Speaking of bucket list. In 2003 I was working as a consultant at Chevron in Cabinda, Angola in southern wester Africa. I worked a 28/28 schedule which means 80 hours a week in Africa for 28 straight days, and then 28 days off back home. I had to work a particular long rotation once that left me in Africa for six weeks. The good news is that I also got six weeks off at home.
I decided on the long flight back from Africa that we should take a nice camping trip. It came about very fast like all of our trips. We are pretty spur of the moment travelers. When we landed, I went and bought a new suburban and we had just bought a old used pop-up camper (The Leaky Tiki). Our quick decision was to spend the month of June camping in Colorado, Yellowstone & Grand Tetons, and then the Black Hills of South Dakota. It was Nancy and I, Sarah, and a classmates of Sarah's named Shea. It was a great trip!
When we were at Yellowstone, I really wanted to go fly fishing. Really bad. It was perfect conditions and perfect time of year. I just could never pull it off because the girls had other plans and we only had one vehicle. So I sacrificed fly fishing for the family, but I wasn't real happy about it.
Driving home after 3-4 weeks on the road, Nancy was driving and I was reading a Men's Journal magazine. We were in the middle of nowhere Kansas. The article I was reading listed the top ten bucket list items that every man should do before he dies. Fly fishing in Yellowstone during the month of June along the million mile (million trout in one mile stretch, which happens only one week in June) was near the top of the list. I read that and started to throw a fit by reading it to Nancy over and over. About this time we were rolling into a one light town that had a co-op grain elevator, gas station, and a church. The church had a sign in front of it that read "A good man is as patient with his family as he is fishing". I threw the magazine away and never complained about not fly fishing again.
I really do think God speaks to us in a variety of ways, even through those silly church signs.
Yes Josh, nice! God knows the desires of your heart and he will give you the desires of your heart as long as you keep him 1st in your life! I'm standing in agreement with you buddy for that fly fishing trip!!
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