A Winter Trip To Arizona

Everyone in the Northwest loves to talk about going down to Arizona in the winter; how good the last trip was or how good the next one will be. You hear cowboys talking about the 40 and over or Century ropings in the heat. Whatever the reason, getting out of the Northwest cold is a highly anticipated event by many.

I got to go to Arizona this past winter. I was only there for 3 days, but the weather was really warm.  While there, I could see with my own eyes and felt with my body why people would want to go--70-80 degree days and sunshine. It was great. The only thing I was missing was my rope horse.  The trip was not to rope.  It was to see my Grandpa and Grandma (Gene and B.J. Reichert (B.J. Minor)). My Grandpa had been diagnosed with Cancer in January.  My sister called me at the end of February and let me know that she thought it was a good idea if we went down to see him.  So, I put my busy schedule on hold and we jumped on a plane headed south. 

I was surprised to see my grandpa when I walked in. He was a set of bones draped with skin sitting at the dining room table drinking coffee and waiting for us to arrive. I don’t know how well I hid my facial expression as I told him how good it was to see him.  He had lost 45 pounds in the previous five weeks. We sat and talked for a couple of hours and then he was ready to lie down for the day.  That night as I lay in bed at the hotel room I was in shock.  Granted, grandpa was 80 years old but in my mind he is bionic man.  A man who was so strong he could never be taken down.  He was always there for me, just a phone call away.  As I fought back the tears that ran down my cheeks, I realized that the last 18 years I had ran around the country roping, ministering, and filling my life with plans for fun. I was going to go see grandpa one of these day. . . . I knew the days were now numbered as I drifted off to sleep.

The third and final day I was there, my grandpa was so weak he could not even get out of bed to smoke a cigarette. I went back and lay beside him in his bed and held his hand. Grandpa smiled and said, “My how your hand has grown since the last time we did this.”  I laughed and said, “Yes it has. It has been 30 years.”  We talked for the next hour and I just lay there and held his hand like a little boy.  I remember telling him that I had never planned on being 36 years old and here I am.  Grandpa chuckled and said that 80 had snuck up on him!

My Grandpa had always been a private man when it came to God.  My whole life I had never heard him pray.  In fact, the only time I ever heard him mention God was when he wanted God to damn something even though there was never a river near us. I had asked him if he wanted to pray in the past or talk about God and the answer was always “I will do that myself”.  Lying there beside him I asked with the upmost respect. “Grandpa, would you like to pray with me?”  I was so pleasantly surprised when he responded, “I would love to.  I have been praying a lot lately.”  It was the most beautiful thing to hear my grandpa pray and hear him surrender in trust to God with his last days. I could feel the presence of a loving God walking us through the end of a short season.

This trip to Arizona was not exactly the one I had always dreamed of.  I had a little more roping and short round callbacks in mind.  I wouldn’t trade it for anything though.  My Grandfather died the following Friday, good Friday, and is now in heaven.

Every month I try to encourage your personal walk with God.  Walking with God has many benefits.  One of my favorites is walking with HIM swallows up selfishness and teaches us how to enjoy family.  HE INVENTED FAMILY.

I Corinthians 15 talks about how the work of Jesus Christ has swallowed up the work of death, and hopelessness in victory (verse 54). Death has lost its sting when your trust is in Jesus. 

Life really is short.  Every day it is worth giving thanks to God for all His many blessings in our life and learning to walk with Him.  Sharing life with a loving God and your family is priceless.  Don’t wait until the end of your life when there is so much to share now.

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” (Matthew 7:24-27 NKJV)

Until Next Month,

Ride With God

Travis Klingeman