I am an ageing, crumbling, broken-down retired country solicitor now 71 years old, living in a constant state of domestic bliss with Jan, now into our 46th year of marriage.
Our two adult daughters aged 43 and 41 live 10 minutes drive away, the younger married one with husband and our two cute little granddaughters aged 14 and 12.
We used to collect them from school on Thursday afternoons to take them for afternoon 'tea', comprising a gastronomic delight at McDonalds where I tended to enjoy the tastier cardboard or plastic wrapping, after which it was off to the beach or something similar depending on the weather. Great fun.
Then we graduated in our culinary tastes and preferred to eat where "the burgers are better at Hungry Jacks”.
As they get older and have their friends and outside interests we see less of them, the older one having her own little after-school job which gives her some financial independence. We realise that’s part of life.
I am the middle child of three, both sisters living in the southern wastelands called Sydney with their extended families, and nearby my soon-to-be 96 year old mother now living in a retirement village.
As a young family we escaped from there over 28 years ago to settle on The Tweed.
God willing, in October ’19 Jan & I are off to Sydney to attend my high school's 55th year reunion together with spouses, girlfriends, boyfriends or whatever. No doubt we will swap stories of, and compare definitions of, success forged over that time.
After obtaining an economics degree from Sydney Uni, at the wise old age of 21, I headed off alone by ship to South Africa and thereafter drifted to wherever my backpack led me during the ensuing 16 months.
After hitch-hiking (when possible) thru many countries in southern and north Africa, Europe, parts of the Middle East and overland to India, I finally flew home from Singapore to study law also at Sydney U.
The Law Profession
After the arrival of our older daughter, Jan wanted her to be baptised: why I had no idea. But our LORD had determined that that was how I would be introduced to the strange but interesting new area of learning (intellectual only at first) called Christianity, the gospels being far more interesting than studying income tax law. Over 42 years later, here I am.
As the years passed applying and honing the gladiatorial skills of the courtroom, and subsequently in an office environment through the mail and over the 'phone, I became evermore impressed with the power of logic and a well-reasoned argument combined with (not surprisingly) the skillful choice and use of words.
But outside the austere legal environment, in daily life where the rules of evidence and courtroom etiquette imposed by a demanding judge do not apply, I discovered that there is something more powerful than logic and reason: vis personal preference, which is not 'logic based'.
You have no doubt discovered this too when debating with a 'rusted on' voter of a different political persuasion. Doesn't matter what arguments you put forward does it?
The same interesting (at times frustrating) phenomenon is often experienced when debating with the 'rusted on' atheist who will not genuinely intellectually engage with you for the simple reason: they don't want to.
Their preference is to remain mentally and emotionally comfortable by not contemplating the existence of, and ultimate answerability to an invisible, vastly superior supernatural spiritual Being, and do not want to know anything about Him.
This is the bedrock issue in the creation v. evolution debate, it having nothing whatsoever to do with science. That is simply the chosen garb to give both the god of evolution ('lord science’) and themselves intellectual respectability and acceptance.
Post Retirement
Post retirement over 10 years ago, we have continued with our ballroom dancing, occasionally ride our bikes beside the beautiful blue-green Tweed River, sometimes learn rock 'n' roll, and at times enjoy a cold beer, bottle of wine and cheeses also beside that River where we might occasionally sight some dolphins and maybe a turtle.
We also do volunteering at a wildlife sanctuary and at Tweed District Hospital, help our daughters every Saturday morning at their organic farmers’ market, Jan goes to the gym with a lady friend 3 time a week, and a highlight of my week is to teach Scripture at a primary school.
I have also utilised these 'years of entitlement' to write a book about the creation: evolution debate (as stated and explained therein, the mindset of evolution does not qualify to be called a theory for the simple reason that there is no evidence to support it), which debate will not end 'till the happening of the magnificent victorious return of Jesus.
Jan and I now enjoy worshipping God at a nearby Church of Christ.
I feel privileged to have been invited to join the Australian Panellists, being firmly of the view that Well-Being Australia's Dr Mark Tronson has done a great thing in providing young, mature, passionate Christian men and women from varied backgrounds, with an international platform on which to express themselves about a diverse range of topics of their choice.
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Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He mentors young writers and has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children. Dr Tronson writes a daily article for Christian Today Australia (since 2008) and in November 2016 established Christian Today New Zealand. Dr Mark Tronson’s Press Service International in 2019 was awarded the Australasian Religious Press Association’s premier award, The Gutenberg.
Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html
