AND GRACE WILL BRING ME HOME

Dave Myers is 85-years old. Dave Myers was married for 59 years and 10 months. He has six kids, 12 grandkids. He walks four miles everyday because if he sits at home alone he gets down. Dave Myers was a paratrooper in the war, a supervisor at the factory. His niece lives in Sedona, Arizona, where there's real hiking--in the mountains--not like here, in the Midwest, even though here in the Midwest, if you hike, you still gotta be prepared--proper shoes, water--because it's still Nature and you gotta respect Nature. Dave Myers isn't wearing proper footwear when he tells me this. He grew up around here--central Illinois--so this is just a walk in the park for him.

Dave Myers's wife died last year. "Every morning," Dave Myers says, "God and I and my wife have a talk. Then I go for my walk." The Lord's been good to me, Dave Myers says. One of his kids lives in Mobile, Alabama, wants him to come visit. Another kid lives in Alaska, drives a bus. The Alaska kid is the one who keeps the family together--calls everyone while he's in between stops on his route, disseminates the family news among the family. The Lord's been good to me, Dave Myers says.

"The Lord likes you, too," Dave Myers says to me. I tell him I'm not so sure. Some days, like today, I tell Dave Myers, I'm really not so sure. "You just talked to an old man for half an hour," Dave Myers tells me. "You have a kind heart. The Lord is good to people with a kind heart." I have my doubts--about the Lord, about my heart. Dave Myers sees it on my face.

Dave Myers rides 30 miles on his bike every now and again. Sometimes he doesn't bring water. "Not good to push yourself like that," Dave Myers tells me. "Did it last week. Ended up by the boats on the river. Man invited me on his boat. Gave me water. Sat down and had a chat with him while I drank it. Sometimes people help you out when you don't expect it. Like I said, the Lord's been good to me."