I sat down at my desk and keyboard to start working on my SubBlog for Felipe for this 7th day of August, 2020. I happened to glance at my wall calendar to confirm the date and saw that the month displayed was FEBRUARY! Does that not just speak volumes for what this crazy year has been like? Five months of the year eclipsed without my need to consult the yearly calendar! Nothing to schedule ahead for, no date to “work around” for competing activities, no week-long events that have been part of our life flow forever.
I at least have the advantage over so many others in that the seasons dictate my life flow more than days, weeks, or months. Spring, for preparing and feeding the land and for planting the seeds that will become, hopefully, our financial livelihood. Summer, which we are now just reaching the apex of, for tending those growing crops, and keeping in check all those other growing plants that, if in the wrong place, have become “weeds”. Fall, when all of that tilling and tending and watching-over is transformed in short order to the intensity of harvest. A nervous “weather-eye” always present to predict a calamity that can, in a pitifully short time, derail all those carefully laid plans for a smooth harvest. And Winter, for 40 years our most difficult season, as livestock require more care and feeding then than at any other time. But, semi-retirement has lifted that burden, and now it is more plan and regroup time, and if things go well, some get-away time.
Which brings me to the actual intended theme of this post. I”ve been thinking frequently lately about the “seasons” of our lives, and it dawned on me, maybe a little too clearly, that I’ve entered “The fourth quarter”. Even if I live to be a hundred (not likely or even much desired), I’m in THAT quarter. (My much-weathered tree image above could relate to that condition.) And this thought subject relates to one of the (many!) things that fascinated me about our Hero Felipe. Those of us in my age bracket who are blessed to enjoy “good health”, can be fairly confident that we have a good dozen or so years left to enjoy and experience all that life has to offer. In contrast, for most of the last decade, our Phil didn’t know if he was in the “last quarter” or already thrust into “overtime”. This evokes the emotional scene from “Phil’s Camino” movie where he searches for that elusive “Just one more line”. But, to his lasting fame, he has handled it like a veteran quarterback who relies on carrying out the game plan all the way to the anticipated victory. He was smart enough, and humble enough, to listen to and learn from all his “coaches” and side-line advisors.
And, just as importantly, it was up to him to decide just what “victory” would look like, what “victory” would mean to him and his family and his Camino Following scattered all over the world. Reading his Blog all these years we get to be inside his brain as he dissects all the elements of his condition. How he looks at all the individual components, and how they can fluctuate from good to bad to unknown to indifferent.
And keep in mind, this is all going on during Phil’s “fourth quarter”, and the clock is running, but is the clock for him or against him? In our own personal world, there are so many times when we urge the clock to Hurry Up! And then there are times when we beg it to Slow Down!
Phil and I both benefit from the long ingrained knowledge/faith that our Last Quarter here on Earth, is just a warm-up practice game for the never ending really big show that comes after that.
To close this out, how often have we missed the “big game” and know how it ended, and are really bummed that we missed it, but in the interest of saving time to see it, we just tune in to the “Fourth Quarter”. I didn’t even get to meet Phil until both of our Fourth Quarters had started, but I wouldn’t have missed it for the world!

Semper Fi,
Pilgrim Farmer John

(Thank you John, you are a very important part of this whole lashup. Or maybe it just wouldn’t be the same without you. Very nice post but I wanted it in February! Look at your calendar once in a while! Hehe!)