you live, or your chosen career path, reality is never too far away.

I can’t help but recall the run-up to the fall elections of ’96. My Dad, a life-long Democrat, who had plucked me from Deaconess Hospital in Oklahoma City to adopt me as his own, was seriously ill and would pass on before the election. He had raised me, taught me the difference between right and wrong, delivered a powerful message on how being lazy was not an option, been there every time I needed him and provided me some simple explanations that have never failed me throughout this life. To him, the son of a poor dirt farmer from Faxon, Oklahoma, politics was a simple choice and he explained it to me like this. “Son, it’s really simple. You can either give ‘em a hand, or you can give ‘em the back of your hand.”

In ’96, I was still the owner and publisher of The Chronicle of Grand Lake Newspaper. Our publication had long passed the stage of fearing the consequences of expressing our thoughts and opinions on the state-of-the-lake and other issues. A letter I received during that political run-up still resides in my memory bank today. The letter urged me to put my bias aside. It went on to council me on paying close attention to the author’s thoughts, since most of our readers were conservative. And if I elected to print the author’s letter of political advice and personal attack for my previously stated beliefs, “Please, no editorial comments to detract from my letter if you print it.”

I remember thinking at the time, I used to be naïve enough to think I determined the content of the publication. The reality and shortcomings of the political season is never far away….then or now.

Thank God for the “Fall Ball,” the geese, the ducks, the fish, golf and all the other things making sense out of this world we live in. Not much has changed over the past twenty-eight years.

See Ya’ Around the Pond!    

Labor Day Weekend will always be Special!

Labor Day Weekend will always be Special!

Every Grand Laker has a story

Just livin the dream!

All holiday weekends on Grand Lake are special in many different ways to many different people, but the 1976 Labor Day weekend was a life-changer in every possible way for yours truly. As I’ve written on many occasions, Grand Lake serves as a backdrop for making memories to be recalled for years to come, and though I had spent many weekends here previously, Labor Day weekend ’76 was mile-marker number one for me on a long winding road with my beloved pond being the star of the show. You see, it was Labor Day ’76 when I became a full-fledged Grand Laker with the purchase of a little piece of heaven located in Grays Hollow.

I had spent most of the summer bumming off my good friends Rue and Kathy Morgan in Duck Creek, or occasionally actually paying for a place to stay in one of the upscale cabins, which actually looked more like storage sheds, at the historic Duck Creek Landing. If it gives you a clue, those cabins were among the first structures dozed by John Mullen when he bought the property from Dale and Grace Fowler and founded Thunder Bay Marina. By August, I had contracted a severe dose of Grand Lake fever and was feverishly looking for a place to purchase on a data sales manager’s meager salary at Southwestern Bell.

I had stumbled onto a local realtor, Karol Gregory, who was affiliated with the legendary and historic Pigeon Riley Real Estate Company. Pigeon was a GRDA systems operator by day and real estate magnate in his off hours. I was impressed that Karol elected to transport me by boat from property-to-property, telling me how we could cover a lot more ground in a shorter period of time. But in reality, the location of property in my price range didn’t include much more than goat paths in the way of roads, Actually, I would suggest to you the four wheelers below the dam enjoy better roadways than those off the beaten path east of Disney in 1976.

One of the places Karol seemed to think would be a perfect fit for a single guy like me was located in Grays Hollow…or as I would later find out was referred to by most as Dripping Springs. The showing occurred during the week…not a boat in sight, three slip dock, all be it about to sink, a mobile home with a huge deck out front constructed from rough cut cedar produced at the local mill on Topsy Road…alias the Topsy Turnpike. The current owners, the Solemans, even left plans for an “A” frame addition for a larger living space. The deal was made, financing secured, and a closing date was set for the Friday of Labor Day weekend 1976 at Pigeon Riley’s office.

After a trip across-the-street following the closing to the historic Cove Club to celebrate the deal, where three years later I would propose marriage to the lovely Lynda Fleming, it was off to my new lake place with its 107’of waterfront and it was all mine. I remember sipping my drink of choice, looking down at my three-slip cruiser dilapidated dock and thinking, “How could it get much better than this?”

The next morning, following an early trip to Frosty & Edna’s for breakfast, I headed out to my spacious deck to enjoy my little piece of paradise. I had just started on my second cup of coffee when two boats came idling into my new secluded cove….and they were followed by four more and they were followed by eight more and by now I was discovering there might have been some information about Grays Hollow I wasn’t aware of. Back then jet boats we’re the rage of the lake and when they weren’t capsizing, they were racing. On this particular day, they were racing from the Dripping Springs bluff, out to mouth of my secluded cove, circling the “No Wake” buoys and heading back to the drip. I was 32, single and up for a good time, so it really just didn’t seem like much of a problem at the time…..and to this day it still doesn’t.

Many times, over the years, I have been asked why I don’t sell this place, move out of this shantytown and move to the rich side of my beloved lake, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. In reality, there’s only about six weekends a year where the traffic is that much of a factor and for the other 46 weeks, our cove pretty much belongs to us.

We once had a rich broker who ended up buying a place in our cove and when asked why, he would proudly explain, “I like being with the little people.” But if diversity is a measure of a cove’s worth, we’ve got it all. Our little people’s cove, where all the rich kids come to park, is made up of lawyers, doctors, hospital administrators, commercial sand company magnates, tool pushers, commercial real estate developers, car wash owners, retired cops, bar owners, salesman, an aircraft after-market dude, another broker, not to be identified with the first, an office furniture factory rep, an aeronautics guy, a has been publisher, a drug rep of the legal variety and most recently an Okies in reverse deal with some folks from California taking up residence next door.

Yours truly may not have the net worth of one of the little people in certain ways, but with immeasurable wealth in other ways. To have dumped the corporate lifestyle for the Grand Lifestyle was, indeed, a life changing decision motivated by quality over quantity. We celebrate the passing of the snowy season and the nesting of the wood ducks in February, the return of the Purple Martins around the first of March, the Crappie spawn in April, warmer water temperatures in May, the return of thousands of our closest friends come Memorial Day weekend and most importantly, we wake up here every day to beauty not found on any metro-plex cul-de-sac.

The biggest body of water I frequented as a kid was my dad’s farm pond located South of Oklahoma City between Blanchard and Newcastle. My friends would join me on fishing outings, shooting bull frogs with our air rifles and drag our kill or catch home for my mom to deal with. Grand Lake or any other body of water will always be a pond to me, but with more surface acres of water and the toys of choice have changed. Celebrating 48 years as a Grand Laker and I still believe, the best is yet to come, but how could your glass be less than half full living the Grand Lifestyle?

See Ya’ Around the Pond!!

 

 

 

 

Grand Lake's 84th Birthday party coming up

 11^th Annual Grand Lake Birthday Bash set for this Weekend!

The birthday celebration to mark the completion of the construction of The Pensacola Dam in 1940 is set for August 10^th 11^th in Lawhead Hollow. It will be the 84th birthday for the historic Pensacola Dam that changed the face of northeastern Oklahoma and introduced economic, recreational and flood control opportunities never seen before. The event will once again be hosted in the cove where some of the biggest rocks stars in the business frequent Grand Lake in years gone by.

Though the big music event is scheduled for Saturday, August 10^th, event organizer Joe Harwood is encouraging an open-to-the-public over-night raft-out the night before the music on Saturday. Plans call for raft-out participants to bring a covered dish with brats and dogs provided by Harwood and his fellow sponsors. Saturday morning will be launched with breakfast burritos and Bloody Mary’s. As they say, “Come early, stay late and claim a premiere position for your craft as you’re entertained by the Barrett Lewis Band from 1-5pm.”

Call it what you will…Hippie Hollow, Russell Cove or the official name on most maps, Lawhead Hollow, this location has a lot of music history thanks to the late, great rock star Leon Russell. In a July 30th, 1972 story in the Tulsa World, Russell revealed how he had purchased an eight acre parcel of Grand Lake land for $75,000 and his plans to construct a compound complete with a 3,500 lake home, the finest recording studio in the southwest and maybe even in the country and the refurbishing of two other structures; one which had a concrete minnow tank and served as a bait house and the original cabin. The property was originally owned byTulsan Gilbert Reaves who owned Empire Sheet Metal. In its glory days, it operated as a fishing motel. Long-time resident on Lawhead Hollow, Barbara Haver, reports, "Each rental unit had a slip to moor a boat, a hot plate for cooking and a bed."

The idea to move the Woodstock on the Water event there and celebrate not only the dam's birthday, but the presence of a rock star on Grand Lake actually was initiated by Grove resident Pete Chuchwell. Churchwell, a former member of the GRDA Board of Directors and a lifelong Grand Laker, had the initial idea of changing the name of the cove to acknowledge the Russell presence. Event organizer Joe Harwood thought it was a great idea to host the event there and honor Russell all at the same time.

Tulsa Chiropractor Rick Huskey, who now owns the property, is a huge Russell fan and a drummer when not practicing his day job, was all in and the plans started to take shape. Huskey, a musician, suggested the bands play from his deck adjacent to Hippie Hollow Cove. Out of respect for Dr. Huskey, access will be by water only with security on hand to make sure that happens.

Harwood said, “Each and every "Grand Lake" birthday is really a monumental achievement that is worthy of recognition.  There are so many facets to the face of Grand Lake that I think a lot can be overlooked or forgotten altogether.  Forgotten altogether is my main concern.  Grand Lake has changed the lives of thousands of people (of which I am one) and is destined to change thousands more.” 

He added, “Sometimes I worry about us overlooking just how much we have to offer and our lack of excitement in promoting ourselves. At Grand Lake, it’s my observation that we make so little out of so much.  Everywhere else seems to make so much out of so little! Happy birthday Grand Lake! And the broad spectrum of people that have made us what we are!”

The music event will be from 1-5pm on Saturday, August 10th and should be a huge event for Grand Lake. Join in to party in the cove where the likes of Bob Dylan, Bob Seger, Phoebe Snow, J.J. Cale, Willis Alan Ramsey, Freddy King, the Gap Band, George Harrison and more frequented to relax and record right here on Grand Lake. And don’t neglect to tip your hat to the sponsors who are making the event …..Grand Lake Boat & RV Storage, Grand River Dam Authority, Cherokee Yacht Club, McKibben & Company Realty, Youngblood Floor Company, Arrowhead Yacht Club, Grand Lake Association, NEO Electric and Bolt Fiber Optics

See Ya’ Around the Pond!!

Has Another Visionary Surfaced on the Pond?

 

The Covert business was recognized

by the SGL Chamber as their 

Business of the Year in 2023

When I first laid eyes on Grand Lake in 1970, there were several marina-oriented visionaries who had guided our lake’s waterfront development, and none loomed larger than Carlos Langston. Langston was the founder of Port Carlos Marina, now known as Scissortail Marina, and set the bar high when it came to boat sales, services and associated charges. Some marina operators, including Joe Harwood and others, credit Langston with pioneering rates that would generate revenues to support a living wage in a seasonal environment.

In the forty-plus years I’ve lived full-time on the pond, I’ve had the privilege of working with some of Grand Lake’s most impactful visionaries, including Joe Harwood, Terry Frost, Ugly John Mullen, Pete & Jim Howser, Art & June Box, Brent Howard, Larry Reasor, Jim Ratcliff, Dave Wall, Ed Townsend, Jerry Hopper, Pack St. Clair, Eddy Gibbs, John Williams, Russell Vanover and the list goes on. If you do not recognize all these names that’s fine cause we are here to talk about South Grand Lake’s newest visionaries, Larry and Tracy Covert.I have to admit that from time-to-time some of the previously mentioned visionaries would confide in the old newspaper guy what they were up to next, and I have to confess being shocked from time to time, but these Covert people just started building and let the speculation develop a life of its own. But soon the word was out that Grand Towne Center & Storage, located at the corner of Hwy. 82 & 440 Road, might just be something special with more to come.

But we’re getting ahead of the story; just how did a couple with established business roots in Catoosa, Oklahoma, feel the gravity of nearby Grand Lake…. It’s the water stupid!

It all started with the purchase of a twenty-one foot Rinker and later upping their boat game to a Monterey Cruiser and weekend and holiday stays at Pine Lodge on Duck Creek. Soon their eyes turned more to the east and Grand Lake as opposed to their Catoosa business interests. Their construction company, founded along with Larry’s Dad in 1989, was still their main focus along with a newly constructed storage facility and they were still investors in a Catoosa Restaurant. Their son Chris was also actively involved in the family business The sale of their storage facility in 2022 soon simplified their operation and allowed for more Grand Lake time and a lifestyle change.

A vision takes shape

Soon Larry had made an offer on a fifteen-acre tract, closed the deal and started sketching out ideas on how to utilize the property. Tracy says, “When he proudly showed me his first sketch of what would become our center, I proclaimed, ‘It looks just like Lowes,’” I am told some even refer to the now very functional project as “Langley Lowes.”

Did we mention the water?

Larry and Tracy’s eventual vision included a no-holds-barred business center, storage facility and future home for the construction company. If a Laker drives up highway 82 from Langley, they cannot help but marvel at the size of the center, but it gets better. These visionaries are also developing plans for an apartment complex on the back side of the property.

Current tenants, who have recognized the potential of the center, include Beau’s Deli & Market – John & Shelly Walsh, Spirit Ranch Dog Training & Grooming – Amy Vaughn, Pirates Cove – Ryan Huffcut, W.D. Construction Log Homes – Tracy & Chris Covert, Bootylicious Boutique – Tracy Covert, Twisted on Grand – Jules Rogers, Grand Lake Hair Co – Bobbie Reese, Gieser Plumbing Co – Trace & Jamie Gieser with more to come.

As Tracy said during our interview for this blog, “It’s a God thing! When one door closes another one opens.” Now ain’t that the truth. Lakers know the drill….Stop by and check out these visionaries or visit their online presence with a simple search

See Ya’ Around the Pond!!

 

The Allure of that Grandest Older Woman

Grand Laker for life, Rusty Fleming

When I laid my eyes on her for the first time in 1970, I was stunned by her beauty as this flatlander had never seen anything like her before. It was April of 1970, and I was a mere 26 years old and she would turn thirty in August. 

The age factor was never even the smallest of considerations as this beautiful lady captured the imagination of this first-time visitor to far northeastern Oklahoma. Little did I know at the time the significant role this stunning lady would play in my life. When I was first transferred from the red clay flatlands surrounding Oklahoma City to Tulsa in 1970, courtesy of Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, I was fortunate to be assigned to work under the supervision of long-time Grand Laker Carl Carman. Carl was responsible for taking me to Grand Lake for that very first time, fifty-four years ago this month, and introduced me to the mysterious and captivating Lady Grand. 

As with most beautiful women encountered along the way, the moment was spectacular, but I had little idea of the impact that long ago weekend might have on the future. The spell had been cast, and the boy, whose idea of a body of water was a farm pond located south of Oklahoma City, was about to be infected with what I’ve often described as the Grand Lake Gotcha’ Syndrome. 

Just another days in paradise

Each April as I reflect back on my personal relationship with this captivating lady, who will now turn eighty-four in August, I’m reminded of a visit to a fortune teller/star gazer or whatever term was in vogue for such people during the seventies. Lynda and I went on a lark, but when this lady behind the Chrystal ball forecasted a significant impact of liquid in my future, I thought immediately about my Dad’s farm; the same farm where that pond was located I so dearly loved. But it also had a couple of oil leases and my thought was that oil would definitely be the liquid most likely to impact our future. Now I can’t help but ponder if she was talking about those healin’ waters of Grand Lake. 

The metamorphosis was slow, but the end result was predictable. There was camping for weekend visits, staying in rented quarters like the Grand Lake Waldorf, which was nothing more than some storage sheds with a bed and a bath prior to Ugly John dozing them to make room for Thunder Bay, trailering the boat to validate that all experience has value and then finally justifying that piece of Grand lake real estate in 1976.

 Then five years later, after multiple Sunday evenings as a weekender dreading that trip back to the metroplex, a life-changing decision to make Grand our permanent home. Anytime I’m lured back to Tulsa, most likely for a Sam’s stop, some medical related appointment or just passing through on our way to Stillwater for extremely important business, I’m invariably taken hostage by traffic on Sheridan, Memorial or any other number of other streets. It’s then more than any other time that I’m reminded of the debt I owe to that older woman who captured my fancy in 1970. 

She’s aged a bit, got a few new wrinkles, mostly from the development of her shoreline, and there are certainly more Grand Lakers than there were in the seventies, but she’s still just as magnificent as ever. This lifestyle certainly isn’t for everyone, and many would become bored after their first winter here on my beloved pond. But for me, the changing of the seasons and experiencing everything Mother Nature serves up free of charge, is what makes this place priceless. Whether it’s the arrival of our friends the Purple Martins to take up residence in the houses erected atop our dock, the sitting of that first hummingbird of the season or the annual crappie spawn, spring is always popular around our place. 

But so is the summer and the gathering of thousands of our closest friends in our cove, but then so is the fall ball and that long awaited first blaze in the outdoor fireplace as we hear those honkers and ducks passing overhead on a night accented by a full moon. Then we are on to the Christmas Boat Parade in December and that much anticipated first magnificent snow fall of the year. And before we know it, we’re anticipating the arrival of our migratory friends, who became snowbirds and headed south for the winter like many of our friends, but we just couldn’t find a real good reason to vacate Grand Lake regardless of the time of year. 

Fifty-four years later and in the eyes of this beholder, she’s still magnificent. 

See Ya’ Around the Pond

Nine Foot Tall & Bullet Proof No More

 

On Saturday morning, February 10^th, it was a quiet winter’s morning on Grays Hollow. As I headed down to the dock, not one person was stirring. Little did I know that fact alone would play a significant role in what was about to happen in a lightning quick moment that would launch my 79 years on the planet before my very eyes.

Many years ago we had discarded a water slide, but not the associated water spigot plumbed through the decking to provide a water supply to the slide. In one giant step, as I headed for other side of the dock, I tripped and was launched head-long towards the vacant, but largest of our three slips. As I surfaced, I immediately realized the gravity of the situation…especially with a zip-up hoodie sweatshirt on that now felt like it weighed around 50-plus pounds. My thoughts were confined to identifying a route outta’ this predicament and my utter lack of respect for life jackets over the years.

On any given Saturday during the boating season, thousands of people would have been found enjoying those healing waters of Dripping Springs, but today, when I needed them most, there wasn’t a soul in site. I can’t deny some thoughts about life threatening events in my life like cancer, a tour of duty in Vietnam as a Marine, Pneumonia and a few near misses during night-time boating. But the thought my beloved pond might lead to my demise was unthinkable.. The water temp was in the low forties, my route of escape was lengthy when a voice from our house shouted, “Do you need help?”

I started to respond with one of my smart-ass one liners, instead I decided “Yes Dear” would be an appropriate response. My heaven-sent angel made her way to the dock and the first order of business was shedding that heavy hoodie, getting a rope to help me navigate across the open slip, get the pontoon off the lift and access its ladder to rescue my arse. But….that’s when Murphy reared his ugly head!

We’ve had that pontoon for over two years but had never had the ladder in the down position since these days our swimming takes place mostly off our dock. Now check this out Mr. McClure, neither of your clients were smart enough to get the ladder in the down position. By this time my amphibious training, complements of the good ‘ol USMC, was becoming stressed…On to the next objective!

The wet-steps ladder was in sight and this near-miss was about to come to an end. Cold, num and a little battered and bruised, but as I like to say, “Still Upright.” After making my way to the house, taking a hot shower and starting to ponder the entire morning’s events, I realized just how fortunate I had been. I remembered how many times I had stumbled over that spicket and how now job one would be its removal. An intervention movement was underway within my family to ban me from frequenting the dock alone. Mentally I hired Harvey Spector and Mike Ross from the hit Netflix series Suits, to negotiate my case. Since they never lose, we settled on the use of a water-activated life jacket at all times.

On Grand Lake, the official water safety police is headed up by Lake Patrol Chief Brian Edwards and he has the uniform to prove it. When I told him my story, he said, “Ever heard of the 50/50 rule?”  I had not so he went on to explain: “A fifty-year-old person has a 50 -50 chance of surviving 50 minutes in fifty degree water.” The prognosis of a 79-year-old man in 40-something degree water wasn’t a scenario I wanted to think about. I started to clearly appreciate the gravity of the situation. I’m now a lifejacket advocate and hope all Grand Lakers will join in that effort. Tragedy can strike ever so fast from the least likely of places. As I said, “”Nine foot tall and bulletproof no more.”

See Ya’ Around the Pond!!

An Interview with God You Say?

 

An Interview with God You Say?

Publishers Note: This is a column I put together many years ago and always seems appropriate as the Christmas season rolls around year-after-year. The year originally used is buried in the deep recesses of my laptop, but I suspect it was around 2011 since that when my first knee surgery occurred. I’ve taken some liberties but enjoy the message and the reason for the season.

 Earlier this week, I swung by The Coves pro shop for a bit of lunch for the first time since my knee replacement surgery on Pearl Harbor Day. There weren’t many around as the temperature on the first tee was hovering around forty and it didn’t appear the all-knowing “Noon Group” would muster a game. George McCreary, by choice, and Jim Gray, because he’s paid to do so, were the only ones on hand.

 After proudly displaying the still-in-place staples

View from the Publisher's Perch

holding my right knee together following the long overdue surgery, McCreary inquired as to what I might be doing with the rest of the day since golf didn’t seem to be an option. I told my audience of two I had a column to write for this week’s Grand Times on Grand Lake blog. George followed up his original question by asking, “What heavy issue of importance will be in your blog this time?” I said simply, “It’s an interview with God.”

 The silence was deafening, but McCreary, who is rarely at a loss for words, went on to inquire, “You been asking for God’s help with your golf game?”  I told George he’d just have to check it out on Facebook or visit my blog at Grand Times on Grand Lake with yours truly and find out, but the answer is as follows for the sake of convenience.

 I dreamed I had an interview with God.

 “Come in,” God said. “So, you would like to interview Me?”

 “If you have the time,” I said.

 God smiled and said, “My time is eternity and is enough to do everything; what questions do you have in mind to ask me?”

 So, I said, “What surprised you the most about mankind?”

 God answered, “That they get bored of being children, are in a rush to grow up, and then long to be children again. Then they lose their health to make money and then lose their money to restore their health. That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, such that they live neither for the present nor the future. That they live as if they will never die, and then die as if they had never lived.”

 God’s hands took mine. We were silent for a while and then I asked: “As a parent, what are some of life’s lessons you want your children to learn?”

 God replied with a smile, “To learn they cannot make anyone love them. What they can do is let themselves be loved. To learn what is most valuable is not what they have in their lives, but who they have in their lives. To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others. All will be judged individually on their own merits, not as a group on a comparison basis. To learn that a rich person is not the one who has the most but is the one who needs the least. To learn it only takes a few seconds to open profound wounds in people we love, and that it takes many years to heal them. To learn to forgive by practicing forgiveness. To learn there are people who love them dearly, but simply do not know how to express or show their feelings. To learn that money can buy everything but happiness.”

 “To learn that two people can look at the same thing and see it totally different.”

 “To learn that a true friend is someone who knows everything about them…and likes them anyway. To learn that it isn’t always enough that they be forgiven by others, but that they have to forgive themselves.”

 I sat there for a while enjoying the moment. I thanked Him for His time and for all He had done for me, and my family and He replied, “Anytime. I’m here 24 hours a day. All you have to do is ask for Me and I’ll answer.”

 People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

 A confession for the record: George and Jim Gray really didn’t prod me about this interview with God, but I’ve used it over the years and its special message. For Mimi, the "Nurse Ratchet" at the Veteran’s Clinic in Vinita and a certified Grand Laker who was the first to request this interview be published again, there you go.

 May we never lose sight of the real reason for the season and might I take this opportunity to wish a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to one and all.

 See Ya’ Around the Pond!!