If fire arrows rained down, thick as a locust plague, this man would yet stand there, feet firmly planted, shades dark as obsidian, thumbs up and stick out his tongue to taste the heat. If ocean waves capsized the boat, this man would walk on water to carry his captain and mate to safe harbor. Doubt not what a man may do who believes in himself and his duty to those he loves. We are blessed to have such a brother in our midst. It is only a matter of time before he works a miracle before our eyes. That last Wine Country Open Competition came close.
When I was in the Navy, in boot camp, I was recruited into the Chorus Company. We mostly marched around singing "What Do You Do with a Drunken Sailor," and stuff like that while the rest of the recruits were doing jumping jacks or push ups. But on Sundays we also sang the Navy Hymn (Eternal Father, Strong to Save).
Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm doth bond the restless wave,
Who bids the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
O hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea.
And always, every single time when we sang that last line, I was moved. I still am. When I know Wolfie is out there off the coast somewhere, working. I think about that song, and say a silent prayer. I am not a religious person, but whatever good it does, I say that prayer.
Be safe my brother.
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"Think where man's glory most begins and ends and say my glory was that I had such friends."
― William Butler Yeats
― William Butler Yeats
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