Today finds me at the comfort of my desk with a hot cup of Door County Caramel Apple Coffee right next to me. The aroma is soothing and being here is more than one can ask for.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!
I just returned last night from a duck hunting trip to North Dakota. I spent a week with seven other great guys and four dedicated hunting dogs. The trip was all that I hoped it would be and more. There were laughs, ducks, great retrieves by the dogs, and some "fowl weather". The pun is intended.
We battled high winds for several days which did not stop us from hunting the large lake we were set on. We had to alter our style of hunting. If anything at all, duck hunters are flexible.
One particular evening we all partnered up and headed in different directions. I headed out with Gibbs and Bill Jones Senior. The whole time we were going out to a spot on the lake to hunt from shore I had an uneasy feeling. We tried to find a spot where the wind seemed less brutal to set our decoys.
We picked a spot and we set the decoys. The high winds and waves just got worse and pounded our decoys. While making an attempt to straighten them out I found that some underwater logs with branches had moved in and the decoys were tangled up in the hazard. You could feel it there, but could not see it because of the turbulence. When the waves would hit from time to time they were strong enough to move me and I am no small guy.
Eventually it happened. The water hazard moved and I became tangled in the branches and decoy lines. I lost my footing and went down into the water. My waders filled with ice cold water. I wasn't in danger of drowning but "oh baby that was cold". I could not get untangled from that mess. My pocket knife was coming out to start cutting the lines if I could not get free. Bill came out and helped me out of my predicament and the lines let loose. I had already tasted enough lake water for my liking. I needed a helping hand. He immediately started picking up the decoys, and packed up the rest of our equipment. His goal was to get me back to the house where we were staying and out of the wet cold waders and warmed up. This all worked as planned. I know my friend Todd is busting out in laughter as he reads this one. I am no stranger to sinking boats, tippy canoes and the occasional slip into ice cold water. My life is an adventure for sure.
Friends, we all encounter unforeseen hazards in life that cause a bump in our road. They are out there like the tree branch and we can't see them coming. They hit and cause calamity. But a good friend and duck hunting partner will run in and help to pull you through the mess. We all need friends and partners like that. For Bill, the wise thing would have been to stay on a dry shore where there was no risk at all of getting wet or tangled in the mess that I was in. But he came out with the chance of getting tangled up and went to work.
We all need to be that kind of guy who comes in to help out another when unexpected calamity strikes. What kind of friend are you?
God bless,
Marty
Amen and Amen!
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