I have been very blessed by the Good Lord, and my family, to be able to pursue my passions for fishing, hunting and outdoor sports, as a career for many years now, and to be able to help people enjoy God’s great outdoors. In addition to being one of Southern Illinois’ only full-time fishing guides, working its magnificent waters, I also get to travel to dozens of other incredible destinations throughout the world, doing television and magazine work at the locations where my business offers guided trips and fishing vacations. And, I am glad to be able to share my experiences with my readers, customers and fans.

Hi,
Our Altar Society of St. Andrew's held its Mother-Daughter meeting last Tuesday.
Paulette Sparling, president, welcomed all of us and we enjoyed a pot-luck dinner, followed by an intersting game.

Question: Is the glass half full or half empty?
The answer to that question will depend largely on a person's attitude -- optimist or pessimist.
I am an optimist, though, as a churchgoing man, I prefer to call it faith.
It amazes me the number of pessimists in the world, especially in Southern Illinois. I meet people almost daily who are so worried about their "half empty glass" they begin to have physical problems.
Some of their worries even border the ridiculous.

Hi,
Mother's Day is just around the corner, and I want to wish all you mothers out there a very happy Mother's Day.
My beloved mother has been gone for several years, and I have a lot of special and happy memories of my days with her. She and my dad raised 10 children (3 boys, 7 girls), all born and raised in Murphysboro. We were a happy bunch, and we always spent the holidays together, even after we were married and had families of our own.

"Patience is a virtue," I have responded flippantly to those who dared question my arrival, finish, completion time for any project or event I was involved in.
For years I have been a chronically tardy person, and have been the underlying cause of slow starts in our family more often than not. I've made people wait all over Southern Illinois, and several states besides. I have repented, tried to change, set my clocks an hour ahead, my calendars a week ahead, and have had good friends lie about the start time of their planned events by more than an hour, in order to see me arrive on time. Nothing has seemed to help.

As a physician, I frequently have the task of delivering news to people.  Sometimes the news elicits a positive reaction: “It’s a boy!”  “Wooo-hooo!”  Sometimes the news elicits a blasé reaction: “Your cholesterol is good.”  “Alright.”  Sometimes the news elicits a negative reaction: “You’ve had a heart attack.”  “Oh no!”  Nothing, though, elicits a resigned, I-just-knew-it response quite like when I deliver a diagnosis on knee pain: “You have arthritis.” “Awwwwwww…  Crap.”

You never know what your kids are dealing with.
I kept my P.E. clothes in a gym bag with the school logo on it.
Why didn’t I just throw them in my locker?
Because I was afraid to go to my locker.
Why was I afraid to go to my locker?
Because I was a skinny freshman in a P.E. class with grown men.

Hi,
My daughter Linda visited me over the weekend and I enjoyed having her.
All my kids were born and raised here, and they all graduated from St. Andrew's Grade School and Murphysboro Township High School. Linda worked here at Human Services for years, and now she works in Frankfort, Ky. Her family moved to Shelbyville, Ky., several years ago.

Do you have any pet peeves?
I do, but not many. At least, I don't think there are many.
At the top of my list is people who leave their shopping carts at the check out line. You know the person.

Oh my goodness, I am falling in love. He is dark and handsome. Big brown eyes, and a farmers tan already in April! He follows me around like a puppy dog, hangs on every word I say, and I believe he simply adores me!

Most people I know and meet in my day-to-day routine follow the rule of “no politics, no religion” in casual conversation.  That rule, however, seems not to apply to the discussion on the recently-passed healthcare bill.  Casual acquaintances, close friends, and strangers alike have all asked about my opinion on the bill.  Healthcare dominated the news for much of 2009 and early 2010.

It's Friday and I am sitting down to write my column, wishing I was outside enjoying the beautiful weather we have today.
This typical Southern Illinois spring weather is a welcome sight after a wet, gloomy and doomy winter. Normally, Southern Illinois winters really don't have much impact on me, but this past winter did.

Last Monday was a great day. It was also a horrible day.
How can that be? You ask.
Well, the Major League Baseball season kicked into high gear on Monday.

Have you ever heard the saying, "If your gonna be a bear, be a grizzly?"
I always took it to mean if your gonna do it, do it big and do it right! And, have you ever heard the song that says "Just what makes that little ant think he can move that rubber tree plant?" I have those two sayings running through my head today as I set my goals for the upcoming summer.

Hi, I hope you all had a wonderful Easter. We celebrated ours on Saturday, and it was also a welcome home party for by great grandson Jayson Stevens, who got to come home for a few days from the Marine Corps. Jayson was recently promoted to Lance Corporal. Way to go Lance Corporal Stevens!