Ebony Died Today. Tears Flowing At The Boarding House

Woke up at 2:30am with pain shooting along my right shin bone. I couldn't even move my right leg without grabbing it with both hands and moving it. Obviously, it was a case of shin splints caused by walking a total of 14 miles on asphalt. Walking on pavement is what does it. When I walked to Colorado from Illinois I never once got shin splints because I walked on the dirt next to the roads shoulder. It's softer thus less impact.

I hiked from Idaho Springs to Dumont and back. Dumont is a hamlet 6 miles west of Idaho Springs. Then, I walked to the Kum and Go and back to the Lucas House a total of 1 mile. Later, I walked to the Boarding House which was yet another mile. That's a total of 14 miles walked on concrete and asphalt.

But, here it is 1pm the following day and the pain is only a 1 out of 10. So, I'm good to go for Friday for another session of long distance hiking.

I ambled into the Frothy Cup Coffee Shop at about 10am and lo and behold Craig Babcock, Pastor of the Calvary Chapel Church on Floyd Hill in Clear Creek came in at the same time. I met him once before when he was visiting with Pastor Bill Robertson at the Frothy Cup.

Craig is a former Colorado State Trooper who chucked a great career with a hefty salary, benefits and potential advancement and became a Pastor.

He asked if he could join me for a cup of coffee. He wanted to hear my story. After I told him the Reader's Digest version he and I discussed the current state of Christianity in America. After 2 hours or so he had to run to an appointment.

It was a lively and at times a controversial conversation dealing with topics like homosexuality, gay and polygamous marriage and the Church's positions.

I think that as important as those ideas are the more important issue is that we as Christians seem to be more interested in dogma and right believing than in actively living out the tenets of Christianity. Gandhi was quoted once that he liked Christ but didn't like Christians because they didn't live like Christ did.

Christians need to get back to the 4 so-called Gospels and start looking at what Christ taught in the 3 years he walked the earth. Instead, Christians seem to focus exclusively on his death and resurrection as important and central those incidents are to right belief and seem to just skip over the Sermon On the Mount. They skip over what Christ taught about material wealth and what he taught about this new family he created. A new family which actually takes precedence over blood family, better known as the "Church" a living breathing organic thing.

Christ, when told his mother and brothers were outside and wanted to talk to him said in reply pointing to the crowd he was speaking to said here are my mother and brothers those that do the will of my father.

That's Christ's new family, those that DO...not just believe... those that do the will of the Father.

Joe, Bobby, Kenny and Neil came into the Frothy Cup while Craig and I were talking. I introduced them to Craig. Craig goes to the coffee shops all around Clear Creek County to meet with people just as I do here at the Frothy Cup. We both agree you have to meet the people where they live, work and shop.

Well anyway, I hope to speak before Craig's new church on Floyd Hill sometime before I leave Idaho Springs in May.

When I got back to the Boarding House to spend the evening I received a text from Mary which read that Ebony, Bill's 14 year old black lab, was running free. I texted back that I would run outside to corral her before she ran out into the street. Mary replied that no Ebony passed away at 430pm or so and that she is running free now in doggie heaven. Well...let me tell you I instantly teared up and immediately felt sad for Bill. Bill and his first wife brought Ebony home 14 years ago. Bill's first wife died of cancer years ago and Ebony's death no doubt brought a flood of long ago memories and tears.

I had just walked back into town after hiking back from Dumont and saw Bill driving down Colorado Blvd. I waved at Bill and he waved back but I could tell he wasn't himself. Come to find out Bill had Ebony in the car with him to take her to the vet to put her down. But first, he wanted to ride around with her to tell her goodbye. I had no idea all of this was going on.

Bill and I talked about Ebony's passing away and he recounted a past he experienced with his dead wife and little Ebony. It was true all of these latent feeling he had have now burst through and he's having a difficult time with it all.

What more can be said about that?

The rest of today is for writing my book. I never realized what a daunting task writing a book really is.

Pics show Stanley Rd where I hiked and the Sheriff's log cabin.

Time to go. See ya later.

BR Schoenbein
January 5, 2015- Tuesday