Just read in the obituary section of Village Soup: “his tireless wife insisted on being trained to be his primary caregiver”. This was telling about a wife of 57 years who stood by her husband with ALS. Seeing this brightened up my day. This woman really knew what the word “love” meant. This man had a base camp right at home.

Most of us would like to thrive in life and not just survive. Personally, have found the necessity of base camps; a place to find replenishment of supplies, rejuvenation, encouragement to continue on to the next level. Base camps help renew our heart to move ahead when traveling gets difficult. A word of encouragement can be as important as oxygen when life hits us between the eyes; as it eventually will to us all.

Have several base camps myself: A home church, 12 step recovery program, small group Bible study, the Sunday music jam at the Sail, Power and Steam Museum and others. All equally important in different ways. The most importance is the spiritual foundation and the influence of a church, mosque or synagogue where we can be surrounded by like minded people face to face. The time when God was seen as a heavy task master just waiting for you to make a mistake has disappeared from most places of worship; if it was ever really there.

At this stage in my life the only places you will find me active is where there are “What you see is what you get” kind of folk who will give each other a helping hand when a person falls down. Just like home, there are no perfect people and we may rub each other the wrong way once in awhile, but it is a place where all are loved and respected and encouraged to be all we can be. Many people may not need that. I do. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU0DOgFSci4