As you can see by the picture, Blue Dog, also known as RV security, is rip roaring and ready to go after working hard in Jonesboro and ready for a break to go chase something or chew on new sticks.  We take off to head to Custer, South Dakota to go explore another national park, Mt Rushmore.  Well in looking up the information about the area, Custer is supposedly known for their big Buffalo round up.  So, we get Blue dog all excited to go chase Buffalo.  We get him all loaded up in the car, windows down, and eagerly watching for his chance to run.  Unfortunately we drive all over Custer state park, in multiple directions and see a grand total of 0 buffalo, we barely even saw a few deer.  It was crazy.

We drive through the local nearby towns, and they are all proudly displaying all kinds of buffalo souvenirs and statues and what not, but we can’t seem to find any where they said.  So being who I am, I knew that that many folks wouldn’t make this stuff up, so I decide to look in the less travelled paths.  I take a bike ride up through the mountains and trails looking around the lakes and prairies.  Still nothing, saw some beautiful birds, they have gorgeous red cardinals there, a few rabbits, a few prairie dogs, but no buffalo.  

I go hiking near Mt. Rushmore and am absolutely amazed by how mineral rich the soil is all around.  The rocks all glisten with either pyrite, fools’ gold, or are heavy with rose quartz or feldspar, or silica.  The trails almost feel like the yellow brick road because it glistens so much in the sunlight.  As I’m studying the mineral rich rocks and soil, I only find one more lizard, but still no buffalo.

We head to Mt Rushmore and are absolutely amazed at all the sculptor was able to accomplish in the 20 years he spent working on it until his untimely death.  He meant to have full body replicas not just the head, but he passed away before he could finish.  It’s amazing to think back that through the depression he had to raise over $1 million, deal with losing many men to the war, fight the elements of the South Dakota weather, and keep the crew safe while dangerously hanging from the sides of cliffs while operating heavy machinery.  Not one death occurred, and only a couple minor injuries happened, and this was long before OSHA was in existence.

Mt Rushmore stands as a clear testament to the perseverance and strength of not just one man, but many men and women.  You see the men had to keep the vision always in front of them when the whole world seemed to be blowing up, literally, they were struggling to provide for their families, deal with their own personal worth while others are sacrificing for them, and struggle with the elements and day to day struggles.  The women had to deal with those same challenges, but also how to keep their men encouraged when everything was so depressing around them.  They had to step into roles they weren’t used to, so that the men could do what they needed to do.  So much sacrifice and grit to not just keep their families together and alive, but also create something that will stand as the proof of an entire generation that came together, struggled and persevered, for a common goal.  These are the generations of Americans who’s lives didn’t focus 100% on their own selfish wants or needs, but also kept in mind their community and their country.  It is absolutely inspiring, and I hope that our generations now can get back to that.  Stop living within their own 4 walls and reach outside to work together and meet one another’s needs and in turn it helps meet our own personal needs.  

Might I encourage you today to look up the story of any of the men who helped build Mt Rushmore, or even the sculptor himself and allow their stories to inspire you so that 2022, might be a monumental year for your family and community.  We all have gifts and talents that God designed us with and when we choose to bless others with them, it helps us more than anything else we could have done and that is what we pray for you and your family this year!