The Pool . . .

I meet the most interesting folks in the pool. I am unable to use my own unheated pool during the cooler months so I use the large, heated community pool . . . 75’ x 75’, in Rockport. When we are at the Burnet house, I go to the YMCA which has two large indoor, heated pools. There are a few lanes reserved for lap swimmers, but much of the pool is left open for water walkers and those just doing general work-outs such as Yoga and aerobics. I like the water walking. I usually walk within a group and use water weights. Sometimes there are only a couple of us but other times there are several . . . today, there was about 40 of us.

This time of the year there are folks here from all over the country. As I parked my car, I spotted a very large man and his wife getting out of their pickup truck. As we walked together from the parking lot to the pool, we got acquainted a bit. His name is Steve and her name is Cindy and they are from Minnesota. Steve, while a nice, friendly fellow is truly a giant. As we worked out, he told me that he was 7’ tall . . . I estimated his weight to be about 425! He wasn’t really a fat guy, he was just very large. As I watched him move, I could see that the load had taken a toll and slowed him down . . . his movement was both guarded and measured. He was not the largest fellow I have ever been around . . . but he is certainly the largest in many years.

I was reminded that when I was a high school kid, the Church I attended in El Paso brought in a fellow to meet with our large youth group. He was billed as the Christian Giant . . . and he was truly a giant . . . 7’8” and 465 lbs. He actually played in a number of monster movies in those years along with traveling the country visiting Churches and sharing his testimony. As I shook hands with my new friend Steve, I was reminded of that morning 50 years ago when several of us big strong football players went up to hang out with the Christian Giant. I remember him reaching out that huge hand . . . actually larger than a baseball glove. When I shook hands with him, I felt like an infant must feel when he places his little hand in an adult’s hand.

The Lord makes folks in all shape, sizes, and colors.

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