A man who lives for his music

During my senior year in high school, and my freshman year in college, I had the pleasure of spending my summers in the mountains of western North Carolina, at an Episcopal summer camp called Kanuga.

Kanuga is run jointly by the five diocese of North and South Carolina, and to call its location gorgeous simply wouldn't do it justice by any standard. Though on staff, I had the pleasure of participating in many of the camp's programs intended for the campers and conference attendees (they ran other summer programs at the same time as their summer camp), one of which was an evening of entertainment with a local artists. I am happy to say that more than one of these artists did not remain only a local talent for long and one in particular, David Holt, has had his work showcased on the Nashville Network and on public television. David has been recognized for his work, winning four Grammy awards.

David I feel typifies the sort of drive that we should all hope to have for in our lives, but only a very few achieve. His life has been devoted to the rich culture of the music of the Blue Ridge Mountains. He has had the opportunity to perform with and learn from many of the greats of country and bluegrass music, including Roy Acuff, Chet Adkins, and others, but most especially his mentor, Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson. (and if you don't know any of these names ... head for Google or Wikipedia!)

Recently, I had emailed David's website just to drop a note and let him know how happy I was that he was doing so well. I didn't think with his busy schedule he'd have time to write back but he did! I was happy to hear from him. His son Zeb, who is now 32 and working for the National Broadcasting Company in New York City was still in diapers when I met David at Kanuga.

I feel as a Christian, we should all try to live our lives much as David has. Putting everything we have into pursuing what is important (and hopefully) what we enjoy. I also feel that if we put this sort of drive into pursuing our relationship with Jesus, the rest of our lives will be equally as enriched.

I have been inspired by a fellow blogger... (so if you don't like this, blame Deb)

I have recently read the blog of a friend in Boston. Deb and her husband are both disabled and in wheelchairs, but they don't let any of that slow them down (much). With her lemons-to-lemonade outlook, it isn't any wonder that Deb and John are more well traveled in their community than I am in mine.

I have learned a few things from them however. I learned that if you are disabled, you can contact the National Park Service and receive a free pass to ANY national park!

For the longest time, I thought I'd not really "done" anything in my life. Looking at my life through the eyes of others, I see that I have been blessed ... with a Mom who has a "wander lust". Each summer, from the time I was about 12 or 13, near the end of our summer vacation, Mom would pack my sister and I into our car (a 1979 Datsun 210 sedan) and we'd head off on an adventure.

First it was the Grand Canyon. Our family grew up in a church in Indianapolis Indiana, along with several other families. One of the families had three strapping young men who spent the summer as river guides on the Colorado River. OARS: Outdoor Adventure with River Specialists runs guided rafting trips down and through the Grand Canyon. And, because we knew two of the boatmen, they gave us a discount! If you've never been down IN the canyon, all I can say is, GO! Images like this are hard to describe:

More later. Be well and be blessed.

On the passing of a dear friend

Growing up I went to a summer camp in southern Indiana called Waycross. (www.waycrosscenter.org)

While I am confident that everyone thinks that the summer camp that they went to was the greatest, for me, Waycross was it. From the time I was four years old when we'd all come down for family camp, to coming as a camper for the week long sessions (or the coveted TWO week sessions!), to being on staff, and full circle returning for family camp -- only now as the head of the family rather than as the child. This place will always hold a dear spot in my heart.

Through it all, one of the people who was always there was Lennis 'Lenny' Baughman. Lenny was the camp's resident manager from 1963 to 1989. With the help of his wife Judy, Lenny kept Waycross in ship-shape but still always had time for a game of horse shoes (he was the camp's horse shoe champion 12 year running).

Lenny was one of those types that even in the hottest days of summer, he always wore denims and a long sleeve work shirt. He was a country boy at heart, and felt out of place in a suit.

I received an email from my sister Melissa, informing me that on September 9th, Lenny went home to the Lord. His family - Judy, their son Jim and daughter-in-law Jennifer - were at his side.

Rest well Lenny, goodness knows you've earned it.

-Ron