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I Was on the Mountaintop

November 8, 2008 by Mike Weaver Leave a Comment

I’m talking a literal mountaintop here. Our family decided to visit beautiful Gatlinburg, Tennessee one fall weekend. We liked to go there occasionally for the shopping and food and, of course, the beautiful mountain scenery. It was always relaxing to get away from the hustle and bustle of Atlanta and enjoy everything that Gatlinburg and, its sister city, Pigeon Forge had to offer.

One of the popular attractions in Gatlinburg is what is called Ober Gatlinburg. Basically, it is an amusement area at the top of a particular mountain which offers snow skiing; ice skating; etc. It sounded like a fun place to visit especially for our children who were not nearly as excited at looking at mountains and the changing leaf colors as my wife and I were.

There were two ways to reach the top of the mountain. You could drive your car to the top, or you could ride a cable car from the City of Gatlinburg at the bottom of the mountain to the top of the mountain. Riding Cable Cars is not something that is on my “to-do” list so I voted for the first option. We climbed into the family car and drove the winding mountain rodes to the top of the mountain. It seemed like forever, but in reality it wasn’t really that far. By then, the kids were excited and wanting to climb out the car windows. They couldn’t wait to lace on a pair of skates or skis. Unfortunately, when we arrived to the top of the mountain, there was no place to park our car. The lots were full. So, I had a brilliant idea. I asked my wife to drop me and the kids off at the entrance to Boer Gatlinburg. I would go ahead and be paying for what we were going to do, get the kids all ready, and in the meantime she could drive back down the mountain; park in town; and catch the cable car back to the top of the mountain. She wasn’t scared of heights so I knew that wasn’t an issue with her. Everyone agreed, so off I went with the kids and off my wife went down the mountain. After 30 minutes or so, she arrived back to the top of the mountain and found us at the ice skating rink and all was good.

Then it hit me.

How was I going to get back down the mountain without riding the cable car? All of a sudden, ice skating didn’t seem fun anymore.

We did have a good time at the top of the mountain and I was sad to see the time end. Not because I was having that much fun, but because I knew I had to ride the cable car down the mountain. Finally, the moment of truth came and it was time to leave. We bought our cable car tickets and climbed on board. I immediately went to the center of the cable car and held on to the large pole in the center of the car as if that was going to make me feel safer. The ride to the bottom seemed like an eternity. I think I aged 10 years on that ride, but we finally made it and it couldn’t have been quick enough.

I can remember literally praying all the way down the mountain. Praying to the Lord that the cable wouldn’t snap and that we wouldn’t fall. Trying to convince God that I was too young to die and I had a wife and two young children and that it wouldn’t be fair for me to have it all end this way, by crashing into a mountainside. Don’t laugh, you’ve been there too.

As I think back on that incident, I realized a simple lesson that I still struggle with today. I realized that I don’t usually have an issue praying to God during an emergency or crisis. I think most of us are probably like that. We like to think we’re in control of everything in our lives and only when we can’t fix things any better do we turn to God. I am constantly reminding myself to do as the Bible says and pray without ceasing, not just in the bad times, but in the good times as well.

The Calm Before the Storm

October 31, 2008 by Mike Weaver Leave a Comment

Several years ago, my wife and I were invited by some friends of ours to spend an afternoon on the Lake in their Cabin Cruiser. It didn’t take us long to say “yes.” After all, what could be more relaxing than a lazy day boating, fishing, and swimming?

It took my wife and I about an hour to drive to the lake, a large lake in the North Georgia Area. The afternoon was beautiful. The sun was shining. The wind was slightly blowing. It couldn’t have been a prettier day. We had the opportunity to cruise the lake and park the boat in a large, private cove. I can remember jumping in the water and swimming in the beautiful water until I was so tired, I had to climb back on the boat. After we took time to eat a relaxing lunch on the boat and were bored of this particular spot, we took off for another part of the lake, cruising at top speed with the wind blowing in our hair. Not a worry in the world.

Seemingly within minutes, we noticed the water getting choppier and the sky getting cloudier. We didn’t think much about it; after all, summer rain showers come and go all the time. Besides, we were having too much fun. Of course, by then we were no where near the nearest shore and were somewhere in the middle of this gigantic body of water. The winds got stronger. The waves got higher and rougher.

At first, I wasn’t too scared. It reminded me somewhat of the boat on the old TV Show, Gilligan’s Island. We were tossing around some, but nothing too drastic. Our friend, who was driving the boat, decided that we had better play it safe and head for shore just in case the pending storm worsened. That turned out to be the wisest decision of the day.

As we started heading back, we noticed Park Rangers cruising around and warning people to get to shore as quickly as possible. We noticed another Ranger that was helping some stranded passengers on another boat. The wind blew increasingly stronger to the point it was actually stinging our faces. We had to push the boat to its limits to get to shore, but our faces paid a painful price in the process.

The boat dipped, and tossed, and dipped, and tossed. I really thought that we were going to need rescuing ourselves. The bow dipped and water rushed across the deck. Not enough to cause any damage, but for a land-lover like me, it was more water than I wanted to see.

After seemingly an eternity we made it to the nearest shore. Not a shore with a dock mind you, but a shore nonetheless. We anchored the boat in shallow water and jumped in the waist deep water to walk to shore. We held on to a rope from the boat so the boat wouldn’t drift off in the lake since we weren’t confident the anchor would hold.

Suddenly, without any warning, a tree from the nearby shore snapped from the wind and crashed in the water near us. I don’t know why I didn’t have a heart attack, but I probably should have. As if being on the Lake in the middle of a storm wasn’t scary enough, now we were almost crushed by a fallen tree as we tried to get to safety.

Somehow, by the Grace of God, we made it to shore and found a small Campground Restroom where we took shelter and rode out the storm. There’s nothing like being in a restroom shelter in the middle of what seemed like a hurricane to humble you and make you feel really thankful for your many blessings.

Alone in a Crowd

October 29, 2008 by Mike Weaver Leave a Comment

February is typically known as the Month of Valentines. It’s that magical time of the year when we dote on our loved ones. Maybe this year, it will be a beautiful bouquet of Roses. Or, perhaps the delicious box of chocolates is this year’s choice. I always preferred a hand-written note for my wife since I usually can’t find a card that really expresses what I want to say.

Even though I am blessed with a wonderful wife and family, I am burdened this time of year for those that may not seemingly have the same blessings of family that I do. There are many of us that are single. There are many of us who have recently lost loved ones. Many of us have families that don’t get along and fight. My heart goes out to those individuals.

What sometimes makes it even worse is that those who are single are often surrounded by co-workers and other friends and associates who are proud of their own relationships, but somehow it comes across as boastful. Unfortunately, despite our good intentions this only makes the loneliness of the individual standout more.

For those of us that are blessed with wonderful, loving, and caring relationships that we celebrate on Valentines, let us not forget those that may not be as fortunate. Let us be careful that we include them in activities and be careful that we don’t belittle them or think less of them because they are “single.” Society today seems to place a strong stigma on being “single” and I’m not quite sure why? I think our Society sometimes pressures a single person into jumping into a relationship they probably shouldn’t, just so they won’t be single any longer. I fully believe this pressure is one contributing factor to our high Divorce rate. Those that are single are sometimes unfairly looked upon as less desirable or unacceptable. I believe it is far better not to be in a relationship at all and be single, than be in a harmful relationship only so that Society will not look down upon you.

Loneliness is a terrible thing. Loneliness is a strong emotion that makes us sometimes make decisions that we wouldn’t ordinarily make. I would encourage you to stand strong. Be thankful for your own personal gifts and strengths. Believe me, you have some. Be thankful that you have not been pushed by societal pressure to make a decision you might someday regret. Be thankful of the person that you are and fall in love with yourself. Not in an arrogant, conceited manner. But, really fall in love with who you are; what you are about; and where you are in life. When you do this, the pressure to not be single doesn’t seem as unbearable.

Putting Ourselves Last

October 29, 2008 by Mike Weaver Leave a Comment

I suppose I will always remember my paternal Grandmother as one of those rare individuals that always put others first and self last. There was no ego. No trying to make herself look better than someone else. She just always tried to do what was right and fair and it didn’t matter who was involved. Whether you were the richest person in town, or the poorest in town, it made no difference. You were no better than anyone else.

She lived in a small town that I have often said reminded me of Mayberry on the Andy Griffith Show. Everyone knew each other, both the good and the bad. Just good people. People that were hard working and actually had integrity.

She was a real champion for those that couldn’t speak for themselves or were mistreated or taken advantage of. She was a true servant at heart. Always making sure that everyone else’s needs were met before her own. In fact, she later became Mayor of her little town. I was so proud, my Grandmother the Mayor. She managed to improve the City’s water supply and was able to have the County’s first Nursing Home built in her City. Her natural abilities to serve others were just fulfilled even more as Mayor.

I have always been a rather picky eater. As a young child, she noticed that I loved spaghetti and would eat spaghetti even if I wouldn’t eat vegetables or anything else that was prepared. Rather than do what most adults would do which is to say, “you eat what I prepared for you, or don’t eat at all,” she spoiled me and made spaghetti. In fact, every time we visited and ate with her she prepared a special batch of spaghetti just for me. She remembered. And, she continued doing this up until the day she passed away. As I got older, I noticed that not only did she prepare spaghetti for me, but she prepared a special desert for someone else; or a special vegetable for another. She wasn’t happy until she knew she has pleased someone else.

Suffice it to say that I learned the real meaning of “it is more blessed to give, than to receive.”

I Was on the Mountaintop

The Calm Before the Storm

Alone in a Crowd

Putting Ourselves Last

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