I have been retired for 11 years and am really enjoying it. 

Several years ago I was blessed with a solo Gospel Clown ministry, teaching large audiences of children the Bible messages through humor. My favorite skit was telling them how to put on the armor of God and then outfitting the Christian Ed. teacher with balloons. The experience was a wonderful two years of my life. Then I retired from being a clown and replaced it with being an actor in a lot of religious skits.

Right now I devote a lot of time to fly fishing and especially fly trying. Mac taught me the love of learning and I seem to become a serious student in all my hobbies and endeavors.

I've learned that the Lord is very much a part of my life.

I was teaching in Tampa, Fla., in 1961 and a member of our teachers bowling league. In the lounge after bowling, I took my tennis shoes off to dance. When I returned, they were gone. I asked each table I passed if they had my shoes. One fellow answered, "No, but I'll have this dance." Two and a half weeks later we were engaged and 45 wonderful years later are still together. I'm sure that is my Lord's work that brought us together. Maurie was not only a Christian, but also a Lutheran like me from Tomah, Wis. Small world!

Our best investment was a motor home — we call it the Dixmor. We spent seven months on the road last year, touring God's creation. We visited the California and Oregon coast; family in Seattle, Wash.; the Northern U.S. majestic Rockies; spacious contemplative plains; sand dunes on Lake Michigan; and the magnificent Niagara Falls (still baffles us 45 years later). We made an effort to see as many state capitols as we could. Wow! We couldn't seem to spend enough time on the history of our great country while visiting the East Coast.

We looked up friends we hadn't seen in 40-50 years. Wow! Still great friends! Horseback riding in the Bahamas with all of the family through the clear blue water and on the white sand beaches tops my list. I looked at that huge horse with my two hip replacements and wondered how it’d be. The saddle felt great and the horse loved the water. The sky is the limit, even at 72!

A miracle happened! As we left Florida, heading home to Scottsdale, Ariz., we both came down with chest congestion misery and Maurie strained his back. We called ahead and made a three-night reservation at Magic River RV Park in Gulfport, Miss. We also called our friends Pastor Gary and Evie Weier to tell them we were too sick to join them at Church. We arrived, set up and collapsed. At 12:15 a.m. on New Years day, a knock woke us. The man said, "You'll have to move, we are flooding!" Where do we go on New Year's Eve and with Maurie's back so bad? He could only suggest a Wal-Mart parking lot. Maurie drove the Dixmor and I drove the Jeep to the lot and parked and collapsed again. At 8:00 a.m., our phone rang and a happy voice said, "Hi! Hope you are feeling better. When can we get together?"

"Oh, Evie, we are stranded in WalMart parking lot!"

She replied, "No problem, our Church is only three miles away with full RV hook ups that we put in for the Katrina volunteers. There is room for you!" Our Lord sure takes good care of us!