Home is such a wonderful place especially after being severely stressed! Kathy and I have talked frequently over the past two days, but I was so glad to come home and be able to hug her again. We are so fortunate to have two wonderful Havanese dogs, Sir Hamilton and Max, who could not have been more pleased to see me come home.

1. Retirement is really nice! Sleep as long as you like, play with the dogs, eat breakfast, casually check e-mail and the news, and plan whatever you want to do!
2. I am so thankful for so many wonderful friends who read my Facebook and website posts and gave me so much encouragement. Walking down Skycap Mountain two days ago felt like a walk of shame. I am so thankful for my encouraging friends at McGregor Baptist Church, Rotary, Shell Point, Gideons, and many other old friends.
3. During my service as a US Army flight surgeon, I had to assist in caring for aviators and investigating crashes occasionally. One of our major goals was to get aviators who has recently crashed back into the air when physically able so they could be encouraged and continue to serve as an aviator. For me, I believe pursuing a challenging but more reasonable goal of hiking the 1,400 mile Florida Trail is the way to get me back “into the air”!
4. The human body is amazing and could not have been created by anyone except a sovereign God who has unbelievable and unconditional love for His creations. I saw some amazing people on this trip including my partner, Marion Hoffman. At Shaw’s Hostel in Monson, I met a man in his early 70s who was diabetic, had received stents and two coronary artery bypass procedures, had four hip replacements, and still finished an AT thru-hike. Everyone should pursue their dreams!
5. Christians need to take advantage of every opportunity to share the Gospel with those who do not know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. I saw so many people on the AT who clearly did not know Jesus. I cannot imagine living in this world without having the comfort and peace of a personal relationship with Jesus. Knowing that I will spend eternity with Jesus in Heaven after leaving this world is icing on the cake!