Time spent with good friends is time well spent

​            My cell phone rang and woke me from my slumber on Friday morning a week ago.
        I had taken off work at my day job to get some things done and was sleeping later than usual. 
        It was John Dodds of rural Montezuma on the line.
       He called to see if I might be interested in joining him for lunch at Culvers in Pella. The timing couldn’t have been better, so I agreed to join him.
       I had written a story on John last spring about his hobby of making wallets from old baseball gloves. In fact, I bought a wallet from him made from a George Brett glove. George played for years with the Kansas City Royals and I had the chance to see him play a few times back in the day.
       John appreciated the story I did on him and promised to take me to lunch.
      I’ve known John from when I was working full-time in the news business. At the time, he was serving as the minister of Grace United Methodist Church in Brooklyn.
     He came to Brooklyn in 2005 and after a few years, moved to a church in Carlisle before retiring from the pulpit and getting remarried and moving to a farm south of Montezuma.
      John, who is several years older than me, grew up in southern Indiana and was a big New York Yankees and Micky Mantle fan back in the day.
     “I liked him (Mantle) because he had a cool name,” said John in an earlier interview. “A lot of kids back then were Yankees fans. It was a time when baseball was truly an American pastime.”
     As a youngster, he had aspirations to play baseball in the big leagues, but after playing the game for three years in high school and running cross country for two years, he opted instead to become a teacher. While attending community college to study elementary education, John become acquainted with a young man who shared his faith with him.
      “He invited me to a revival service where I asked Jesus into my heart,” recalled John.
    After much prayer, John ended up switching gears and enrolled in Nazarene College in Kankakee, Ill., where he earned his bachelors in religion. He went on to attend Nazarene Seminary in Kansas City where he preached at a church in Missouri on Sundays while taking classes during the week.
     After becoming an ordained minister, he spent time in the pulpit at churches in Arkansas, Illinois, Oklahoma and Iowa before retiring.
      One of those stops included a few years ministering in Oklahoma City, Okla. It was there that he spent two years as chaplain with the Oklahoma City 89s baseball team. The 89s were a AAA farm team for the Texas Rangers organization.
      “I didn’t get a chance to play baseball professionally, but I did get a chance to minister to some major league baseball players,” recalled John in an earlier interview. “I sure enjoyed that.”
Since I grew up in Tulsa, John and I seem to have a Oklahoma to Iowa connection of some sorts and we have visited often through the years.
      I always enjoy a trip to Culvers for lunch, supper or anytime and spending it with my friend made for a great and relaxing day. We enjoyed visiting about life and our love of God while enjoying a double cheeseburger with the works. It was a wonderful day.
      When I interviewed John last spring, he said one thing that I will always remember.
      “People will forget everything about you, except how you made them feel,” he said.
      There’s a lot of truth in that statement and one I have taken to heart.
      I’ve enjoyed making friends with many folks, both young and old, during my nearly 27 years in Iowa and most importantly, meeting my wife, Debbie, in this fine state. I’m so blessed and so thankful for all of life’s experiences and all the people who have crossed my path. 
     I’m thankful for all the people who have allowed me to share their stories. My favorite part about being a community journalist is finding and telling people’s stories.
       I’m looking forward to sharing more stories in the coming years, months, weeks and days.
       Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day.