Watch This Video

I have a blogging friend, Mark, who lives in England.  He had a post this past Sunday with a very powerful video.  It touched me deeply.

Please take a moment to go to his site and watch it – especially if you’re a man.

http://markdan44.blogspot.com/2011/08/father-and-son.html

Hurricane Irene? What Hurricane?

I’m not downplaying the recent effect of Hurricane Irene on the Eastern seaboard.  Lives were lost and property was damaged and for each of those families it was an individual tragedy.

However, there is one place where Hurricanes are ignored.

It is a place of dignity, honor and duty.  This picture was taken during the impact of Hurricane Irene on Washington, D.C.

These guys are the best of the best.

Monday Video–Frustrated Dog

Ever wonder what it would be like to talk with your dog?  Here’s a video that shows what it might be like – especially if you frustrate your dog.

Enjoy.

Sunday Reflection–Going

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"  (Isaiah 6:8)

Has God ever asked that of you – “Whom shall I send?”  I wonder if there have been times in my life when that call was made on my life and I ignored it or just missed it.

There are people I know who have heard that call and responded as Isaiah did – “Here am I.  Send me.”

Max and Michelle Wade heard that call from God and answered it.  God led them from a life of assurance to one of faith – and Galloping Grace Youth Ranch was founded.

My oldest son Wade Daniel heard that call and took the jump to ask a Christian publishing company if they had any openings – and he now contributes to great Christian publications that help our children grown spiritually.

My youngest son Chris and his wife Tracy heard that call and opened their home and hearts to a 16 boy from the streets of Cleveland – and now Javier knows there is a different life available to him if he chooses a new way.

Perhaps the call in our lives is something that happens more often on a smaller basis – listening to someone, opening your home, reaching out to someone who is grieving, soothing a child’s tears, taking in a homeless dog or horse, staying faithful to your spouse, being there for an older child who is struggling.

Who knows?  God may be talking to us/me right now.

Getting Ready for Pumpkins

The season at Galloping Grace Youth Ranch ends next Wednesday.  So, that means that Max Wade’s mind is now focusing on the upcoming Pumpkin Patch.  We’re fortunate to have the old Rowland’s Nursery spot again.

Last year we used less than half of the available space – this year Max has plans for the WHOLE space.  Last year we only had a few weeks to get the place cleaned up and ready to sell pumpkins.  This year we have the whole month of September.  We started today with clean up – about 30 to 40 people showed up to help.

We had people cutting bushes down with Max’s expert supervision, of course.

There were plenty of people who were there to pick up trash (which is what I did).

Max’s wife, Michelle, also helped – usually she’s the official camera person for the ranch.  Here she is with Wanda.  Michelle and I have an agreement – no butt shots.

The best job was these kids who hauled a heavy cooler of water around to give to the thirsty workers.

If you live in the Albuquerque area, be sure and get your pumpkin from the Galloping Grace Youth Ranch Pumpkin Patch.  There are games available every day for the kids.  On a couple of the weekends there will be bands playing music, food vendors and craft fairs.  It’s going to be a lot of fun.

Friday Morning Ride

Betty and I were able to take a ride over to the arroyo South of us this morning.  It was a pleasant morning with abundant sunshine and a slight breeze – which made it almost perfect.

What made it a little different is Betty woke up with a pretty bad headache.  We talked about whether we should ride or not.  It was her decision and she decided to give it a try.  Sometimes a distraction is good for taking her mind off of her headache.

The ride is about 45 minutes and both horses did well.

Betty is a real trooper when it comes to horseback riding.  She makes me proud.

Junior Volunteers are Great!

As most of you know, Betty and I volunteer at the Galloping Grace Youth Ranch.  There are several categories of volunteers.  There are group leaders who stay with a bunch of kids through the different activities at the ranch – scooping poop, grooming, writing thank you letters to sponsors, and, of course, riding.  There are volunteers who work with the check in process.  And there are volunteers who work with the kids on the horses – that’s what we do.

Finally, there are the junior volunteers.  These are kids, mostly girls, between the ages of 10 and 18.  They help out by getting the horses, getting them groomed and saddled, working with the adult volunteers, then putting the horses away.

This is the first year for the junior volunteers and they have been a God-send to us older volunteers. For the first three years of our time at the ranch, Betty and I did everything from getting the horses to putting them away at the end.  And it was very tiring.  Now we arrive at the ranch and the junior volunteers have all the horses ready.  At the end of the day they take them from us and do all the work of putting them away for the day.  It has made our lives a whole lot better.

One of the things the junior volunteers get to do as a reward is to ride the horses before the kids arrive for the day.  Today, several of the juniors didn’t get to ride beforehand, so we let them ride after the kids were gone.

I got to work with three of the junior volunteers today and it’s a lot of fun to teach these kids.  They are so willing to listen and learn and they do pretty well.  Some of these kids have a natural riding ability and only need someone to help them refine what they already do pretty well.

Junior volunteers are great!

Leah’s First Birthday

We’re on our way home from Fort Collins after a great visit with the kids.  We celebrated Leah’s first birthday on Saturday, August 20 at Loveland Lake in Loveland, Colorado.  Besides all of us, Marie’s older brother and his family, her younger brother, her younger sister and her two girls, and her parents all came.  It was a good time.

Here are some pictures from the event and a short video from the event.

The birthday girl.

And we had a surprise visitor to the party.

Happy First Birthday little girl!

Dining Companions

Here’s a post for while we’re in Fort Collins with our kids and grandkids.

Last Thursday morning I was doing the morning clean up.  We put hay for Sugar and Morgunn in their stalls and we also put some in a feeder that’s outside.  They will walk back and forth between the stalls and the feeder as they eat.  We think this is healthy as horses normally will walk as they eat in the wild.

Sugar always comes out to the feeder first.  She always throws some hay out of the feeder as she eats. This morning I noticed she had a dining companion feeding on the hay she threw out.

Tomorrow we’ll be driving home from Fort Collins.  I’ll try to have some pictures from our visit on Wednesday or Thursday at the latest.

Sunday Reflections–Feelings, Oh, Oh, Oh, Feelings

Have you ever wondered why God gave us feelings?  I have, but I guess I’m strange that way.

One of the things Betty and I have learned over the years in our counseling ministry is that feelings are real, they are valid – but they can lie.  Feelings are real – but not necessarily true.  Acting on feelings alone can get us into real trouble.

Feelings include the basic ones that are common to us all - happiness/joy, sadness, grief, fear and anger.  Then there are those feelings that are associated with certain people and their circumstances – loneliness, abandonment, anxiousness, jealousy, envy, etc.

I think the basic ones all have a God-given purpose for their existence.  The other circumstance-related feelings are actually related to the more basic ones.  For example, loneliness is really a form of sadness and/or grief.

Some other feelings are higher or lower degrees of a basic feeling.  For example, frustration is a lower level of anger whereas rage is a higher level of anger.

I’m going to focus on the basic feelings to keep this from getting too complicated.  So, here are my thoughts on the basic feelings.

Happiness/joy is a feeling that helps us enjoy the gifts that God has given us – the gift of his Son, the gift of life, the gift of family and friends, etc.

Sadness and grief are feelings of healing when there is a loss.  When we experience a loss – health, family, friend, etc. – we need to go through a healing process and the feelings of sadness and grief are part of that process.

Fear is a feeling that is meant to motivate us to get away from danger.

Finally, anger – the feeling that, in my opinion, is the most complex and the most interesting.  Anger is the one feeling that can cause us to sin.

In your anger do not sin.  Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. (Ephesians 4:26-28)

Inappropriate anger can cause us to sin against God and our neighbor – and, in the process, give the devil a foothold in our lives.  Betty and I have counseled many people over the years where inappropriate anger was a real problem in their relationships.

One of the truths of inappropriate anger is no one else can cause us to be angry – “So and so makes me so angry.”  No, we choose to be angry in any given circumstance.  Sometimes we do it so often that our anger response becomes a habit – but it’s still a choice – our choice.

So, if inappropriate anger is wrong, then what is appropriate anger?

I believe God gave us the ability to get angry for one reason and one reason alone.  Anger – often called righteous anger – is meant to motivate us to right a wrong.  For example, if I saw a man threatening a small child with physical or sexual abuse, my anger over that would motivate me to do something about it.  That’s appropriate anger.  Getting angry because Betty doesn’t do something the way I want it done is inappropriate.

So, God gave us these feelings for a purpose.  These are just my opinions and I’m open to correction and instruction.  Feel free to offer differing opinions in the comments.

God bless.

Happy Birthday Leah

Today is Leah Marie’s first birthday.  She has been a real joy to her parents and to her grandparents.  We love you little girl. 

Love, Nana and Papa

Heading Off

We’re driving up to Fort Collins, Colorado today to spend a long weekend with our kids and grand kids.  Tomorrow, Saturday, August 20 is our youngest granddaughter's birthday.  Leah Marie will be one year old.  They’re holding a party for her at a lake with family gathering for the event.  It should be a lot of fun.

So, I’ll leave you with this video about the fastest living thing on earth.  Cheetah at 75 miles per hour?  Falcon at 100 miles per hour in a dive?

Nope.  It has something to do with horses and I found it fascinating.

Enjoy.

Life Imitates Art

I’m a Trekkie – I’ll be the first to admit it.  It started with my love for the classic 1950’s science fiction novels.  Then Star Trek came out.  Star Wars was a quantum leap.  I enjoyed all of the Star Trek movies – especially the even numbered ones.

In Star Trek Generations Captains Kirk and Picard join forces to defeat the villain from engaging with a mysterious energy ribbon.

If you know what I’m talking about then the sunset on my birthday Tuesday reminded me of the energy ribbon.

I know, I’m weird.

Lefty Converse Horse Show

On Sunday, after a long day on Saturday with the Galloping Grace Youth Ranch Dinner and Auction, I was the ‘official’ photographer for the Lefty Converse Horse Show in Corrales, New Mexico.

We have two horse shows in Corrales, the Ditch Pony in May which is for kids up to 18 years old and the Lefty Converse in August which is for riders of all ages with one twist.  Some of the classes are designed for horses that are 15 years old or older.  It’s a chance for hobby riders with older horses to have a chance to compete in a judged horse show to see how they do.

It started with a costume class followed by a stick pony class.  Then there was a lead line class followed by a ‘moldy oldie’ lead line where the kids lead an adult.  After that the rest of the day was in English and Western classes – pleasure, equitation, etc.

You will see some alpacas and a couple of horses with cards about votes.  Corrales is having a pet mayor election that runs into early September.  There are two horses, the alpacas, a chicken, a goat, a donkey, a couple of dogs and I believe a cat.  You vote by paying a dollar to your respective candidate.  The funds go to support the Corrales Harvest Festival the last week of September.

Here’s a short overview video of the day.

Three Score and Six

It was a Wednesday, August 16, 1945 when yours truly entered this world at St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee.

I was born to Dorothy and Clyde Cooksey and I was the second and last child – my sister Jane was born in 1941.

World War II was almost over.  The atomic bombs had been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki the weeks before.  The war was officially over on September 2, 1945.

As a kid growing up in the late 40’s and early 50’s many of my father’s friends had fought in the war so it was fresh – and exciting – to me.  Playing soldier was something that I and my boyhood friends played a lot.  I still have an interest in the history of the war.

That was many, many years ago and much has happened in the interval.  We moved from Nashville to Birmingham, Alabama in 1953 when I was 8.  When I was 16 we moved back to Nashville and I started going to John Overton High School.  It’s there that I met the person who changed my life – Betty Wade.

We went to the University of Tennessee together and married after Betty graduated in 1967.  It took me five years to graduate in 1968 as I was dumber than Betty – no, actually, I worked my way through college on a co-op program so it took an extra year.

After college I went into the Navy for four years and it was during that time that the two people who further changed my life were born – Wade in 1969 and Chris in 1971.

I went to graduate school at UT and got my MBA.  Then I went to work for Procter & Gamble where I worked for 27 years before retiring in 2000.

In 1984 I accepted Christ into my life.

There is much more to my life, but those were the foundational events that have led me to the person I am today.

My body may be 66 years old today, but my mind still thinks of myself as much younger.  And, thanks to the work of God in my life, my spirit is definitely alive and well.

Life is good.

(PS: The picture was taken at White Sands.)

A Big, Big Success

This past Saturday night Galloping Grace Youth Ranch (GGYR) held its second annual Dinner and Auction at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, NM.  We had almost 300 attendees.

The evening started with a singing of the National Anthem with a little girl riding Penny, a pony from GGYR.  Max Wade welcomed everyone then we have a delicious fried chicken and roast beef dinner.

After dinner, a live auction was held with professional auctioneers working the crowd.  In addition to a balloon ride, a 44-magnum pistol, a guided elk hunting trip and a stay at the Tamaya Resort, we auctioned the care of four of the GGYR horses.  Each horse was led out with a little girl rider on each horse.

During the dinner and live auction, a silent auction was also going on with lots of neat items to bid on.  Betty and I bid on and won an Indian flute, a large, stuffed Wells Fargo horse and a book.

The last event was the Western band playing while people danced.

The amount raised for the Ranch was even more than we hoped for.  Everyone seemed to have a good time and all the work was well worth it.

Here’s a short video overview of the night.  The pictures are of people at our table which was named Trails End.  That’s the name of our place here in Corrales, NM.

Enjoy.

Busy Weekend

Betty and I were involved this weekend in the Galloping Grace Youth Ranch dinner and auction.  It’s was held Saturday night at the Santa Ana Star Center – an arena in Rio Rancho, NM.  It’s one of the three major fund raisers for the Ranch.

Besides the dinner, there was a live and silent auction, a Western band with a space for dancing and many other fun events.  There were even some horses there.

The event was sold out and we expected over 300 people to show up.  It should be a good time and hopefully raise a lot of money for the ranch.

Today (Sunday) I’m shooting photos for a local horse show in Corrales.  So, I won’t have a Sunday reflection.

Good times, but tiring times.

PS: I wrote this post on Friday so I’ll do a post early in the week on how things went.  The picture is one I stole from Michelle Wade.  She takes great photos of the kids.  That’s Max Wade, her husband.  The two of them are the founders of Galloping Grace Youth Ranch.  If you want to know more about the ranch you can check out the web site:  http://ggyr.org

Happy Birthday Wade Daniel

On August 13, 1969 we welcomed our first son, Wade Daniel Cooksey, into the world.  He was a toe-headed all boy.  He loved to laugh and still does.

Early on he exhibited an artistic and musical temperament and that has played out all through his life.

He and his younger brother accepted Christ as teenagers in their youth group and it was partly due to their example that I eventually followed in their footsteps.

Today, Wade Daniel is the proud father of our two grand daughters – Juliet and Leah.  He’s a good Christian man, husband and father and he makes me proud in every way.

Happy Birthday Wade from your parents who love you very much.

Friday Funny–Imitation Crab

I know this is stupid, but I think it’s funny.

Finally We Ride

Because of Morgunn’s hoof issue (which is now better) and our schedule we haven’t ridden our horses in over two weeks.

I had my Reclast appointment yesterday morning and I have an appointment with my urologist as a follow up to my cancer surgery tomorrow.  So we jumped on the chance to ride this morning.

It was an overcast morning which made it nice for riding.  Our only goals were to reconnect with Sugar and Morgunn and have a nice ride.  And that’s what we did.

We rode over toward the arroyo that’s South of us.  At one point in the ride as we were riding along the edge of the arroyo Sugar got really alert at something on the other side.  I couldn’t see anything, but her energy went up and she stopped her forward motion.  She didn’t spook, but you could tell she was approaching the edge.

I’ve learned that when she gets her energy up that’s the time I need to lower my energy.  So I took up a little contact to get her to lower her head and asked her to move her feet.  All while staying as relaxed and calm as I could muster.

It seemed to work as she was this way while we walked down a slope into the arroyo.  Once we were walking at the bottom of the arroyo she was fine from that point on.

Given our weekend (Galloping Grace Youth Ranch dinner and auction fundraiser on Saturday night and doing photography for a horse show in Corrales on Sunday) and working at Galloping Grace on Monday it will be sometime next week before we can ride again.

Always good to get a ride in whenever we can.

Fill ‘Er Up, Please

I probably have mentioned in past posts that I have Osteoporosis/Osteopenia.  It’s genetic in my family – father, mother and sister.  I do all the things that are supposed to help: take calcium and vitamin D, stay away from caffeine and carbonated drinks, do weight bearing exercises, etc.

For years I have taken oral medication – first Miacalcin and later Actonel.  I have also done a two year injection program with a medication called Forteo which really helped build bone density.  I highly recommend it if you need it and you can afford it – it’s not cheap.

Last year, my doctor recommended I try Reclast which is a once a year infusion program.  He said medication like Actonel are fine and can help, but no one knows how much your body really gets since it’s an oral medication.

Reclast, being an intravenous infusion, is 100% used by the body and you only have to do it once a year.

I had my first Reclast infusion last year and it did help according to my most recent bone density scan. So, my doctor and I agreed we would try it again.

So, Betty was gracious enough to go with me again down to Presbyterian Medical Building to their Infusion Center.  I had the first appointment at 7:15 AM so we didn’t have to wait on anyone else.  She took the pictures below.

They have a nice set up for a medical procedure center.  They also do chemo treatments for cancer patients as well.  Of course, you have to wait while the nurse gets everything ready.  I had my Western Horseman magazine to keep my company.

Then the nurse does her thing inserting the IV into my wrist.  She was really good and hit the vein on the first try and there was no pain at all.  Her name was Margarita.

They start with an IV of just saline solution so your body is well hydrated.  The Reclast medicine is pretty strong so this protects the kidneys.  After the saline is finished then they put in the Reclast medicine.  When it’s finished they do another saline infusion.  By the time we were finished I really had to go to the bathroom.  The whole process takes a little over two hours.

Once the IV is set and the infusion’s started it’s mostly a matter of waiting and reading my magazine.

There’s no discomfort, but during the Reclast infusion I did notice a slight flush feeling throughout my body.  Fortunately, I haven’t experienced any side effects either time – flu like symptoms, sick feelings, bone pain, etc.

I’m just grateful that there are treatments that can really help.  I would hate to have to give up riding our horses because of overly-brittle bones.

Now I’m good for another year and we’ll see what next year’s bone scan shows.

Ohio Cooksey Visit

We had a great visit with our Ohio kids.  Our son Chris, his wonderful wife Tracy and our grand son Javier arrived Friday evening.  On Saturday Chris, Javier and I went to Cliff’s Amusement Park.

Javier has a really good touch with a basketball and won a neat stuffed monkey at one of the games.

Chris was the brave one riding all the extreme rides.

Saturday evening, Betty, Chris, Javier and I rode the tram up to the top of the Sandia Mountains and had dinner at the High Finance Restaurant.  Tracy is not keen on heights.

After dinner we watched a hang-glider ride the up drafts along the mountain top.

The main attraction, of course, was watching the sunset from the mountain top.

Finally, Sunday afternoon after church, we all went down to Old Town to do some shopping.

Here’s a video that gives an overview of their visit.

They left this morning – heading to Oklahoma City to visit with some friends.  It was a great visit and a lot of fun.

Come back any time kids.