GRANDPA SHOT A BEAR

Grandpa in Jennings, Montana 1904

It's all the fault of my paternal grandmother that I'm an indoor sort of person.  She preferred attending movies, Canasta parties, and club meetings over hiking or camping in the great outdoors.  I believe that my mom, dad, and younger brothers enjoyed camping, through all the states in the Union. (They stayed in a hotel in Hawaii though.) My youngest brother missed out on camping in Alaska because that was before his time.  As for my older brother and sister -- I don't recall them relishing a good hike.  My sister did enjoy swimming though.  

So when my son and daughter-in-law traveled to Orwell, New York and looked into the genealogy on that side of the family they discovered that my grandfather shot a bear and sent his mother a bear rug for Christmas.

Apparently he was quite an outdoorsman.  He was also a wonderful gardener.  I didn't inherit that ability or interest at all.

I was glad to read this article which tells us that outdoors is good for the brain.

Another thing that is good for the brain is meditating on our Creator.  Isaiah 26: 3 says:

You keep him in perfect peace

    whose mind is stayed on you,

    because he trusts in you.

If we keep our eyes on God through prayer, Bible study, Christian fellowship, and not looking at the circumstances, we will have considerably more peace.