The Roundhouse

I love seasons, all of them. Before last June, I had lived the past 20 years in Florida, and didn’t have a strong enough memory of my early years in Kentucky to remember that passage of seasons.

In Florida, there’s not a full death in nature like there has been this winter in North Carolina. It’s never as bleak and stark as your 4th or 5th winter snowstorm and you can’t leave the house. You’re never forced to stay at home because its too snowy or icy to risk driving. Even for the FL hurricanes, if we lost power, you didn’t have to then deal with temperatures in the teens and making sure you’re family could stay warm for the night. I did sense and enjoy though, the feeling that I should slow down, look inwardly, and reflect. All of creation was doing, I should as well.

But, with death, came life. This has been my favorite spring ever, because it was the first true spring I remember. The blooming of flowers, the leaves appearing back on the trees, grass growing and needing to be mowed. The smells of fresh-cut grass, flowers, tilled soil, and plants coming back to life all around me. It’s incredible, this gift God has given us. Since I feel the seasons and the rhythm of the earth closer now, I pray that I can be a better steward of the earth.

Spring is new life, and summer will be life in abundance (in more ways than one), with longer days, many adventures, and the shaping of lives.

I look forward to sharing it with all of you,

Matt

After some VERY close competition among the finalists… drum roll … brothers, Will and Thomas Chapman of Tampa will receive the Digital Camera Grand Prize for Contest 100!

The boys pulled out all the stops for their photo (shown at right), by wrangling their schoolmates into a picture that includes 9 Rockmont items, an original poster, guitar, and green balloons! Congratulations guys!! You also have the distinction of having submitted the photo with the MOST potential Rockmont recruits!

A STRONG contender for the Grand Prize was actually one of the earliest entries. Nate Dorman’s amazing “talkin’ Rockmont while surfing” photo kept us smiling for days, but lost on a technicality… we already know fellow surfer, Addison Miles, Nate!

Other highlights of the competition included the most forward thinking recruiter… Sean Merrell (Ormond Beach) who is seen talkin’ camp with his 2 year old brother Mac! (Whom we hope to see in 2014!) And Rusty Ranson and *Will Schmersal who seem to be giving the Rockmont “pitch” to their baseball team in the dugout!

We enjoyed looking through all of the entries that were submitted and appreciate all of your participation. Besides the Chapmans (who get the camera), everyone named in this post will be receiving TWO full coupon books to use at the Rockmont General Store and Cola Stop this summer!