Remembering Roger

Tonight at 10:07PM, my long time friend Roger Sessler passed from this life into the grand eternal never ending century. In this life few are privileged to have a friend such as Roger. There are many people on Rogers "route" of friends who will dearly miss his presence in our lives. While we may have been put off with his open honesty, calling our handiwork a piece of junk, our habits poor, our maintenance of things lacking, we will not miss Roger and the gruff in Roger's endearing way he told us these things.
It only served to improve and help raise us to a higher standard. We were urged not to throw out the old, but to try and repair it. We were encouraged to save, to not live in excess. We were taught many lessons, all for the good upon looking back.
If not for Roger, I would never continued with my love for bicycling. He taught me how to ride on the roads in a group of riders, and many times upbraided me for cutting him off without signaling or pointing out some glass in the road. Even up until two years ago, I could not keep his pace on the bicycle for long distances.
Today was the Annual Gainesville Cycling Clubs Cycling Festival, the Santa Fe Century today and the Horsefarm 100 tomorrow. For years, Roger helped man the rest stop at Watermelon park on Saturday for the Santa Fe and would then ride the Century on Sunday for free for helping. He took great pride in his tee shirts earned from these events. It was Roger who rooked me into helping out at the Watermelon park stop and who also helped me through my first century the next day.
He was always a throwback to the carbon fiber and aero bicyclists lining up with him. He continued to ride with leather toe clips, he rode a steel lugged Vitas and later a steel Guerceotti. He concocted his own bag to carry his tire changing kit and food over the front handlebars. He used an ancient Huret belt driven mile counter and faithfully logged all his miles in his notebooks. He wore custom made T-Shirts with mesh sewn into the back and front by the ladies at N&W Cleaners. His Lycra pants were always long since given their last stretch and sagged. It was many a carbon fiber and titanium bike he passed too en route to a steady pace and finish at Morningside Nature Center.
Roger in addition to a cyclist was a runner. I first met Roger at one of our Lake City Runners Club outing. Again, always the teacher and coach, he usually was seen helping a slower runner or walker along, pacing them at their own pace, offering advice and companionship.
He was able to train for and complete several Jacksonville Marathons. Many were the miles we spent running through the Osceola National Forest trails with Bob Jones and many other running friends.
I could wax long on Roger and the times we spent here and there, as well as could his many friends he kept on his daily route and phone log. He was quite faithful to check in on us and keep us abreast on each other. It would probably embarrass greatly some if they knew that we knew this and that about them through Roger. But, we were all like a great family. Many I have never met, but feel as if I know, simply from hearing Roger tell of you.
There is probably no one left who was like Roger. This great circle of friends connected through Roger will now end. We shall continue in our tinkering and blundering and getting things all wrong. We will not have Roger to come and bail us out, to repair it, to show us how it works. We will have to now buy new things, for the old things will not be repaired.
I do not know how some of us will get along. I do not know at this point how I shall. Though I lost my biological father this past March, tonight I lost my father and friend, Roger Sessler.

Hear My Voice

Hear My Voice

Every one that is of the truth heareth My voice. John 18:37.

If our faith were but more simple,
We should take Him at His word;
And our lives would be all gladness
In the sunshine of our Lord.
Faber.


There are few things sweeter in life than the sound of a loved one, in our case, that of a grand child. Spending the night with us, last evening, Nathaniel tried to get Jordon's attention on the other side of the room. Unable to speak his name, he would make a grunting like call. Jordon in his preoccupation, did not hear. When I got Jordon's attention in a more forceful manner, the small voice from Nathaniel was sweet indeed to him. How assuring to know, that not only is God never too preoccupied to hear His children, we have an advocate as well, Christ, who gets the Father's attention.

Be Ye Filled

Be Ye Filled. Ephesians 5:8


"Filled with the Holy Ghost! Thrice blessed word! Thanks be to God that ever the tongues of men were taught it! It declares not only that the Lord has returned to His temple in the human soul, but that He has filled the house with His glory." William Arthur


Mizpah from Oct.20th

Today Jordon and I at 5pm attended the Veterans Hospice Memorial Service for the men and women who passed away this year.
My father, who died on the Serenity Hospice Unit on March 12th, was one honored. We had a candle light service in the chapel, then went outside and released balloons. There was a large hawk that soared through the balloons as they flew in the breeze. It made for a good photograph for a future time.

We are kept

We are kept by the power of God. 1 Peter 1:5

"God us for us, not on special, grand occasions, but daily, hourly. If God is for us, then to-day's disappointment does not put us out of humor; today's sickness does not provoke us to-morrow; to-day's insult does not awaken thoughts of resentment." Rev George Bowen.

The little figurine is from my mother-in-laws back yard beside their pool. When I am deciding upon which photograph to illustrate the daily Mizpah, I usually have a vague idea what I am looking for. More times than often, after scrolling through many photographs, the one I am looking for jumps out at me.
Other times, I know I need to go out and take the photograph that would best illustrate the verse or quote. Today's quote, though written over a hundred years ago, was appropriate, as often, through the Holy Spirit, the old verse and quote fit right in for today.
This was the day for instance that Harold Camping, after getting the rapture date incorrect several months ago, said that Oct.21st would be the end of the world. Now, we have a few hours remaining in the day, but for all intents, we can safely assume tomorrow the world will go on as it has.

Give Thanks

In everything give thanks. I Thess. 5:18

When words and acts, untrue, unkind,
Against thy life like arrows fly,
Receive them with a patient mind,
Seek no revenge, make no reply.
Prof. Upham.


Praise and Thanksgiving

From The Valley of Vision
A collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions

O My God,
Thou fairest, greatest, first of all objects,
my heart admires, adores,loves thee,
for my little vessel is as full as it can be,
and I would pour out all that fullness before thee in ceaseless flow.
When I think upon and converse with thee
ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up,
ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed,
ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart,
crowding into every moment of happiness.
I bless thee for the soul thou hast created,
for adorning it, sanctifying it,
though it is fixed in barren soil;
for the body thou hast given me,
for preserving its strength and vigour,
for providing senses to enjoy delights,
for the ease and freedom of my limbs,
for hands, eyes, ears that do thy bidding;
for thy royal bounty providing my daily support,
for a full table and overflowing cup,
for appetite, taste,sweetness,
for social joys of relatives and friends,
for ability to serve others,
for a heart that feels sorrows and necessities,
for a mind to care for my fellow-men,
for opportunities of spreading happiness around,
for loved ones in the joys of heaven,
for my own expectation of seeing thee clearly.
I love thee above the powers of language to express,
for what thou art to thy creatures.

Increase my love, O my God, through time and eternity.

Mizpah October 17th

We walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Corin. 5:7

"Faith lies not in bringing forth some great things by your own power, but in employing the power of God to work all your works in you and for you." Ralph Erskine.

Those of you who are in the know, recognize this photograph, the rider and possibly even the location. I will keep that confined to those in the know. Know this, today this rider is undergoing a procedure that could well determine the days he has left upon this earthly ride.
For all the miles logged faithfully to keep up with friends, for all the miles walking, biking and motorcycling the highways and byways of this wonderful land, it comes down to the difficultly of now making the long step from of the hospital bed.
We who have ridden with, walked with and ran with this friend, we who walk by faith, wish so desperately we could in our own power somehow see him back upon that bike, hiking down that trail, riding up that road to our homes. But now, his steps lie in the hands of the giver of those steps, and our prayer is, grant it Lord, grant it Lord, if it be thy will, to hear that sound of the friend arriving up our drive once again.

In thy might

And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might. Judges 6:14

"For the might of a look of the Lord is enough for anything. Only we must meet His look; our eyes must be ever toward the Lord, and then we shall not miss it, for He says, "I will set Mine eyes upon them for good." Francis Ridley Havergal.


The scene was at the Lake City Veteran's Affairs Serenity Place Hospice Unit. My father, the Rev. Luther Ray Stokes, having suffered a massive stroke a few weeks earlier, was on his death bed. He had never seen his first great grandson, Nathaniel Manoa Stokes, born to my son Landon and Amber in January.
In a miraculous turn of events, my father woke from his stroke and had recognition and limited speech for a time. It was during this time that we took Nathaniel to see my father. As Nathaniel was lowered to the eye level of my father, they gazed long at each other, in a kind of knowing bond. It was a touching moment. My father died about a week later on March 12th of this year.
Today, October 16th would have been my fathers birthday.
And so we carry on, Nathaniel at his beginning of natural birth and Jordon, our son, at the beginning of his spiritual birth. The birthday of my father gone on, the baptism today and the spiritual birthday of Jordon Curtis Stokes.

Mizpah for October 16th

And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might. Judges 6:14

"For the might of a look of the Lord is enough for anything. Only we must meet His look; our eyes must be ever toward the Lord, and then we shall not miss it, for He says, "I will set Mine eyes upon them for good." Francis Ridley Havergal.

September Landing

Mizpah October 15th

I have loved thee with an everlasting love. As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you. Jeremiah 31:3; John 15:9

"Joy is the happiness of love. It is love exulting. It is love aware of its own felicity, and resting in riches which it has no fear of exhausting."
Rev J.Hamilton.

Eighty Miles of Photography

It has been nearly a year since making the eighty mile round trip up to Roline Landing on the upper Suwannee River. It was a good day to take the journey. The weather was mild, the sky a vivid deep blue. I journeyed to White Springs and took the Woodpecker route, first stop the Prospect Primitive Baptist Church. There, I found the pensive angel in the cemetery and composed several photographs. I then took the short hike down to the river. It was good to report the creek flowing into the river from PSC Chemical was not a vivid green. I walked up and down the bank, being especially fond of the clay and lime rock exposed on the river bed. The mature oaks as well were grand, and I could have used a 10mm to capture the spread.
Upon leaving, two gentlemen were cleaning up and retouch painting the church. I made it up to the next stop, Turner Bridge landing, seeing a red fox that paused but scurried away before I could back up and get a shot. Along the dirt road, the fall flowers were in profusion as were the butterflies. I stopped upon spotting two Tiger Swallowtails, a spice bush swallowtail, sulphurs, fritillaries, skippers and a monarch. It was the first opportunity to use the new 18-200 on butterflies and for the most part, no problems, except trying to get too close and the shutter refusing to engage. Most frustrating. It was quite a thrill to be in the company of such a variety of butterflies.
At Turner, I did not stay long, walking a bit downstream and composing the pylons from the old suspension bridge.
Making it to Roline, about four miles further north, I took a long hike along the river bank upstream, walking slowly. A raccoon on the far shore spotted me before I could get a shot and scampered off. I came upon an alligator leg floating in the water, and conjectured what could have caused this amputation? I took several cypress souvenirs, one looking like a woodpeckers head.
I drove back to Road 6 and headed for Hopewell Church. The scene of the Shining Congregation photographs, I was disappointed to see that the church had been painted, inside and out, along with benches placed inside. I assume they either had or are planning the annual homecoming. Either way, while good to preserve the church, I liked the way the old unpainted floor looked, along with the old white paint. This new coat of paint kind of removes the mystery from it. I do not foresee any further Shining type photographs.
I started to drive to Cone Bridge, but hunger took hold and I made a beeline home. It was a satisfying trip, one I needed, just to go in peace and reflect. Some day I shall show the photographs someplace. The business of taking photographs and sharing is at a low demand currently and thus I gain the single satisfaction of simply knowing the photographs turned out for the most part.