Dave Samples

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Trail Ridge Road

Tina and I took a little trip up to Estes Park this afternoon and then on to Trail Ridge Road. The higher portion of the road is still closed for snow removal but we enjoyed what we could see. Can you imagine how much snow must have been covering the road before the plows came through? Amazing!

Sunday, May 08, 2011

My Mom...

My mom died in September of 2005. I can remember the date because Tina and I were in Galveston at the time preparing to sail on the Rhapsody of the Seas in celebration of our 20th wedding anniversary. Last Friday, her only sibling--my aunt--died as well. The passing of Aunt Caroline brought back much of the sadness that I felt with my mom's home-going. And so, I approach this Mothers' Day with a bit of loneliness and with a longing for more time. I wish that there was more time to sit at the dining room table and talk over coffee. I wish that there was more time for hugs and for stories. My mom loved history and I wish that there was more time to stop and look at historic markers along the road. I wish that my mom could share more of my life with me, and I with her.

I'm learning that my mom was not quite as perfect as I remember her. My journey towards healing has revealed a darker side to my mom that I never knew--at least a side that I chose not to remember. That's ok now. Imperfections no longer scare me like they once did--we're all broken vessels healed by the grace of God. My mom did a great many things right. For starters, she loved me. She modeled for me what it looks like to love and to share one's life for a greater good. Much of my mom's life was spent in sacrificial service to the King--giving, suffering, and denying self....Heaven will be filled with friends who came understand the Gospel through my mom's loving imitation of Jesus. My mom loved coffee and my mom loved me! Someday...we'll have plenty of time...in the land of timeless eternity.

Saturday, April 30, 2011

The Criminal Amish?

Some of the things that our government does in the name of "safety" simply infuriates me. Evidently an Amish farmer is guilty of selling unpasteurized milk across state lines. Gasp! After a lengthy investigation and an early morning sting operation--this dangerous Amish farmer has been stopped of his illegal activity--selling milk! Give me a break! Meanwhile, the Mexican Drug Cartel continues to invade Texas, Arizona, and California. Nothing to worry about there...not in comparison to the illegal Amish Milk Trade. Sheesh!

Leave the Amish alone!

Read the story in the Washington Times here.