Twenty yards from my back door was a gate that opened to 1500 acres of brush, fields, fence lines, tanks, and creeks. I started out hunting with my PaPa and my dad.  We hunted dove, squirrels, rabbits, ducks, quail, turkeys, and deer.  I could not wait for the next issue of whatever hunting/fishing magazine I could get.  Some of the best days of my life were spent wandering Christmas Creek in search of small woodland creatures.  My first gun was an over-and-under .22/.410.  I have many stories to share about hunting with my daddy and grandpa, but today, I’m flying solo.  I want to tell you about a young boy, hunting with one dog and one bullet.  

At school, I found myself daydreaming about the woods.  I would map out the route I would take on the afternoon’s hunt.  As soon as I got home, I changed into camouflage and took off.  I knew which brush pile would likely have rabbits.  I knew which tree line would have the squirrels.  I knew which field of goat weed would have more dove.  I knew which brushy fence line might hold a few quail.  I knew how to sneak up on the tank dam at just the right angle to not spook the ducks.  I knew every hill, creek, pool of water, and fallen tree.  What I didn’t know until later was:  Why couldn’t I take more than one bullet on my hunts?   I soon found out that Daddy set up this rule to teach me responsibility and give him peace of mind.  If I shot, he could tell about where I was, and he knew about how long it would take me to get home.  If I didn’t get back in time, he knew something was wrong and would come look for me.

Dad would give me one .410 shell.  When it was gone, I had to come home to get another.  There were many days when I would not get a shot until I got to the very back of the place.  I remember one day when I had to waste the shell on a skunk.  To me, in my pre-teen wisdom, this rule was stupid.  Mom would even say when I got home, “Here comes ol’ one bird at a time.”  How could I be expected to put meat in the freezer with only one shell? 

One day, I figured I’d show Mom and Dad.  I grabbed three shells and put them in my pocket.  It was a great day.  Doves were flying.  Rabbits were hopping.  Ducks were quacking.  I shot a dove, and I kept on hunting.  I hoped that I would shoot another further down in the field.  I could not believe how smart I was.  I was going to come home with three birds.  Mom would not call me “ol’ one bird at a time” today. 

Meanwhile, back at the house…Daddy was sitting on the back porch when he heard the first shot.   He told Mom that the boy just killed something.  Dad started fuming when he heard the second shot.  When he heard the third shot, he told Mom that he was going to kill the boy.

I received a good education that day, and I learned the reason for only getting one bullet.  One bullet allowed me to focus on one thing at a time, instead of looking ahead to the next brush pile.  One bullet also let my parents worry less about the situation.  Once I understood the “why” of Dad’s “one bullet rule,” I knew they trusted me and wanted to protect me.

Wouldn’t life be easier if we only had to worry about one bullet at a time?  Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”  These 8 words speak volumes to me when life gets too busy.  We live in a crazy, fast-paced world.  We have remote controls for everything.  Remote control for the TV.  One for the VCR.  One for the dish.  One for the DVD player.  One for the stereo.  Cordless phones.  Cell phones. Internet.  The other night, I am ashamed to admit that we had three TV’s going and a stereo on outside.  I was talking on my cell phone and my wife was talking to somebody else on hers.  Our home phone rang, but neither one of us picked it up because we each thought the other would get it.  Out of control.  My children are 7 and 4.  I cannot imagine how crazy life is going to be in ten years. 

“Be still and know that I am God.”  We spend more time worrying about tomorrow than we do enjoying today.  I, like many of you, live by a schedule.  When Heather and I sit down on Sunday night to discuss the week ahead, we only hit the high points:  meeting Monday… be at work early Tuesday…game on Thursday, etc.   We spend way too much time focusing on the details, that we actually miss the little things.  A lot happens in the gray area on our schedules, but it gets lost in the shuffle. 

“Be still and know that I am God.”  I am working on it.  I realize that my kids are going to be up and gone before I know it.  I don’t want to look back 20 years from now and realize that I missed the gray area.  Men, slow down!  Life is going to happen.  Meetings are going to come and go.  Our children need us more today than ever.  The world is going to get faster and faster.  Don’t spend your days looking ahead because soon we will be spending way too many looking behind in regret. 

Look at today for what it is-a chance to live.  A chance to make some memories.  A chance to make a difference.  A chance to leave a legacy.  You only get one shot at life.  Take time to be still.  Take each day “one bullet at a time.”  You never know…today might just be the “greatest of days.”                                                                                   

Dream Big…Alan             By the way, on the day I took three bullets, I came home with only one dove.  I missed the other two shots. “Ol’ one bird at a time” strikes again.

Storms pass…Deadlines come and go…Life happens.  They say when you get trapped in quicksand to not fight, just relax.  I’ve never been in quicksand, so I wouldn’t know what it’s like to…wait a minute.  I wonder if “quicksand” could apply to…well, you get the picture.           

Life does happen.  Don’t let your marriage get lost in the shuffle and always love your kids. You just might get the break you need in a game of “Go Fish” with a 7-year old.Life ain’t about the $$$...it’s about the stories you can tell.Alan Weihausen