People and Places

Bear with me on this one. It is a personal and nostalgic look at our past travels.

People and Places

By Wayne Hinton

May 5, 2015

If you are old enough, maybe you can relate to this.
If you are young enough, maybe you can learn from it.
And, if you are in between, maybe you can change if needed.
My goals were quite simple years ago, and I reaped the benefit.

By keeping my goals simple, some were easy to achieve.
But the biggest advantage was being able to recognize
Opportunities for what they were worth
And what they could offer to my eyes.

Math was a major part of my early goals
But that didn’t work out for me.
Several girls interested me enough to think
My Mrs. was among them, but it wasn’t to be.

I dreamed of living in Texas for some reason,
And Dallas was a focus for many years.
I thought I was stuck working in Cincinnati,
And losing our first child brought many tears.

My wife had never lived anywhere else,
So moving to Texas was a test of trust.
We took a trial move for a few months,
And found that Dallas westward was full of dust.

With two children at the time, we made a conscious decision
To use the temporary time we were there
And make the most of every moment.
So we toured Texas with a flare.

The Alamo was a must-see of course
And Johnson’s library was full of intrigue.
Since we had not seen anything like it.
The displays were out of our league.

Eisenhower’s birthplace was close
And we couldn’t let the opportunity pass
To visit his old home in Denison
Long before he earned his brass.

A drive into Oklahoma found us racing a tornado
Hoping we could beat it back to Dallas.
We did, of course, with some nerves unwound.
At least I found out that my feelings were not callous.

Passing the test of living elsewhere, we waited
And found ourselves moving to Connecticut.
While there, we visited New York City, Boston and more
Where we witnessed a whole new form of etiquette.

Plymouth Rock, Cape Cod, Vermont, Rhode Island, Maine
And New Hampshire were among our many tours.
We even were able to give my dad a vacation that
He had only dreamed would show the sight of early wars.

Chicago was next, although I did not really want to go.
Surprisingly, we found some of our best friends ever
And again made some incredible findings.
Finding our way around town was a difficult endeavor.

My first visit outside the United States
Came when I had a small team
Doing some work in Puerto Rico.
The humidity was extreme.

Wisconsin was more interesting than expected
And long distance bike rides and camping were great.
We amassed a great many pleasant memories
And we toured throughout the state.

I thought I knew Kentucky well, having grown up there,
But living in Frankfort for a short time,
And getting Janis some horse riding lessons,
Gave us a different view of the caves and pleasant clime.

Dallas was next – our second time to live there.
Our focus was on a school where both kids could graduate.
But after only a few short days, I was called to Detroit.
You never know when you will meet a twist of fate.

Needless to say, Detroit was not in my top ten cities to live
But General Motors needed a lot of assistance
So many of us went to help even though
What we wanted to see was far in the distance.

My position allowed me trips
To Canada and Mexico.
Working with the locals there
Helped my skills to grow.

Michigan holds some absolutely wonderful scenery
The Upper Peninsula provides a great many views.
We also got our first chances to spend time
In Canada, Niagara Falls and other places to choose.

We lived there long enough for both children to graduate
And I had some serious increases in responsibilities.
I considered it a reward to be chosen to go to South Korea
It proved to be a real test of some of my abilities.

The Old Korean Village and Itaewon were fascinating
And the food was deliciously different.
We bought souvenirs, of course,
And the people were very brilliant.

New Orleans loomed next in our travels
And what an unusual time we had.
The food and music, along with the people,
All had a quality and style, but it was not all bad.

The history of southern Louisiana is full of wonder
You can imagine a belle descending the stairs
Of almost any of the mansions
And no one is burdened by cares.

Opening offices in Oklahoma City and Reno
Gave me some new views of life.
Tahoe is a wonderful place and it gave
Me a place to vacation with my wife.

Our third relocation to Dallas gave travel for us
A whole new dimension.
The places we saw while in Europe
Were way beyond our comprehension.

England, Ireland, Belgium and Germany
Were very educational and beautiful locations.
The autobahn, Switzerland and the Rhine
Went beyond my expectations.

Now, as we have settled into our advanced ages,
I have no more fear to fly.
Nor do I want to do it anymore.
I’m content to gaze into the sky.

I see a lot of planes go over the house
And I wonder about each person’s destination.
Is it business or pleasure or something else?
I hope it is combined with a great vacation.

Nostalgia or Neuroses?

Nostalgia or Neuroses?

By Wayne Hinton

May 4, 2015

Oh, Donna, where can you be? The years have taken you away.

You are in the background now just like Peggy Sue.

Some were funny, like the boy named Sue,

Emotions were a major part of every song we knew.

Carol, Diana, Tammy and long, tall Sally were popular, too.

Heartbreak Hotel was full and Lonesome Town

Was where all the broken hearts stayed.

And we’ll never forget being called Cathy’s Clown.

It doesn’t really matter if you were leaving on a jet plane

Or laughing as the tide washed away love letters in the sand,

We all agreed there ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone,

And we had to re-write the love letters by hand.

Paul said it wasn’t puppy love, but it really was,

At seventeen, it is rarely anything serious.

It just feels like we will die when the one we think we love

Only makes us feel delirious.

Don’t get me wrong … I love the old songs and the memories,

They were a very large part of my youth.

But for all the singing about what we called love,

All we experienced about love was far from the truth.

The most romantic love is not Romeo and Juliet

Even though they tragically died together.

It is the story of grandma and grandpa

Who grew old together through all the storms they could weather.

Songs of the youth play with our neuroses

Without which they would not be popular in their day.

Now we need to put them where they belong

As nostalgia and let them lay.

Enjoy the music that was then, and sing along

We can recognize the music is easy to dance to,

But, at the same time, we do not need to retrieve

The old days when our hormones and neuroses grew.

We don’t need to be singing the blues anymore

My prayer has changed and I’m sure yours has, too.

But the day we stop growing and learning

Will always make us Mr. Blue.

Why Am I Still Here?

Why Am I Still Here?

By Wayne Hinton

May 3, 2015

Why am I still here?
Sometimes it just doesn’t make sense.
As I look back over the years,
Life almost stopped on several events.

First, when I was very young, my mother fed me an apple
She never gave it a thought to peel it first.
Mom knew apples were good for health and teeth
And gave it to me not fearing the worst.

I choked on the peel. Doctors were called.
I’m not sure how long I was without air.
They watched me carefully and nurtured me
So that I recovered after the scare.

God must have had something He wanted me to do.

Nothing can protect children from the accidents that loom
Around each and every blunder.
Falls, cuts, bruises, breaks are all a part of growing up.
Survival is often a wonder.

Then driving a car becomes a teenager’s dream.
I was fortunate to have a cousin with one dad could afford.
A couple of minor mishaps taught me a few things
Then, I was enamored of and bought a 1955 Ford.

It was beautiful – emerald green with many coats
I really felt like I was in the car I was meant to own.
On a two-lane highway, three cars behind a three wheel tractor,
I decided to pass them all in a legal passing zone.

It may have been seven years old, but I owned it only six days.
When the tricycle tractor turned left into my path
I ended up in a ditch with the motor racing.
Turning off the ignition key, I dove out of the car with great wrath.

The car was totaled and I was in a state of awe again.
It was time to move on and my next experience
Was driving home from college for a weekend.
I made it to the last highway exit in a state of weariness.

God must have had something else He wanted me to do.

Suffice it to say, I fell asleep at the wheel, running off the road
I awoke as I was swerving onto the gravel.
Why I was able to compose myself, I will never know
It makes more sense that my nerves would unravel.

A few years later, after college graduation,
I became friends with a co-worker who was non-controversial
He had his pilot’s license active but wanted to
Progress so he could go on to fly commercial.

As we flew into Cincinnati Airport, he found out
His brakes didn’t work, but we escaped
Missing an incoming jet plane without incident.
We didn’t even have time to be afraid.

Later, on his test flight, the instructor told Jerry
To put the small plane into a stall.
I didn’t know this, not that he could recover,
In my mind, my life was over – that was all.

It became clearer in my mind that God had something He wanted me to do.

There have been many other incidents in my life
Where survival was very uncertain.
Yet, I am still here to tell my story
Before He closes the final curtain.

Prostate cancer and lymphoma were treated
With chemo and radiation treatments for a cure.
Then heart trouble sent me into hospital stays
And procedures that I did not think I could endure.

My attitude has stayed positive and my doctors
Have been beyond my greatest hope.
Yet, I was totally convinced that I did not have the strength
To come close to be able to cope.

Often in this life, God keeps us alive
Even when we don’t know how or why.
And many times, it may be after a few years,
He gives us other situation that explain the reasons from high.

So – why am I still here? I can only presume that God has something more that He wants me to do.

Sodom and Gomorrah

Sodom and Gomorrah

By Wayne Hinton

April 28, 2015

Isaiah says without the LORD of hosts 

We would have become like Sodom,

Had he not left to us a very small remnant,

Who hold fast to “Thy kingdom come”

I can’t really think of more to say

Because in this world around us

We can’t get much closer to Sodom

There’s little more to discuss.

What Can I Do?

WHAT CAN I DO?

by Wayne Hinton

April 26, 2015

Looking back over my seventy-one years, it is clear

That many things have remained the same.

What I liked and disliked in my younger days

I still feel is not much more than a head game.

Running fast in track meets was rewarding.

I enjoyed baseball and life in the country.

A starry, starry night is relaxing

And who doesn’t love a day that is sunny.

After my love of God and His ways,

My family is most important.

Of all the things I have experienced

Those have been the most constant.

Aging and illnesses have taken a lot away.

And it is so tempting to dwell on those things

That I can no longer do like when I was young

Yet I can still wait to see what tomorrow brings.

The business world taught me a lot

That no class room could ever do.

I try to learn from everything I have done

Selling real estate taught me, too.

I can no longer be effective in any job

No matter how hard I might try.

I know some my age that have recoiled from life

And sit around waiting to die.

Not me. Oh, no. I’ve never been that way.

To give up or to quit

Although to be totally honest,

It’s not always easy, I admit.

A dear friend and I have talked about

The physical trials we have been through.

Why we are still alive on earth can only mean

There is something else God wants us to do.

As the days go by and opportunities arise

It is important, it seems to me,

To take advantage of each and every one.

Even when the impact is hard to see.

I believe that God has a purpose and plan

For each and every person on earth.

And how we face each days challenges

He judges us for what we are worth.

So, I will try to relax and enjoy each day

Whether rainy or sunny, it doesn’t matter.

I will ask for Gods’ direction for me

And keep it in view; not let it scatter.

I’ve heard it said that the best way to learn

Is to teach others what you know.

So I plan to pass along what I have learned

To anyone wanting to grow.

If that is all I can do with my life

For whatever time I have on earth

To teach and to learn is important to God

And how we should live since our birth.

Patience

Patience
by Wayne Hinton

4/21/2015


Patience is a strange phenomenon when we take pause
To consider what it means to each of us.
At times we are convinced that we
Are the only people in the world with a surplus.

Like many of us, I have analyzed my own level
Of patience as it applies to me.
Most of my life I have felt that my patience with people,
Was as strong as it can be.

I’ve searched the Bible to see what God expects
And have found that patience is a product
Of the testing of one’s faith in God
And we show it by our own conduct.

My focus was on verses from Solomon,
The greatest teacher and wisest of all,
And James, who gave my cursory looks
Comfort that I had the wherewithal.

I had been through two cancers and treatments
That they brought along with them.
Then with my heart damaged I had more to learn
And health concerns became more solemn.

Another year went by and I was feeling fairly well
When new challenges appeared
That required a serious test of patience
I did not do well as the new treatments reared.

It wasn’t until a few days later
That I was able to get a new revelation
When I saw a movie about Jesus Christ
And the torturing that was done.

Jesus’ back was raw and bleeding,
Yet He never said a word
The thorns on His head were more
Than most men could encounter.

While carrying His cross it was clear
That the pain and suffering were too much
For any human being to endure
It would be too painful to even touch.

As He went through this terrible ordeal,
It became too personal for my being.
As I understood Christ’s patience
That qualified Him to be King.

“Lord, grant me patience – right now”
We joke when our needs are not so great.
Our faith alone should give us what we need,
Yet in life’s challenges we simply can’t relate.

James said we should count it all joy
When you fall into various trials,
Knowing that testing produces patience.
Even when our physical body wails.

Some have said I am strong but they don’t know
The weakness I feel every day
Compared to the afflictions that Jesus
Suffered to show us His Way.

My patience will never come close to His
As I go through these days and nights.
So I must rely on His strength
To carry me when I face my fights.

Let's Be Real

Let’s be Real

By Wayne Hinton

February 13, 2015

Charlie said to “Kiss an Angel Good Morning”

And this makes a lot of sense.

I think the only way to consider this

Is in the future tense.

We fall in love when we are young

Many times is not very rare.

We look at one another and believe

We will make the perfect pair.

If we take the next steps, we find

Many things need a second look.

Maybe we find it difficult to talk

Or you read each other like a book.

So you take on the challenge of marriage

And then you really find out

How your spouse lives life

And what love is all about.

Sorry to say to all the wives

But at times you are a lot of trouble.

The first argument is difficult

And really bursts the bubble.

Then the story really opens up

The ‘nits’ start sneaking in

As your spouse finds out that

Your patience wears thin.

You squeeze the toothpaste the wrong way,

And you don’t know how to hang toilet paper.

The things you now find out about each other

If you’re not committed, love can go like vapor.

You can call it quits as many people do,

But that defeats the reasons

That you promised one another

Love for all of the seasons.

For better or worse is not just a phrase.

It has a strong intent.

And it may takes years to understand

What is really meant.

Love songs are meant for the young

When they are looking for a mate.

They do not paint a true picture

Of life beyond the first date.

Mistakes are made by all.

Men are included in the mix, of course.

Learning to understand a man

May be harder than taming a horse.

None of us is perfect, that’s true

And we need to understand

That staying in love all your life

Must be learned firsthand.

So, when you awake in the morning

And get past the morning breath

Remember, she may not be an angel,

But she is your true love ‘til death.