October 8, 1971 was a day that changed my young life. It's the day my dad was tragically taken from us in a farming accident. A day I think of often. Wondering about all the "what if's" and "why's". There is never a day that goes by that I don't think about him. On my walks/jogs I go by the house that we lived in when he died. Remembering when I was a child playing in the yard, plowing and planting with my toy tractors. Getting mad and throwing fits cause my rows weren't exactly straight. If he was nearby when I was throwing one of my temper tantrums, he would come over to where I was at, take the rake or hoe that I was making rows with, and make them straight for me. I have memories of him teaching me how to set an irrigation tube from a ditch, and when we would get home he would have to hose me off outside before mom would let us in the house.
We miss you dad! Can't wait to see you again!!!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Just some thoughts
Well, this has been some crazy ride, the past 6 weeks. I don't know if I have ever been through as many emotional highs and lows as what I have been lately. I have learned more about what I am made of over the past few weeks than any other time in my life. Studying for the LSAT has pushed me beyond many limits that were in my life. I have a brand new perspective on life. I can do well on this test Saturday. I can get into law school. And I can succeed in law school.
I was told by my guidance counselor in high school that I was not college material. That I needed to focus on a trade or just farming for the rest of my life (those are her words not mine). Well, I have proved that wrong. And now, for a guy that's not college material, I am about to embark on a new challenge.
I don't know where all this will lead me some day, but, I do know that God is leading me. He's always there no matter how cloudy it may seem.
I want to say thank you! To all of you who have encouraged me in this endeavor and have taken the time to say a prayer for me. God's still answering prayers!
I have a couple of prayer request. That I will take the knowledge that He has given me and apply it to the test Saturday. The second is for a dear friend of mine. Caitlin Clark taught my LSAT prep class. She just learned of a tumor on her brain. Pray for her and her family.
I was told by my guidance counselor in high school that I was not college material. That I needed to focus on a trade or just farming for the rest of my life (those are her words not mine). Well, I have proved that wrong. And now, for a guy that's not college material, I am about to embark on a new challenge.
I don't know where all this will lead me some day, but, I do know that God is leading me. He's always there no matter how cloudy it may seem.
I want to say thank you! To all of you who have encouraged me in this endeavor and have taken the time to say a prayer for me. God's still answering prayers!
I have a couple of prayer request. That I will take the knowledge that He has given me and apply it to the test Saturday. The second is for a dear friend of mine. Caitlin Clark taught my LSAT prep class. She just learned of a tumor on her brain. Pray for her and her family.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Remembering 9-11
Just some random things I remember about that awful day 8 years ago.
I was in the process of trying to get a defoliation plot out on some cotton that morning when I got a call from Mark Nutt that a plane had hit one of the towers. The cotton still lacked a couple of weeks being ready to defoliate so I went to town and stopped in at the D&J Gin here in Lockney to figure out what was going on. As I walked in the door, the second plane hit the other tower, then the news of the Pentagon being hit. I can remember thinking, "is this really happening on our soil?'. The collapse of the first town just sent chills down my spine. My thoughts and prayers immediately went to the folks trapped inside when it collapsed and the folks attempting to rescue them. The second tower falls. The looks on the people on the street, covered in the soot, walking aimlessly. The look on President Bush's face when he got the news as he was with a group of school children in Florida. The humanity of the people at the sites, all pitching in together to help. The firemen raising the flag at ground zero in New York. The president's speech the next day from ground zero. The thoughts of friends and family that were traveling that day. The need to go and hold my kids close. The relief to know the friends and family that were traveling safe on the ground, not at home, but safe. The complete shutdown of financial institutions and transportation. The images of the people at the sites holding pictures of loved ones unaccounted for. The heroism of the folks on United Airlines Flight 93.
The days that followed are not as clear as the day it happened in my mind. I have the special editions of the Plainview Daily Herald and the Lubbock Avalance-Journal that were published that day and the day after. I can remember going to Plainview that afternoon and seeing Danny Andrews, the editor of the Plainview paper, standing in the middle of 5th and Quincy selling the paper.
The event completely changed the way I look at patriotism. I had a brand new perspective on America. On that day, and the days that followed, we were no longer Republicans or Democrats, conservatives or liberals, but we were one nation, under God. The national anthem, every time i hear it now, has new meaning. I can listen to the words and imagine what the writer was seeing and feeling.
I will never forget!
I was in the process of trying to get a defoliation plot out on some cotton that morning when I got a call from Mark Nutt that a plane had hit one of the towers. The cotton still lacked a couple of weeks being ready to defoliate so I went to town and stopped in at the D&J Gin here in Lockney to figure out what was going on. As I walked in the door, the second plane hit the other tower, then the news of the Pentagon being hit. I can remember thinking, "is this really happening on our soil?'. The collapse of the first town just sent chills down my spine. My thoughts and prayers immediately went to the folks trapped inside when it collapsed and the folks attempting to rescue them. The second tower falls. The looks on the people on the street, covered in the soot, walking aimlessly. The look on President Bush's face when he got the news as he was with a group of school children in Florida. The humanity of the people at the sites, all pitching in together to help. The firemen raising the flag at ground zero in New York. The president's speech the next day from ground zero. The thoughts of friends and family that were traveling that day. The need to go and hold my kids close. The relief to know the friends and family that were traveling safe on the ground, not at home, but safe. The complete shutdown of financial institutions and transportation. The images of the people at the sites holding pictures of loved ones unaccounted for. The heroism of the folks on United Airlines Flight 93.
The days that followed are not as clear as the day it happened in my mind. I have the special editions of the Plainview Daily Herald and the Lubbock Avalance-Journal that were published that day and the day after. I can remember going to Plainview that afternoon and seeing Danny Andrews, the editor of the Plainview paper, standing in the middle of 5th and Quincy selling the paper.
The event completely changed the way I look at patriotism. I had a brand new perspective on America. On that day, and the days that followed, we were no longer Republicans or Democrats, conservatives or liberals, but we were one nation, under God. The national anthem, every time i hear it now, has new meaning. I can listen to the words and imagine what the writer was seeing and feeling.
I will never forget!
Friday, September 4, 2009
To be in my early 20's again! No thanks!
I got tickled in my class last night. We were discussing the do's and don'ts on your Law School application. Who to use as recommendation letter writers, how many, personal statements, etc.,...
When the subject of facebook came up and past criminal records. A few of the students (I almost called them kids, cause they are kids to me) were asking about speeding tickets, a few must have some alcoholic beverage citations of some kind. The question was exactly what do you report to the BAR association and what do you not report. I was laughing cause they were making these very broad statements about what they had done and how it had been exonerated, but still showing up on their record. Then, the Facebook thing came up. Will the law schools you apply to look at your facebook to make a decision about your admittance, and can they see your profile even if they're not friends? What I got especially tickled about, and maybe I need to delete mine, but there was one young lady that was completely deleting her whole facebook account, not just making it non-active, but a complete deletion.
Got me thinking back to my college days! We didn't have digital cameras, cell phones, or for the most part a computer. Our social network consisted of a few guys and gals hanging out at the UC playing dominoes or spades. And for pictures, there was this dude that went around to all the bars and took pictures, then you bought them from him. Easy enough, if you didn't like how you looked or what was in the pic with you, you chunked it in the trash. And, there was a company that was across from Tech on University that was in the business of taking pictures at events, then you could go down and buy a picture from them. I sure hope they dispose of those pictures ever so often! LOL!
Just to bring you up to date in the whole LSAT preparedness process, I took another diagnostic test Wednesday afternoon and improved my score by 4 points! Huge victory for me!!
When the subject of facebook came up and past criminal records. A few of the students (I almost called them kids, cause they are kids to me) were asking about speeding tickets, a few must have some alcoholic beverage citations of some kind. The question was exactly what do you report to the BAR association and what do you not report. I was laughing cause they were making these very broad statements about what they had done and how it had been exonerated, but still showing up on their record. Then, the Facebook thing came up. Will the law schools you apply to look at your facebook to make a decision about your admittance, and can they see your profile even if they're not friends? What I got especially tickled about, and maybe I need to delete mine, but there was one young lady that was completely deleting her whole facebook account, not just making it non-active, but a complete deletion.
Got me thinking back to my college days! We didn't have digital cameras, cell phones, or for the most part a computer. Our social network consisted of a few guys and gals hanging out at the UC playing dominoes or spades. And for pictures, there was this dude that went around to all the bars and took pictures, then you bought them from him. Easy enough, if you didn't like how you looked or what was in the pic with you, you chunked it in the trash. And, there was a company that was across from Tech on University that was in the business of taking pictures at events, then you could go down and buy a picture from them. I sure hope they dispose of those pictures ever so often! LOL!
Just to bring you up to date in the whole LSAT preparedness process, I took another diagnostic test Wednesday afternoon and improved my score by 4 points! Huge victory for me!!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Happy Birthday Dad!
Today would have been my dad's 64th birthday. There's never a day that I don't think about him. The what ifs?
My dad was taken from this life in 1971 at the age of 26, only to live in Heaven. There's no pain there, no worries, no strife. He keeps getting more and more of his friends there with him. His mom went to be with him again in 2001. I can't wait for my day to be with him again. To hear his voice, to feel his gentle touch.
Dad, I miss you bunches! Glad you and Junior are together again. How's the racing up there?
I love you!
In memory of Ronald "Ronnie" Gene Belt
September 3, 1945
October 8, 1971
My dad was taken from this life in 1971 at the age of 26, only to live in Heaven. There's no pain there, no worries, no strife. He keeps getting more and more of his friends there with him. His mom went to be with him again in 2001. I can't wait for my day to be with him again. To hear his voice, to feel his gentle touch.
Dad, I miss you bunches! Glad you and Junior are together again. How's the racing up there?
I love you!
In memory of Ronald "Ronnie" Gene Belt
September 3, 1945
October 8, 1971
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Reflecting
From time to time, I have to stop and reflect. What's gone on in my life that was right, wrong, and what I learned about God in all this, and myself.
I spent most of the week obsessing over the LSAT. Friday I took a long walk to gather my thoughts and to "get my head in the game". After I got back, I was working on the Reading Comp section of the test, practicing the skills I am attempting to learn, when it hit me. "I am not going to have a perfect score on this test!" WOW! Here i was, during practice, worrying more about what I was getting wrong than why I was missing the questions, and why I was getting a few right. (by the way, i looked back, I was averaging around 70% right) I don't read well, after all I am a product of Quanah High School, (LOL! not that has anything to do with it, but an excuse for me) and I have never really worked to improve my reading skills.
I have spent most of my adult life trying to prove people wrong about me. Frances Marie Owens, who was the counselor at QHS, once told me that I was not college material. I took that at face value for a few years after high school, till I decided that just maybe I can do this. Well, I did it! Not only did I accomplish, or figure out that I was college material, I set higher goals during the process. I wanted to further my education, grad school. I was pushed and prodded by people like Randal Williams at VRJC. Then while at Tech, by folks like Dr. Vaughn and others. But, I fell again to the mainstream thoughts of going to college. Get your degree, get a decent job, and retire some day. Part of that had to do with being tired of not "living" comfortably. So i took the first job that I applied for out of Tech, something I seemed to be pretty good at and not getting out of the scope of how I was raised, agriculture.
But a few things happened along the way. One, I had given up on my dream to go to graduate school, had become "complacent" with the "status quo" (whatever that is) and had failed miserably at being a husband. I was a pretty good "dad", but an awful husband.
I spend a lot of time listening to different preacher's sermons. One that made me think about what life was about was form a guy I met at the Red River Family Encampment 2 years ago. Gary Smith, who was one of the speakers that weekend, is the preacher at the Fifth Ward Church of Christ in Houston, a predominately minority, inner city congregation. I became a fan of Gary's, downloading a few of his sermons to my ipod. He has one sermon that was directed to the youth of his congregation at graduation time about dreaming big. God doesn't expect anything less from us. I come to this realization from Matthew 25 in the parable of the talents. A man, fixing to leave town for a few days, entrusted his business to 3 people. You know the story, one he gave 5 talents and another 2 and the last 1. What did they do with the talents? The first two took there's and doubled them, the last took his an buried it, afraid of losing it. Who did God's will here? Of course! The first two. They took what they had been given, remained faithful, and was rewarded. The last guy, whom I can relate, was not faithful and therefore was not rewarded. He was complacent with the status quo of what he had been given.
Do you ever sit and wonder "what if"? I have way too much. It's time to get up and "dream big"!
I spent most of the week obsessing over the LSAT. Friday I took a long walk to gather my thoughts and to "get my head in the game". After I got back, I was working on the Reading Comp section of the test, practicing the skills I am attempting to learn, when it hit me. "I am not going to have a perfect score on this test!" WOW! Here i was, during practice, worrying more about what I was getting wrong than why I was missing the questions, and why I was getting a few right. (by the way, i looked back, I was averaging around 70% right) I don't read well, after all I am a product of Quanah High School, (LOL! not that has anything to do with it, but an excuse for me) and I have never really worked to improve my reading skills.
I have spent most of my adult life trying to prove people wrong about me. Frances Marie Owens, who was the counselor at QHS, once told me that I was not college material. I took that at face value for a few years after high school, till I decided that just maybe I can do this. Well, I did it! Not only did I accomplish, or figure out that I was college material, I set higher goals during the process. I wanted to further my education, grad school. I was pushed and prodded by people like Randal Williams at VRJC. Then while at Tech, by folks like Dr. Vaughn and others. But, I fell again to the mainstream thoughts of going to college. Get your degree, get a decent job, and retire some day. Part of that had to do with being tired of not "living" comfortably. So i took the first job that I applied for out of Tech, something I seemed to be pretty good at and not getting out of the scope of how I was raised, agriculture.
But a few things happened along the way. One, I had given up on my dream to go to graduate school, had become "complacent" with the "status quo" (whatever that is) and had failed miserably at being a husband. I was a pretty good "dad", but an awful husband.
I spend a lot of time listening to different preacher's sermons. One that made me think about what life was about was form a guy I met at the Red River Family Encampment 2 years ago. Gary Smith, who was one of the speakers that weekend, is the preacher at the Fifth Ward Church of Christ in Houston, a predominately minority, inner city congregation. I became a fan of Gary's, downloading a few of his sermons to my ipod. He has one sermon that was directed to the youth of his congregation at graduation time about dreaming big. God doesn't expect anything less from us. I come to this realization from Matthew 25 in the parable of the talents. A man, fixing to leave town for a few days, entrusted his business to 3 people. You know the story, one he gave 5 talents and another 2 and the last 1. What did they do with the talents? The first two took there's and doubled them, the last took his an buried it, afraid of losing it. Who did God's will here? Of course! The first two. They took what they had been given, remained faithful, and was rewarded. The last guy, whom I can relate, was not faithful and therefore was not rewarded. He was complacent with the status quo of what he had been given.
Do you ever sit and wonder "what if"? I have way too much. It's time to get up and "dream big"!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
My brain is old and set in its ways!
Whew!! My brain is on over load right now. In case you're just joining me here, I am in the process of studying for the LSAT. Trying to get my brain to "understand formal logic". And for a guy who has always been satisfied with the obvious, this is a tough exercise for me. Don't misunderstand me here, it's not that i think it's beyond me to comprehend this, I'm just having to re-train this 45 year old brain to think and look for things it didn't know was missing.
It's a lot like studying the bible. You can take things for face value, or dig a little deeper and find the real answers.
It's a lot like studying the bible. You can take things for face value, or dig a little deeper and find the real answers.
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