3rd Party Agent

 

3rd Party Agent
Friday, July 31, 2026 by Brave Knight Writers

 

 https://braveknightwriters.com/blog/1089-A-Dynamic-Creation

These Brave Knight Writers are on a three month sojourn into the northern wilds. Our friends and relatives comment on how amazing it is that we planned such a trip. A trip of a lifetime.

We see it as living our lives with little adjustment in our approach. The trip unfolds one day at a time, one hour at a time, and one minute at a time. It’s the same as any other time, the only difference is location, and the familiarity with people or logistics.

Life is always an adventure with obstacles to overcome. Many rely on third-party agents to plan out-of-the-ordinary excursions,  but we believe part of the fun and the most memorable events happen unplanned.

We rely on our own peace and calm when things go wrong, and prayer. Our third-party Agent is God. When things go wrong—and they will—He is the one we call upon to seek answers. We knew going into this adventure unexpected challenges would unfold, and they have.

So, where are we? We write to you from a log cabin on a dirt road twenty miles outside Fairbanks, Alaska. I am writing this a little early since our next ten days will be in remote locations without Wi-Fi or phone.

Mount McKinley, Denali is our next stop, three days in a dry cabin accessible by hiking or four-wheel drive. Our host has graciously offered to provide us with transport in and out. We look forward to the challenges of those days, and to be immersed in creation without the amenities of modern life. Stripped of common comforts is the way to get in touch with one’s true self, away from the noise of man’s creation.

After Denali we will spend a week in a cabin at Moose Pass, on the Seward Peninsula. At this point I am only in anticipation of what lies ahead (and we’ll still be adventuring this time next month) but I will share with you what we have already encountered.

We take responsibility for the things gone wrong, since it came from our lack of due diligence in planning or having misplaced our faith in our fellow man. In the end, nothing is gained by placing blame or expecting others to right things. Our approach is to accept responsibility, weigh our options, and define a new path—placing our faith in God’s guidance. Never get upset or panic, even in life and death situations, this only adds fuel to the fire.

A fine example is our experience in Banff, we went to our scheduled hotel only to find out we didn’t have a reservation. To put this into perspective, summer reservations in Banff are made months in advance, even up to a year, and the prices are quite outrageous. No one should expect to find an available room on the fly. When the clerk informed us of our situation we didn’t panic. The clerk offered us a different accommodation at triple the original price, we turned the offer down. Placing our faith in a third-party booking company resulted in the error, but we had not been diligent in documenting a confirmation. We also had issues with accessing our email prior to our arrival. So we settled in the lobby with our laptop, said a prayer, did a search,  and to our amazement found accommodations at a better resort which even provided indoor parking. Our new location was within walking distance to restaurants and shopping.

Our adventure involves bicycling, we had identified bicycle trails all along our route with plans to ride most days. Unfortunately in Glacier National Park one of the bikes became damaged, a bent derailleur caused shifting problems and chain jumps.

In Calgary as we rode a city trail we asked a woman if she knew of a bicycle shop, she told us to try Bowness Cycles, she said they are world famous. We pedaled city streets to reach the shop, it is the largest bicycle shop I have ever been in. We walked in the door where a young fellow stood at bicycle workstation and asked if he could help us. Without hesitation he stepped outside to examine our bike, took it inside and fixed it. He also identified a loose front axle and tightened it, he said there was no charge for the services. We thanked him but felt guilty, we should have tipped him or at least offered. We did spend money on bike gloves while there. We returned to the shop after we got back to our car and gave him copies of two of our books along with a financial gift. Blessings should always be shared.

We spent a couple of days in Calgary and Edmonton, we even ventured into the West Edmonton Mall which proved to be an over-the-top indulgence experience in what must be the world’s largest indoor shopping space complete with a wave pool, ice skating, and other amusement rides.

In contrast, our journey soon found us on the Alaskan “highway” which drops from four lane to two with unpaved gravel patches, blinding dust, potholes, broken asphalt, and rolling dips. All these combined to loosen the front axle of one of our bikes secured in the rack behind our vehicle. At some point the axle fell out, detaching the front wheel from the bike. The front wheel happens to be one of the major points of securement to the rack. As a result, we could have very easily lost the bike since it rested on the outer fringe of the rack. In foresight, I had used additional bindings on the bikes, not expecting any specific issue like a lost axle, but just as a general what-if. The lost axle left us unable to ride in several areas we passed through. In Fairbanks we located a bike shop, Bankstown Bikes who just happened to have one used axle (another prayer answered).

It’s an adventure, no different than a daily routine, if you expand your comfort zone and view challenges as something to overcome with guidance and strength provided by God.

Soon we will be in the backcountry of Denali. What is in store for us? We’ll be traveling light, bare essentials, but for sure we are packing prayers and will be in contact with our Agent.  braveknightwriters.com 

A Dynamic Creation

 

A Dynamic Creation
Tuesday, September 1, 2026 by Brave Knight Writers

At first we thought it might be a hoax or a scam. I listened to the message several times and tried to jot things down on a paper towel. The speaker rattled off their facts in rapid-fire, which didn’t seem like a legitimate, professional tactic. I decided to look up the Juneau police number online and avoid using the messaged number in case it was a scam trap. The officer who answered informed me they were indeed investigating the theft of a rental car.

When I rented the car, nine days earlier, in Juneau—for one day— the rental agent said we could leave it in the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry terminal parking lot, 14 miles outside Juneau. She said since the ferry was leaving at 0515 it would be impossible for us to turn it in at their office in Juneau. We did as instructed, leaving the key in the console, but the car rental agent failed to note the plan on our paperwork. As a result the car was reported to the police as a possible theft.  There’s nowhere to take a car from Juneau unless you take it onto the car ferry. Even the road out of Skagway was closed due to a landslide. So the plan seemed reasonable.

I was able to clear things up with my phone call but realized I was for several days an international auto theft fugitive! We wonder, did the agent ever admit to her mistake? We have the agent’s name, as we like to engage people in conversation as we travel. We’ve met some interesting locals. We’ll protect the agent’s name, for now!

Attacks on creation continue. It’s the way of the world. Entropy and change are constant factors in all of creation. Nothing is meant to be static. We’ve witnessed the glory of God’s creation in its myriad of forms. We visited the Ancient Forest in British Columbia. The cedar trees, measuring up to 16 feet across, are at least a thousand, and possibly 2000 years old. But they have been changing all this time, growing, harboring small animals, and sometimes toppling over.

We’ve marveled at the devastation caused by the spruce beetle.  It’s a spruce apocalypse. Entire hillsides dead, and it goes on for hundreds of miles. In Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada we witnessed the starkness left by extensive forest fires.  We’re told not many animals died in that fire because they had already left the area, as the undergrowth couldn’t sustain them, and the spruce beetles had already killed the forest, so the fire rapidly consumed the trees.

The reclamation by nature is well under way, after only two years. The animals are returning, as now there is food for forage. God’s plan is always for restoration and salvation. God wins as the forest recovers.

We’ve endured smoke and haze from forest fires burning all over the north and west of the continent. It’s nature’s way. Some evergreen seed pods can only open once they’ve been burned.

We visited Mount St. Helen’s. At the time of its eruption, locals in the area could not conceive of the power behind the mountain. The six hundred degree heat travelled in a massive cloud at the speed of a fighter jet, vaporizing humans, animals, and trees as it went. An eerie sense of devastation hangs over the area, 45 years after the event. Nature is reclaiming some areas of the forest. It takes time.

We’ve witnessed the retreat of glaciers. We’ve listened to the laments about this. Isn’t it nature’s way? Wasn’t the entire northern U.S. and Canada covered by ice sheets a mile thick at one point? We can’t change the climate or the shifting and morphing of the interrelated aspects of nature. Yes, it’s a tragedy when lives are upended and lost due to the forces of nature. Nature, and it’s power, defies our comprehension.

We mourn the loss of so many lives in Tibet and China due to flash flooding. Our earth is constantly evolving, and sometimes humans are in the path of destruction forged by nature. The world is now reading the stories of heroics and survival in the midst of chaos.

We’ve met so many kind and interesting people. Some are on vacation, like we are. Some are just living their lives, making it an adventure. One in particular makes the lives of those around her easier, in her daily walk. She takes special treats to a shut-in’s doggie. She dishes up soup for travelers weary of restaurant food (us!). She takes an acquaintence with mobility issues on a jaunt to a hot springs. She serves at the local senior center, a senior herself. Refreshing to meet those who are willing to share their time and efforts to make their own little corner of the world better. One of our stops near Juneau was at a shrine for St. Therese, who died very young, but not before making her mark on the world—simply through kindness in everyday ventures. 

We have witnessed so many miracles of nature while on our trip of a lifetime. While on a fly- in fishing trip to a remote lake, we watched Mama grizzly bears in the Alaskan wilderness followed by two or three cubs each. They gorge on the salmon filling the creeks, and even swam around our small fishing boat. Our guide spoke with confidence that we had nothing to fear. He pointed out Eagles overhead, proudly surveying their territory. On a whale watch adventure, whales lingered to feed on the richness of the marine life in the frigid waters near Juneau. We saw whales breach but were to slow to photograph them, the thrill captured only in our memories. The site of a massive whale conjures the true glory of what God is capable of creating. These beasts migrate to Hawaii to have their babies, then return, babies in tow, to continue the circle of life.

We are continuing our trek through life, enjoying the Oregon Coast and the California Redwoods. To God be the Glory, for all He has done.

braveknightwriters.com

Divine Interactions

 

Divine Interactions
Thursday, October 1, 2026 by Brave Knight Writers

We’ve been blessed to enjoy God’s creation in a  trip of a lifetime these past months. We immersed ourselves in astounding, vast, varied, overwhelming vistas with sweeping mountain ranges, endless valleys, streams, waterfalls, and glaciers. We observed  wildlife from an almost safe distance—bears, whales, moose, Dall sheep, mountain goats, eagles, and salmon.

C.S. Lewis wrote about writers needing to wander in and wonder at God’s creation, to be in touch with the creative powers of the universe. We are blessed to wonder at the human creation as we wandered around North America. From couples to singles, to football, soccer, and cross-country teams, we are encouraged by the burning fire of goodwill and a ‘be best’ attitude.

Keira manages the Homewood Suites in Lansing, Michigan where we made our first stop. She goes above and beyond to engage guests in conversation and encourage their daily walk. She left in a cloud of euphoria, singing her way to church, significant other by her side.

Susi and Clint befriended us in a Walmart parking lot near Marquette Michigan. We chatted for well over an hour and gifted them a book. Fun to talk with, they put us in high spirits for starting our trek. Following our adventures on google maps, Susi emailed us several times, reflecting about the U.S. and Canada’s geography, as she hails from Great Britain.

We made note of so many positive interactions. But not all. Disclaimer—we forgot to jot down the names of some we met, much to our regret or worse yet—forgot to ask during an exciting exchange. For instance, we went to enjoy the sunset along Michigan’s Presque Isle, and parked next to a couple sitting with their dog and a bottle of wine, on lawn chairs in the bed of their truck. We enjoyed a peaceful hour with the nameless couple, watching ducks forage along the shore, and paddleboarders exploring in the light of the sinking sun.

On we went, across the great plains, toward Glacier National Park, where we met Tommy, and later his wife Danielle. Their adventure included a long train trip to get there, and they set off on a multi-night guided trek into the wilderness. Quite an adventure they planned, and we hope to hear about it via email.

We explored Calgary by bicycle, and one bike had a dragging brake, which can be a real drag. A couple of fellow bicyclers pointed us toward Bowness Bo’s Bicycle shop, where it was immediately taken in and fixed for free. We bought a pair of bike gloves in compensation and later dropped off a book.

As we moved on to Whitehorse, in the Yukon Territory, we were shocked at how crowded the restaurants were in this remote corner of the world. We offered a spot at our outdoor table to Tony and Jan, on an excursion from a cruise, and spent a pleasant couple of hours with our new dinner partners.

Everyone is happy at The Village Bakery in Haines Junction, Alaska. Hundreds of miles from anywhere, the last thing you expect is a line, but this bakery has the best food and coffee you can imagine. As we traveled, hundreds of miles from Haines Junction, people would ask, “Have you stopped at the bakery in Haines Junction?” The workers are mostly young foreigners, on 3 to 4 month working trips. Each one is more pleasant and helpful than the last.

A highlight of our trip was visiting Jessica and Patrick at Fort Wainwright near Fairbanks, Alaska. A former student, Jessica has found her niche there as an Army wife. Patrick serves his country proudly, in spite of injuries received on duty. They are a joy to be around, in their youthful enthusiasm for all good things, especially God’s fur and feather creations. They live in a beautiful neighborhood on the Base, full of like-minded young families. We joined them at the Baptist church, and soon were surrounded by many friendly and welcoming church attendees. The pastor’s message was timely, and would be in any time, about letting go and letting God be the guide.

The Alcan highway was rough on the bicycles mounted in racks on the back of our car, so first order of business in Fairbanks was to find a bicycle repair shop. The bumps loosened the front axle on one of the bikes and it fell out, fortunately the front tire remained secure. Lo and behold, the bike shop we found in had one spare used axle that fit, and at $10 was a steal. The shop workers happily assisted us the minute we walked in, and the best coffee and bagel shop happened to be next door, so we celebrated our blessings there. We enjoyed Fairbanks’ botanical gardens, Pioneer Village, Museum of the North, and the bike trails around the University of Alaska.

Jack and Sandy chatted with us on the 43 mile bus ride into the heart of Denali. Their words took our minds off the grueling return by bicycle we planned. As the friendly bus driver, Barr Bea helped to unload our bikes from the front of the bus, she warned us about the large grizzly nearby. Makes peddling fast easier. We wanted to tip Barr but lacked the resources at the time. She’s not a government employee and as a contractor was allowed to receive gratuities. The next day we made the effort to locate her and give her a book plus monetary compensation for being such a joyful addition to our adventure.

Leaving Denali, we stopped to take a selfie with the entrance sign. Tom and Barb from Sacramento offered to take the photo for us. We talked for well over an hour. They recommended Talon Air on the Kenai Peninsula for a fly-in to salmon fish, observe bears, and fly low over a glacier. After three days of gazing at the clear majesty of Denali, this is about the time we realized every encounter with nature and people was glorious. Their recommendation to call Talon Air fit perfectly with our reservation to stay in Moose Pass on the Kenai Peninsula.

At Talon Air, we were greeted by helpful staff and escorted to a sea plane. The pilot jumped in and simply yelled, “did you figure out the seat belts?” We flew across Cook Inlet to a lake only accessible by plane or boat. Our capable guide Morgan assisted us into a fishing boat and away we went to a stream emptying into the lake. Salmon were gathering to continue their journey to their birthplace. Our boat mate Linda caught a salmon within 30 seconds, but then our luck slowed, so we moved away a bit. We found a sweet spot and caught all we wanted, in short order. We visited a waterfall for photo opportunities and finally returned to the salmon stream. Eureka! We witnessed many mother grizzlies and their twins and triplets of various ages vying for the best fishing spot. The offspring follow their mother’s signals closely. They all were enjoying the salmon feast, and the moms spent quite a bit of time swimming leisurely. Morgan said it was the most bears he had seen at once, in his 17 years of guiding fishing trips. He and his wife are educators in the lower 48, and this is their summer employment. Their 16 year old young cub was also working for Talon Air.

In Haines we met Anita, who tried to out-nice us. She succeeded. We only stayed with her one night in her home, due to scheduling conflicts while we tried to take in Haines, Skagway, and Juneau. In that time, she offered (and we much enjoyed) homemade mushroom vegetable soup, our favorite! She drove us to the ferry port to drop our car, and then to our other lodging. She even checked on our car, while we were away for several days. She offered to take out salmon for our lunch. She met us at the senior center and we enjoyed lunch with her and her friends. She sent us away with dried snow mushrooms, which we turned into a delicious soup promptly on arrival home. We hope she visits us in the future.

We enjoyed a friendly chat with  Jim and Cathy from California, at a restaurant in Juneau. They were from one of the many huge cruise ships docked nearby. They emailed with us the remainder of our trip and even offered for us to stop by their home for lunch once we were all back in the lower 48.

So many wonderful encounters will need to be saved for future blogposts, as the blessings flowed daily. A few impactful interactions can’t wait, though.

Near Arcata, California we visited the Avenue of Giants. The tallest trees in the world, our human brains can’t quite take it in. The massive girth and height of these ancient trees, and their ability to stand through all sorts of disasters defies expectations.

The football team from Reedley College also is a gathering of giants—in size, but also in faith, attitude, and personality.

We left the one horrible experience of our entire trip, a really bad night’s stay in a bad hotel. We departed without expressing our feelings or grumbling, we chose to move on, praying better things lay ahead. Spotting a 24-hour breakfast restaurant, we hoped to revive our spirits there. What we stumbled onto defied all expectations. As we pulled up we noticed a tour bus parked outside and wondered if it had unloaded yet. We walked in to check the place out and were greeted by very cheerful waitresses who told us it may be a while for service. We’re fine with that, as long as coffee is available. Delivering the coffee, the staff clued us in on the circumstances. The waitresses mentioned many local regulars had left to seek other places to eat. They were surprised when we said these were the kinds of opportunities we sought. The numerous giant-sized young men we noticed milling around had been there for 16 hours. One of their busses broke down out on the highway, so they were loaded onto one bus and brought to Toni’s. They had to sleep on the floor or on the tables. One of the bus drivers deserted them. They stood in long lines to use the toilet. They were still hours from home, on a holiday weekend. No word of a rescue anytime soon.

To a man, these young athletes were polite and personable, even cheerful. They tossed a football, and allowed a local youngster to join them. They joshed with each other and the customers. They engaged in real conversations, with good eye contact. Our faith in the future of our country instantly recharged, we gave several copies of our Devotions for Brave Knights to the first one we encountered with a huge cross on his chest. He wasn’t the only one sporting his love of Jesus. We overheard a conversation another young man was having with a customer who remarked on their positivity. The young man stated, “God’s got this.” We noticed another with a hoodie proclaiming Psalm 32:1 (look it up). Aren’t we all? At least now they’d have something to read while awaiting their rescue. Reedley College has reason to be proud.

The waitresses managed to stay in good humor, even with the taxing circumstances. A motorcycle group almost missed their scheduled departure for an event, because of the crowd. They didn’t whine or complain, they simply waited until the last possible moment, gulped their breakfast, and took off with friendly waves to the young men spilling into the parking lot.

While gassing up at a Love’s in Wasmutta, Wyoming, one of us suffered a bad fall. Instantly, many attending angels descended to help. The one named Wilma disappeared immediately after. Because of the traumatic experience involving chasing an ambulance 40 miles down the interstate, I forgot the name of the helpful manager, and of a prayer warrior from the southern US who stepped out of a nearby car. If either of you see this and email me, I’ll add your names in! (See Hebrews 1:14 and 13:2)

As we left Denver, we encountered the USAF Academy’s women’s soccer team, who had just suffered a defeat. They were studying for upcoming tests in a meeting room of the hotel, moving on in spite of disappointments. We gave their coach a copy of Above and Beyond: radio silence, a story of another young person taking on responsibility and making the best of it.

At Hillsdale College in Michigan, we visited our great-nephew Grant, who at barely 18 is undertaking rigorous study along with a demanding cross-country training schedule. He is thriving in this environment, as his teammates on both the men’s and women’s team seem to be.

God is good, all the time. And all the time, look for what is good through God. There’s lots of it in our world. braveknightwriters.com

Wandering the Wilderness

Ten weeks of wander and wonder in the wilds of Alaska and Canada.
We took our muscle powered bicycles so we could get closer to nature.

 braveknightwriters.com

 

Grand Camp

 

Grand Camp
Tuesday, June 30, 2026 by Brave Knight Writers

The month of June is Grand Camp at the Instead and this year’s was the best. In addition to locals, we hosted children from Florida, North Carolina, and Ohio. Our crew reminded us of the ‘Our Gang’ of old, also known as the ‘Little Rascals’. Their backgrounds were varied and wide, with ages running between four and ten. Everyone proved special in their own unique way, but they blended like they had always known one another. We are grateful for all our blessings and love to share with others. Funny how blessings work, you try to pass them out and they return tenfold. It’s not why you do it, but it does happen that way. Today we said goodbye to the Carolina boys and tomorrow the Florida children catch a flight. Our hearts have run on high for a month and now we must let go and give thanks. No one fought, no one was seriously injured, and everyone earned pins for acts of kindness and sacrifice. An unplanned experience was the children finding a family of garden snakes in our courtyard. We were able to teach them to not harm them. We also observed tree frogs climbing up doors and trees, and mourning doves protecting their skimpy nests.

14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” NIV

The Instead has twenty-two acres of varied grounds for children to roam. So sweet, every adult who participated can attest to the heavenly atmosphere. Kites were flown, rockets launched with air stompers, fire boosters and baking soda. Kickball, disc golf, and soccer games spontaneously erupted. Swings and saucer swings and slides provided endless joy.

The main key, we just let it happen, the kids ran from morning until night. One of the children has a little brother who calls him Brubbie. When Brubbie and three cousins began singing around the campfire, we deemed them, “Brubbie and the Cousins”. Watch for them om America’s got talent. Many of the children also took turns on the keyboard. Children came and went, some came for a day or two, others stayed the month.

At one of campfires, we invited a couple of friends, a ninety-year-old who worked for William Shockley developing the first transistor and later worked on twenty-five nuclear bomb tests, the children were enthralled with his stories. The children found the woman who brought him equally interesting as she spoke of her late husband building their stone home and living for years without electricity or running water. Her husband split huge boulders into building blocks and harvested timber on their property for wood. He hand built all the kitchen cabinets, and the house turned out to be gorgeous. She shared photos and stories which stretched their imagination.

“The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.” – Psalm 118:14

Off-campus events included playground visits, swimming pools, and a visit to a nursing home—where all the children voluntarily hugged a resident and spoke with her.

A favorite event was a visit to a local dairy farm where everyone participated in bottle-feeding calves, walking through the milking parlor, climbing into the cabs of huge harvesters and tractors, and climbing to the top of huge silos. The farmer took all six kids on a ride in the cab of a large piece of equipment. The farmer is a family friend, with over 700 cows, 1000 acres, and an unknown tally of equipment. We interrupted his schedule, but he loved it. All the children made thank-you cards and we delivered them the next day. It is important to teach children to be grateful. Our youngest’s thank you didn’t make it into the pile, so on a different night we took him to personally deliver his thank-you; he was well received by the farmer.

There were trips into the city to visit museums, the airport, hikes in parks, and visit to a little-known waterfall. We took our crew to a cousin’s graduation party. On an embankment behind our house, we set up a slip-n- slide when two new guests arrived. An impromptu visit to a local hot dog shop for dogs and ice cream turned out to be a big hit. We had a couple of movie nights at the house and a couple of others at a local theater. Some of the children went to a friend’s house where they were able to hold chickens and cats, use rollerblades, and chow down on pizza.

On one instance we headed to the Instead basement when tornado warnings sounded.  All was well, and a charades game broke out. Halfway through the month an uncle and aunt invited all of us to a local state park for a day of lake kayaking and power boating. All the kids took turns being in charge of the water crafts. The boating adventure was followed by a picnic and campfire back at the Instead. Over the next couple of days, the children went to a local exotic wildlife park and paid  a visit to a local swimming pool—complete with slides and fountains.  On Father’s Day, the family told granddad to take a hike, and we all did, to a local waterfall and along a wild creek in the gorge. The hike included walking in a covered bridge and old gristmill. On another hike we ventured into a little-known valley to a large waterfall and the remnants of an iron furnace built of large cut stone in 1818, followed by a walk into an old train tunnel converted into a bicycle rail to trails.

A friend who owns a bicycle shop loaned us four bicycles for the out-of-town children to use on a nine-mile trail ride. The trail runs along a very scenic creek with a rich history from the original oil boom-days. A scenic railroad also follows the creek, and several bridges cross the creek. One of the hikes included a rainstorm—everyone got soaked. This hike also followed a creek in the area’s virgin forests, and one of the bridges is a cabled swinging bridge, the kids loved it and ran back and forth across it. Some of the most memorable events weren’t planned, the kids all chipped in to clean up, serve food, and say grace.

Almost every night involved s’mores, while ice cream figured large as well. But they attacked protein waffles, porridge with fixin’s, steak salads, and homemade tomato soup-n-grilled cheese sammiches.

We are feeling plenty blessed. When people comment that it’s a big effort, it’s a little disconcerting. We wish more grandparents and families would know this joy. We open our hearts, energy, pocketbook, and time to kids, and the blessings flow back to us ten-fold.

Comments we heard more than once: Best day ever! This day was the best! I’m having the best life, it couldn’t be any better.

We let kids be kids. They had a 1950’s-style start to their childhood summer, without helicoptering. Everyone benefited. Everyone grew in many ways. Everyone felt gratitude for a time well-lived.

 

 

Intervue with the Authors

https://youtu.be/XGpN4fbGsWk?si=QRKVjNHlJgPemcLw 

The backstory, Brave Knight Writers 

This is our recent interview with Chris Clinard of: Books for Guys. 

https://www.books4guys.com/

Thank you, Chris.

The Scent-of-Freedom

 

The Scent of Freedom
Monday, May 25, 2026 by Brave Knight Writers

It’s Memorial weekend as I write our blog and a dreary sky does not offer prime circumstances for a bar-b-q or picnic. Although this weather might be appropriate for the meaning of the day, as a chill and rain can slow us down. It gives us time to reflect on life’s meaning, and our interactions with others. So, sit in a quiet room, read a book about a veteran, take a nap, or fall asleep in deep reflection of your blessings, lost loved ones, or future sunny days. Rain and chill slows our actions, creates a lull, and allows us to take a breath.

This is the weekend we honor those who sacrificed everything, some in the heat of battle, others from disease or accidents, but all in the spirit of making life better for the survivors. One thing we must keep in mind, the ultimate sacrifice may not come during the main event or when all the news outlets are trying to cash in with the most tragic headlines, sometimes the sacrifice festers and comes years after everyone quits talking about the battles.

A recent phone call from an out-of-state friend brought it all home to me, a call for help. My friend’s brother, an Army veteran with twenty years of service, committed suicide. The veteran lived a half-hour from me, but we had never met. My friend asked if I could help sort through his brother’s belongings. The sorting proved to be massive, overwhelming. Since the veteran lived alone, made good money, and purchased without limits, his apartment and garages evoked all the comforts of a warehouse.

My grandson and his friend agreed to help, and their help was a blessing in many ways, such as the contrast of my life versus this veteran who had no children or wife, no support system in place. A veteran of three wars, a short marriage while serving, nothing we encountered spoke of emotional comfort or support. A life lived in stark preparation for an unknown threat, ultimately terminated with his own hand.

Everyone needs emotional support; it is as basic as food and water. Our veterans serve their time, then walk into a world structured in ways they are no longer accustomed to. Many of them began their service at such a young age, they never functioned in the civilian world as an adult.

Their military life had a routine—a support system comprised of peers, guidance, preparation, training, and an identified mission. In the civilian world all these are available but spread out, offered but not imposed, leaving the individual to seek out help for his own needs and wants. This is where many veterans fall apart. One might prepare, but without a clear mission they may fall into a malaise, a wandering. Without a group of like-minded peers, one becomes lost in their own thoughts—tapes played again and again without resolve, without a challenge as to validity.

Without a spouse or children, nothing tenderizes or softens the harsh realities of being. Many folk scoff at those who hold onto the stories of the Bible and belief in God, but the truth is, both can provide comfort.

During their service, what words did the veteran cling to? How often they were told: Be tough. Learn to live without. Follow commands. Don’t question. Sacrifice. Prepare. The mission matters above individual needs.

Military success requires a mindset totally detached from the freedoms of civilian life. Survival and mission success in military terms are stark, unforgiving realities requiring an individual to refrain from conforming, to morph into a stoic.

All these factors alone create scars, without a consideration of the horrors brought on by intense moments of battle, or the slower impact of wading through the aftermath of battle carnage and discovering atrocities. Some veterans follow the battle as cleanup crews, bagging bodies and collecting parts. Of entire villages. Imagine. You can’t.

It is safe to say, everyone has experiences where a song, smell, or vision stimulates strong memories of an experience as far away as childhood. A song reminds one of a lost love, a smell reminds one of grandma’s Thanksgiving, or a sunset watched somewhere special. All memories aren’t pleasant; some take us into dark places. Words can do the same, even tones might trigger a repressed event.

Sorting through our accumulated mess might take professional help, especially if one does not have a healthy support system in place. Decline comes gradually, the individual doesn’t recognize where his path leads, and no one offers a kind nudge to keep them in check. The voices in their head warn them, confuse them, lead them in the wrong direction. The path clogs with unfinished business, until they stagger from one uncompleted project to another. The voices distract them, but they find they can’t fill their needs. There is never enough stuff, because stuff isn’t what they lack. Stuff adds to the confusion.

Not only do they reject and not seek comfort from the world, but they also refuse to comfort themselves. Veterans might end up homeless, or they end up overburdened in a home they lost control of. Their thoughts and efforts never bear fruit.

During our sorting, a few aspects of the memory factor became clearer to me. I offer some excerpts from Harvard medicine, The Magazine of Harvard Medical School April 2024 by Molly McDonough.

“What can you do with your nose?”

That’s the question psychologist Donald Laird posed in a 1935 paper — one of the first studies exploring links between odor and memory. Even as many of his contemporaries in sensory neurobiology were preoccupied with vision, and prominent scientists, including Darwin and Freud, had disparaged humans’ sense of smell, Laird, a Colgate University professor, argued that olfaction had been unduly dismissed. “Even our contemporary psychologists,” he wrote, “with dignified aplomb, casually pass by the sense of smell as something that is notable among animals but sadly deficient in mankind.”

Laird had an inkling that the human nose could do more than it got credit for, that it could even hold clues to the inner workings of memory. So, he and colleagues asked 254 study participants to record moments in which smells spurred flashbacks to the past. They received hundreds of anecdotes, from a whiff of perfume reviving the discomfort of an awkward dance class to the smell of wool recalling a long-lost uncle’s overcoat. One participant, the son of a sawmill worker, reported that the smell of sawdust brought on “a series of vivid pictures so graphic that for the moment I live the scenes again.” The mere sight of sawdust, in contrast, fell flat.

The memories these passing odors evoked were remarkably intense, emotional, and deep-seated — more than just “casual will-o’-the-wisps in our mental fabric,” Laird wrote. The study’s insights provoked a bigger question about smell: “Can this be a sense which educators have overlooked,” he posited, “as an avenue into the mind?”

So why do I focus on the sense of smell? My friend shared with me that his brother often complained he could never rid himself of the smell of rotting flesh he experienced in Kosovo. Imagine playing mind tapes of bodies stacked in villages, rotting in the sun, mutilated—and covered in flies. I can’t, and unless you have experienced such, nor can you.

Imagine looking around in civilian life, unable to come to terms with this soul-wrenching pain, knowing no words can do justice to the witness of man’s inhumanity to man. Without ever knowing this veteran’s other pains, this one was enough to generate compassion.

While we went about our days of work, a neighbor shared his experience on the veteran’s final day. “I was walking my dog, the veteran came out into the parking lot carrying a rifle in each hand. Without a thought I asked if he was the terminator. He just gave me a cold stare.”

In an instant I was struck with wonder, who would ask such a thing of someone carrying two guns?

The neighbor went on, “when I came back through he was sitting up on the deck. He looked distressed. I offered a brief salutation, but his response was again cold. I only walked about twenty-five feet when I heard the shot.”

How can we reconcile the action of this vet? We can’t. Nor can we judge.

Our veterans need us, and our support. We must recognize we cannot put ourselves in their place. Each veteran had a unique experience of service, all with one mission in mind—a willingness to sacrifice for the betterment of civilian life.

As civilians we are in debt, no payment we make can clear the debt, so let’s focus on interest. Interest in stopping the twenty daily suicides of U.S. veterans. These veterans suffer from depleted spirits, lost in confused thoughts, and a loss of mission. The Veterans Administration can only do so much. This veteran had an appointment with a V.A. psychologist scheduled for the next day, the day after the event. We don’t know if he had sought earlier intervention, but I do know our systems are difficult to navigate for a person of sound mind—how does a damaged person manage?

There is no clear answer to this problem, how can we find one? Kind words, intuitive interactions, contemplation of why others act the way they do. We all suffer, become broken, and need compassion. Veterans have an additional layer to deal with, let’s never forget their sacrifices and needs.

To punctuate this post, I’ll be brief in sharing two more experiences from our task. During our work of sorting all of this veteran’s worldly possessions, the landlady showed up—screaming at my bereaved friend with threats of legal action—calls to her attorney— and demanding we stop since we had no legal right. Here stood my friend who just lost his brother. He drove a thousand miles to settle the estate of a veteran, and this woman showed not an ounce of compassion.

Then, there was the moment I dropped duffle bags filled with uniforms and unknown items into the bin at the Salvation Army. These bags represented twenty years of service. My friend and I had not rifled through the bags, even though I threw out the thought of stashed cash. My friend just said if there was any cash it would be an additional donation. Let’s be grateful for what we have, let’s be kind, never forget those no longer with us, or how much they contributed to our lives.

We have no idea who all these people were. Each was an individual, we only know them as the military, while they knew us as civilians. In the end let’s never forget where our blessings come from—and share those blessings with whomever we encounter.

 

https://braveknightwriters.com/blog/1086-The-Scent-of-Freedom