Sunday,  July 22, 2012 • Vol. 13--No. 008 • 3 of 27 •  Other Editions

All I ever wanted to do was go fishing
Rev. James L. Snyder

• I just celebrated another birthday, which got me to thinking about the "good old days." You can usually tell how old a person is by how many times they refer to the "good old days," or the phrase, "when I was a youngster."
• I have come to the conclusion that getting old is not something to be ashamed of in the least. A person reaches a certain age simply because they have not died yet, which is nothing to make a person feel guilty.
• Although I do not think too much of birthdays, I intend to have as many as possible. Don't get me wrong. I am ready to go when my time is up, but, in the meantime, I am going to enjoy life.
• My recent birthday got me thinking about the "good old days" of my youth. Memory is a funny thing. For the most part, we remember the good of our youth and rarely the bad. I often hear some old geezer say, "I wish I were 16 again." If their memory was serving them correctly, 16 was not a very good year for any of us. I am glad I have gotten beyond my 16th birthday. As I remember it, it was a terrible year.
• I can honestly say that the best years of my life are the ones I am living now.
• Sure, I have some regrets. I have done things I probably should not have done, and I did not do some things I probably should have. If I had to live my life over again not only will I make the same mistakes but also I probably would add to the list quite significantly. I do not want to live my life over again. Once is enough for me, thank you.
• But as I was thinking of those "good old days," I could not help but think what I

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