At our home, we have a concrete pad at the back of the house where the garages are. About two months I decided to turn the area into a basketball court with the painted and striped concrete and a college size goal/ backboard. I had this company install the goal and backboard because it really needed to be done right to hold the weight etc. and as we say in the south, it is not ‘just’ a basketball goal but it is the ‘smack daddy’ goal.

In regards to the painted floor area, striping etc., I decided I would do the painting. I researched the dimensions of a court and I got my plan together and loaded up and went to buy the paint, markers, rollers, etc.  and commenced painting the basketball court. I did not anticipate how hard it would be, nor did I anticipate how I would not be able to move for a few days after I got it done. Well, I got it done and after I got my back healed up from bending over for hours, I got out and shot some basketball. The court really turned out well and while it is an amateur job, the average person couldn’t tell the difference.

When I was younger, I played a lot of basketball and was somewhat able to hold my own in a game. I quickly realized that while my mind was still ready, my body wasn’t. I couldn’t do what I used to be able to do. Now my jump shot is basically a flatfooted hop (ha) about 3 inched off the ground. In fact, when I jump, I don’t go high enough for my toes to clear. Ha.

I also realized something else that was important. My old basketball goal would wiggle and wobble and there was a certain angle you had to shoot the ball to get it to drop into the goal. This new set up is like throwing a tennis ball against a concrete wall. There is no wiggle, wobble or forgiveness. You either make the shot or it pings off the backboard like a superball you had as a kid. When I first started shooting on the new goal, I couldn’t hit anything. I tried to hit my favorite little backboard fade jumper shot and I missed it the first 10 times I tried.

So, it is kind of like life, most of the time you can’t do what you used to do the same way, so you need to adapt and or adjust to how things are now. In many cases, you need to learn all over again. So, life like basketball is a learning experience that is rewarded ever now and then by the perfect shot that reminds us of the joy of staying in the game. KT

The other day I was having a conversation with someone regarding our national anthem and the American flag and the recent events surrounding people not willing to stand for the playing of the anthem.

My response was simple. The only person I can speak for is me. We live in a country where we can freely choose what we respect, how we worship and how we live. That is what defines freedom. If I had to give one example of why I believe like I do, it would be the 700 crosses. In a little north Georgia town called Dahlonega, every Memorial Day and 4^th of July, there are 100 volunteers that place 700+/- crosses along the streets around town. On each cross is the name of a soldier that came from Dahlonega and the war he or she died in. The crosses go from WWI, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam and even some of the recent conflicts. Each cross represents a person that never got to live a long life, marry, have children and grow into adulthood. They all gave their life so someone like me can sit down in a free country and write a blog.

So, when I think of patriotism, I think of the 700 soldiers from one little town that paid the ultimate price so we could all live free. Therefore, I always have and I always will choose to stand up, place my hand over my heart and show respect for the country that I love. KT

Wouldn’t it be great to have just one 24 day without political sides, race conversation, resentment, hatred and the press demanding that everyone believe like they do? Just one 24-hour period where we choose to look at the best in others and just be brothers and sisters together. Just one day where look through the Lens of God the way he looks at us.

Many people don’t realize or maybe they just don’t understand that God looks at us all equal and through the lens of love and forgiveness. He doesn’t see race, creed, background, job, school, physical looks, the car you drive or how important we think we are etc. This list could go on for many pages of the things society looks at versus the things he never sees. He simply looks at your heart and wants you to know him. He will forgive your history and speak nothing of your past. In fact, he will let you start over as many times as you need. He is the father that is standing in the field watching and waiting for his child to come home.

What would it be like for the news media to report for 24 hours on what is right instead of what is wrong with America? I for one would love a good story about a mom and dad who are faithful to each other and go about life in an honest simple way and grow old together and celebrate their family well into the later years of life. That is who the heroes should be. People who just do what is right and leave life with their families and friends being better off for having known them. Living a life that can be passed down through generations with joy, honesty and respect. That’s what I’m talking about. KT

I did one of the silliest things I have ever done a couple of days ago, I updated my iPhone before I had to. My philosophy is simple. If it works now, don’t change it. Well, the other day I was trying to upload some ding dong app that I may use twice a month and it wouldn’t let me add the app until I undated to the next 10.3 version. I said “roger that,” and started the update. Dumb.

Well after it updated, nothing except email looked the same. We have 21k contact files in our Outlook and before the update, you could search Outlook and the results were almost instant. Now, I may as well have lost all 21k files because some little engineer somewhere decided that with the update, we no longer needed the contact files. I have called Apple and they have engineers trying to figure out the problem and according to them, I am the only person in the known universe that is experiencing this problem. I went on to tell them that three people in my own office have the same problem. They don’t care and I personally believe they just want you to do the updates so the functions will cease to work and you will be forced to go buy a new Apple 8 iPhone for $999. Somebody tell me I’m wrong…. I didn’t think so.

I envision getting my hands on the little engineer’s neck that came up with this update but I would probably have to go to Indonesia and find some 14-year-old in a hut somewhere. That brings me to another sore spot. Why is it that every time Microsoft, Apple or whoever comes out with a new version that supposedly works better, it never does? In fact, after you update, you need a manual to learn the new format. It would be like getting your car tuned up and as you go to leave, you now must turn left to go right and put the car in reverse to go forward. Ha. Why can’t an improvement or update be simply that, where it looks the same and operates the same but just faster and better.

So, the point is, I gave up a function that I use 40 times a day for a ding dong function I may use twice a month. Not everything in life must be updated because many times, it works better just like it is. Go figure. KT