What If

CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG!                                         

By published author

Bryce A Baker

What If

When I was eighteen I moved to Calgary, Alberta, Canada with intent to go to college. My alternate plan if this didn’t work, was to go south to the States and join the Air Force to become a fighter pilot. As fate grabbed hold of my life, plans dramatically took their own direction.

Rena and I were discussing what things would have been like if I had, in fact, joined the Air Force and done a tour of duty in Vietnam. First thing she said was that we would have never met to be together now. But comparing notes, that may not have been the case. Because, unbeknownst to each other, we had actually crossed paths at least four times. We even talked once when I was doing an art show in Abbotsford in 1996.

To question what has been, or what could have been, is a perplexing dilemma. Over history, it is my belief that we may think we are in control of our daily events, but all we do is row the boat. What I mean by this is that we can plan, employ and walk in one direction with meaning, but our destiny seems to have a life of its own. This is the great building block of experience, adventure, and the incredible reality of the unknown.

Looking back personally through the pain, the glory, the explosion of adventure, there is no place for me to question a single moment. My destiny had two of the greatest gifts given to me: My son was born, and Rena ‘invaded’ my quiet phase of life! So, although mistakes and bad judgements may ruffle one’s feathers on occasion, or danced at the top of success, I do have one thing I can say for certain; I can’t hide from Rena!

As I wrote before, dwell not on what has been, but with lesson for the future.

 In closing; ‘What if’ is not an option, but an excuse for not paying attention to one’s growth.

Please... CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG!

Bryce A Baker

www.bryceabaker.com

Testimony

CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG!                                                               June 13, 2014

By published author
Bryce A Baker

       Testimony

Six years ago, the clutch blew in my ’89 Chev 4x4. She was tired and ready for the Boneyard, but I figured even though she was in that rough of shape, I would give her a new chance at life. I took her to the shop and tore her apart, down to the bare frame, and started the restoration. Because of the other projects, she was sidelined many times, so it took this long to finish the rebuild.

Through the fifteen hundred plus hours, she fought back, causing me bloodshed and injuries. Her resistance lasted to the very end, testing my patience; But, she is now with new life and attitude.

This story of restoration isn’t that different from my personal story. Like most others, life has torn at the soul and body; with time things can just overwhelm.

Fortunately, the good Lord looked down on me through my pits and valleys, never giving up on me. Instead of letting me terminate and to be sent to the Boneyard, He slowly regenerated my spirit. My body has taken a beating, and bodywork or a paint job just won’t cut it, but considering, a retreaded soul, I keep standing.

 I fought back like the ’89, with resistance to the restoration. I doubted with a stubborn denial that change can be brought to the light.

Now, the ’89 will still bring me grief and be stubborn, but no matter what, I will keep her safe. I will be there for her through all the trials and tribulations.

Today I give thanks for the good Lord who has never given up on me; being there forever.

Please... CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG!

Bryce A Baker
www.bryceabaker.com

Hell Driven

CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG!                                    May 30, 2014

By published author

Bryce A Baker

Hell Driven

One of the most publicly dangerous violations of safety is a lunatic in a stolen car.

Most aren’t aware of the gravity of how horrible these acts of theft can escalate into. Aside from the car thief that steals for profit, there is the ‘joy rider’. No matter which, they are a loaded gun waiting to be fired at an unsuspecting population.

When a thief steals a vehicle, the chance of a police pursuit is a possibility, which brings up a controversial subject. Some feel that law enforcement should not pursue in consideration of public safety. In other words, give the thieves a clear path to freedom to do whatever they want. Through the years, pursuit training for police officers has greatly changed with substantial protocols set in place for the safety of the public. Pursuits are necessary for a number of reasons due to the long list of crimes that take place involving motor vehicles.

If a driver fails to pull over when instructed, and a chase is initiated, I feel the driver of the vehicle should be charged with a threat level charge according to the severity of the event. This means that if it is a driver trying to shake the cop in a short trip away from sanity, then it would be a lesser ‘Felony’ charge. But if the driver is trying to elude by any means and an extreme threat, they should be charged with attempted murder, because they are premeditating the result.

The variations of why and how are many, so the punishment should match the crime. Anyone that decides to run has no thought for anyone’s life other than their own.

In 1993 I was in a felony pursuit of a middle aged woman that had a psychotic episode. I picked up the pursuit after she ran a city bus off the road, and me as an oncoming. The pursuit was nearly forty minutes long and soon escalated to a highway pursuit with more than ten cruisers. She severely damaged six cruisers and wrote off a unit that was placed across her path to stop her carnage. She almost hit a cyclist as well. The lady was placed in a hospital for sixty days for psychiatric evaluation and released with the diagnosis that she had a brief breakdown. No charges could be given because of the diagnosis. She was given her driver’s license back.

So it is my understanding, that for public safety, the bad guys need to be pursued in proper safety and levy a severe charge as a deterrent. Too many families have lost loved ones because a creature behind the wheel of an instrument of transportation and turned into a lethal weapon.

There needs to be a charge of attempted murder for anyone that steals a vehicle, pursuit or not! It isn’t a joke or a joy ride; it is a crime!

Please... CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG!

 

Bryce A Baker

www.bryceabaker.com