Yeah, yeah, I know. It’s been a while. For those that aren’t familiar with my writings, I’ve been on quite a long hiatus from this blog. Roughly two years. I stopped writing soon after the purchase of the bow shop (see “I Went In For Arrows, I Came Out With An Archery Shop). The reason being that my girls are getting to an age that they wonderfully occupy much of my free time. And that archery inventory just doesn’t sell itself. I’ve been busy. But there was a very important part of the story that I haven’t had a chance to tell yet. The sale of this shop came on January 11 0f 2013. I remember it well. Prior to this date, things seemed just OK in my life. My job was moving along. I thanked God every day for it. My wife and kids were doing well. Christmas season had wound down and my seasonal affective disorder was winding up. Things were just “as usual”. I felt I needed a change.
I am a news and information aficionado. Not a junkie, but maybe close. OK, maybe I am. I listened to news radio a good portion of the day as I worked. But at that time, none of the news seemed to be very uplifting. And that may have added to my funk. On occasion I would tear myself away from news and turn the radio dial to other stations, mostly country music. Sometimes I stopped on K-Love, the Christian radio station. As of the first of the year, they promoted their “30 Day Challenge”. The concept was to listen to nothing but Christian radio for 30 days and see how your life changes for the better. I felt a strong calling to participate in this challenge. But that would mean no news. No way. But that nudging got the best of me and I committed to it…on January 11, 2013. It was that day I found the Craigslist ad for the archery shop. My bow-and-arrow blessings didn’t stop. It happened again. A couple of weeks later another local shop owner decided to call it quits and retire. He posted an ad for archery items for sale due t shop closing. I called and set up an appointment. His name was Dennis and we ended up sitting and talking for a couple of hours. It was really neat to hear his story. In the end, yes, I made a deal with him to buy the whole place out…at a bargain of a price. A voice in my head kept saying, “See what good things can happen when you trust in Me”.
So in the last two years I have been trying to decide how to make best use of the blessings. Since then I have sold enough items to pay off the investment almost three times over. Sales came at a time when bills needed to be paid. They financed two Concept Archery group hunting trips. I have not figured out if I want to open my own shop, but there is an entire full-service bow repair outfit in my basement now. I keep praying and listening. I am excited to find out what is next.
Thanks for reading, I enjoy writing this blog which is why I’m back on the horse. I have quite a few stories backed up. Stay tuned. For those new to my site, welcome! I hope you enjoy it.
Blazing My Own Trails 