Skip to main content

Day 65, I Know Why My Dad Smoked a Pipe.

About 8 years ago, I picked up my dad's old pipe and packed it full of some Half and Half pipe tobacco, got a an ole Bic lighter and fired up my first bowl. I was sitting on top of my porch roof in Seminary. It was a cold night, but I didn't care. I had had just about enough stress for the week, and just thought a little nostalgia would ease the moment.

Oddly enough. It did.

Since then, I am the most infrequent smoker known to man. I literally by pipe tobacco and forget where I put when I get home. So, if you think I am an addict or I have a smoking problem, I would gladly dismiss your accusations.

But, I will admit this. I know exactly why my dad would pack a bowl, retreat to the back porch, pet a partially retarded golden retriever, and pensively look off to a lightly traveled dirt road. I never saw him smoke out of nervousness, even though I am sure he did, ...the pipe seemed to be a 7-12 minute pause in life...a time of reflection, gathering of thoughts,...making decisions,...or just enjoying a eurphoric aroma of maybe his good memories of his own dad....who knows.

For me in 2010, I say its probably not a daily habit for me or even a monthly one, but I a pause and reflection sounds pretty stink'n good right now.

Bottomline: There's no real spiritual formulation of smoking, and I probably should make sure people see that I am not encouraging it. I guess by in large, I am encouraging a good moment in the course of chaos to stop, take a deep breath, clear your head. Then in about 7-12 minutes, see how much better you feel.

**
Labels:

Comments

  1. Tim WixonFebruary 18, 2010 at 8:57 PM

    John
    You know how much I enjoy a good bowl of pipe tobacco myself. Reflection is always good no matter how you look at it. I am ashamed to say that some of my reflections are not that good. It seems to be a constant struggle in how to act or better yet react to the days activities. I struggle with that often. Like I have said before. We are being watched to see how we react to different situations. It is like being under the microscope a little bit but I would not trade my reflections or Christianity for anything. A little breather is always good.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AndrewFebruary 20, 2010 at 10:13 AM

    John,
    You may not be advocating smoking a pipe but you most definately peeked my curiousity to try it once.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Donnell CravenFebruary 21, 2010 at 10:41 PM

    Wow, brother...I you brought back many a memory. I catch the scent of Dad's pipe very once in a while and it does ease the moment. Thank you so much for this and I will have to learn to take a moment and stop and smell the roses too.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 68, A Landmark Day.

About 365 days ago, I was sitting at FOB Falcon in Baghdad, Iraq working of filling out one of the first forms in our adoption. I remember walking to the Chow hall talking to some guys trying to explain that Jessica and I had finally made the first real decision and now it was going to be a long haul before we see some major results. Not to get your hopes up, we did not get a child just yet, but we are definitely at a point in the adoption that needs some celebration. At 0800 this morning, our profile is officially posted at our Adoption Agency Web site, which is where mothers can view our family profile. This sets into motion a major thing for us. For right now, this very hour, we could be receiving a phone call that would revolutionize our family. Within a short period of time today to about 4 months (estimate) we should be matched and possibly flying back to the states to hold the new Craven. How cool is that? Celebrate with us. Also join us in beginning to pray for Jessic
5 comments
Read more

Day 82, Mondays: LOL.

There are a few things that make me laugh out loud. A couple of TV shows, Heidi's antics, Jessica's story-telling...etc. But there is nothing better than having one of those belly laughing moments when you are really needing to just laugh. Laughing is a lot like crying, everyone needs a good one every now and then. So, in light of this thought, I will dedicate my MONDAY EDITIONS to LOL. Things that make me laugh. It might be a joke or two or just a goofy YouTube video, but either way, enjoy. ***************** Things That Make Me LOL. THIS WEEK: Charlie the Unicorn While we have been in the field training, I have had the strong desire to be serious about my work. Going to ranges and seeing soldiers takes up a majority of my time. Later in the evenings, as I have mentioned earlier I space out for just a few minutes and watch a couple of goofy YouTube videos between the meetings.  I stumbled across this, which is quite senseless and stupid...but after 30 days w/o your w
4 comments
Read more

Day 69, Blog Wars of 2010, Craven vs. Craven.

I have had a great number of entries to the blogger thus far and feel that I am getting a little more adventurous in my writing. I have just about set a precedence of daily, leisurely, and thoughtful blogs. A good bit of daily hits... Yet, as most of you know, Jessica has just entered the same arena. I showed her around and then just like Wesley stealing the show from Whitfield, Jessica has decided to strategically steal the lime light. Here's what I have seen in her demise to destroy my empire: I noticed her pulling out blogger maps of recent bloggers. She is constantly trying to foil my writing by bringing me desserts just as I started writing. I also notice her constantly trying to 'be nice' to me when I settled down with a pen and paper to plot my course. The other day I knew something was odd, when she said 'Do you want to play your video games tonight?'...that's just not normal.  After helping her out with the backdrop and HMTL, I figured we had an allia
5 comments
Read more