BLOOD TRAIL: My First Year On The Wing.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

My First Year On The Wing.

My First Year on the Wing.

I’ve learned a lot this past year. According to the receipt I purchased my 1981 Goldwing on June 26, 2009. Sure it’s an antique but it’s in tremendous shape. The previous owner had found it lying on its side in a rusty old steel yard barn. He gave it a lot of TLC and brought an old rusty barn find back to life. Every operating system on the bike was brought back to a safe and serviceable condition. Valerie and I have enjoyed our new found freedom. If we had understood how much fun a couple of empty nesters could have on the bike we would have gotten one a lot sooner. We have a whole new group of Christian brothers and sisters to share the journey and minister with.

My first ride on the wing was also the very first time I had ever driven a motorcycle of any kind. It was mid July and I had finally gotten the tags and insurance all set up. The only thing it needed was a West Virginia inspection sticker for everything to be legal. The time had come for me to make the six mile trip to Possum’s. I pulled the bike around in the yard and did my version of a pre-ride check. Boots, heavy jacket, helmet, gloves, gas on, mirrors, tires and so on. Yep I got all that. I started her up and pulled up to the edge of the highway. I sat there and watched the traffic for a while. After what seemed like an hour I finally decided there was nothing coming in either direction. I gave it some gas and let the clutch out and the bike kinda jerked out onto the road. Here we go. Shift through the gears - second, third, fourth, fifth. I was hanging on with a death grip. I was terrified to look away from the road. When I finally looked down at the speedometer I was all the way up to 35. It seemed at least twice that. About a mile from home I pulled into the carwash at the Marathon station. I thought it was a “good idea” to stop for a minute and make sure everything was working the way I expected. I got off the bike and walked around it two or three times. I thought to myself,” It would be easy enough to leave the bike here and walk back to the house and get the truck and trailer….. No, if I don’t get back on this thing now I never will. I’m not going to let a piece of equipment whip me. “ Against the fear that was raging through my mind I got back on the bike and finished the last five miles to the inspection station. Every motion and operation on this huge powerful bike was completely foreign to me. Every mistake and poor skill that I demonstrated made me feel less confident. The turning, shifting, braking and all the other things that go along with the operation of a motorcycle required more concentration and determination than I had needed to muster in years. Well, I finally made it to Possums’ and got the bike inspected. After taking some good natured ribbing from the mechanics about my riding skills I headed home, …….. in the rain.

It’s a lot like that when we first begin to witness on purpose. Anything worthwhile takes a certain amount dedication, determination and concentration. Our first steps in reaching out to our loved ones and neighbors sometimes seem be either daunting, stiff, or dangerous. It is real easy to stop and reassess what we are doing and decide to go back to where we started [i] but, if we do that how can we say we love our neighbor as our self if we haven’t warned him about the wrath to come?[ii] Besides, If we quit and turn back to what we perceive as ease and safety, what fun is there in that?

[i] Mark 4:17, Hebrews 3:12

[ii] Luke 10:27, John 3:36

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BLOOD TRAIL

Hunting is a great pastime activity. In today’s world, with a few exceptions hunting isn't among the skill sets necessary to acquire our food and clothing. We are accustomed to 40 hour work weeks and the availability of less labor intensive hunting areas such as Walmart, Krogers and Sears. It’s much easier to work a job and then spend your money at a department store than to invest many hours studying, patterning, hunting, killing and preparing wild game for a few pounds of meat ,a hide and a set of horns. To those who don’t hunt it may look like a huge waste of time. Those of us who hunt know the benefit of the activity. It’s outdoors, usually solitary, relaxing, and requires preparation, diligence and discipline. (Kinda like a job) For those of us who hunt the rewards of relaxation and enjoyment outweigh, for the most part, all the hard work involved. One of the most important skills you can learn is blood trailing. In the daylight it is a relatively straightforward task after you find the first drop of blood. Each drop tells us something new. It can tell us weather the animal is moving or standing, If it’s moving which direction and how fast. It can tell us weather we should pursue quickly or allow it to rest. At times we can tell where the animal is wounded. There is certainly a good amount of satisfaction in the work, but probably the most rewarding part of the hunt is the stories we can tell. The things you notice while hunting, a bird you haven’t seen before, the antics of a squirrel or a fawn, the moment of the kill and the labor of retrieving your harvest.

My last hunt involved some blood trailing in the dark. As is common, my shot at a buck came just before sunset. I didn't like the placement of the shot so I waited until I thought he had gone out of earshot and hastily looked for the first blood sign I could find and marked it. I left it and went home to have a little supper and to get adequate lighting to follow the trail. When I came back I was able to quickly find the white tissue paper I had tied on a limb above the first drop of blood. Four hours and five hundred yards later I was privileged to retrieve the animal I had harvested.

I don’t want to bore you with all the details of a four hour tracking job but I do want to point out some interesting parallels to our Christian walk.

* Its important to pursue as quickly as possible. We must follow the trail with diligence unless we loose our harvest to other predators or scavengers. (2 Peter 1:10)

* What we see in the woods at night is completely different from what we are used to seeing during the day. The subtle yellows, greens and browns we see during the day becomes nearly monochromatic at night.

* The human eye is naturally drawn to the color red.

* At night there are different types of light, close in as from a gas lantern or a campfire, focused light as from a flashlight and the bluish white light of the moon on a really clear night. (Mat 5:14-16)

* Sometimes you will find yourself searching for the next drop of blood on your hands and knees.

* As you turn leaves over looking for the slightest trace of blood you may see a spot of red on the middle of a leaf. When you inspect more closely you discover it is a false drop. Maple leaves and others naturally have spots of red. I call them false drops. After a while you learn to recognize the difference between the real blood and the false trail randomly spread by the wind. (1 John 4:1)

* The real thing has the shine of authenticity. The more you see the real thing it becomes easier to recognize.

* Sometimes the trail is hidden by the forces of nature, rain, wind or animals. Even our own big feet can obliterate a blood trail. (Mark 4:4)

* At times you will loose the trail. At that point go back to the last drop of blood you found and begin searching in widening circles until you pick up the trail again.( Acts 17:27)

* Each step on the trail brings us closer to our harvest. (Philippians 3:14)

* Sometimes we need to go back to where we began and start the trailing process again from the beginning. We must ask ourselves questions about the important details. Was my shot really on the mark? Did I miss completely? Was the blood trail I was on actually real or was I fooled by the vagaries of nature? Once we assess where things truly stand we can either continue on the trail or begin the hunt again. (2 Cor. 13:2)