So many unexpected things happened this past year that it would be easier to conclude they were not real, but that was not the case.
National President
Jon Walker, F26878
jwalker@fmca.com
As I write this column, with an April Fool’s Day theme, Sondra and I are loading the motorhome for a trip to Perry, Georgia, where we will take part in FMCA’s first convention since August 2019 when we celebrated the 100th convention in Minot, North Dakota. The world has changed tremendously since that special convention, which seems like it took place so long ago now. If you had told me that FMCA would have to cancel not one but two conventions in a row, I would have told you that was just a bad April Fool’s Day joke. As it turns out . . . NOT.
You cannot believe how excited we are to finally be able to fire up the engine and get on the road to Perry! If you are going to the Perry event, I hope you are at least half as excited as we are. By the time you read this, our “Another Day in Perrydise” convention will have been wrapped up and entered into the history books. We so hope that everyone was able to have a safe and fun get-together.
In preparation for our Perry trip, I have to tell you about what I’d prefer was another April Fool’s Day joke . . . NOT. We have had piles and piles of snow this winter. Normally, we would have been in Southern California enjoying the Western Area’s January rally in Indio. This year? . . . NOT. We have been stuck in Michigan, plowing out of tons and tons of snow this winter.
A couple of days before we got the motorhome out of winter storage to prepare for our Perry trip, I learned firsthand another lesson that my dad shared with me. He used to say that “water seeks its own level.” We had three days of warm temperatures last week, and all of a sudden, Sondra yelled at me to look out the door. Our motorhome pad was filling up with water, and the level was approaching the door to our house! I realized that the snow I kept plowing out of the way had formed a dam, and the thawing water had nowhere to drain. Our center trough drains were frozen. I quickly jumped on my trusty John Deere tractor, with its beautiful hydraulic snow blade, and started pushing snow away from the ramp leading down to the lower level of our lake house. Thankfully, I was able to clear that path so the water could escape from the swimming pool I inadvertently had made. The ramp was lower than the level of our door to the house; so, another disaster was averted!
But what was I to do about the water that had accumulated so far and had nowhere to go? I had been talking with Gary Milner, FMCA national vice president, Midwest Area, when all of this was happening. He told me to just throw some rock salt on the drain. I asked him how that was going to help, because I had thousands of gallons of water that had accumulated on that 75-foot-long pad. He said, “Trust me; just throw the salt around the length of the drain trough.” I said, “Okay, but I don’t believe that will do anything.” I did what he told me and then went back inside to answer some of my emails.
About an hour later, I went back outside to see whether anything happened. When I opened the door and looked, the water was completely drained. WOW! It must have been magic!
Presidential Cancer? . . . Not.
Since my February 2021 column, I have undergone surgery to remove a malignant cancer that was growing on my thyroid. The young surgeon told me he was convinced that he was able to remove the tumor, but he also had to remove the whole thyroid. When I asked him about the tumor, he pulled out his iPhone and sent me a picture of the mass that was taken out of my body. The tumor was several times larger than the thyroid, measuring over 6 inches long and 3 inches high. I won’t go into detail, but it looked like a large, raw chicken breast. I asked him how he got such a large mass out of my neck area when my incision was only about four inches wide. His response was, “That’s why you paid me those big bucks! You got to see my ‘pull the rabbit out of the hat trick.’” I decided that I did not want to know any more about the procedure.
I have now been referred to a specialist, called an endocrinologist, for the follow-up to the surgery. That doctor will talk to us about what is in store for us next. Will they have to do any radiation or chemotherapy treatment? We will not know the answer to that question until next month. I will let you know what my next step is.
I would like to thank those of you who emailed me, called me, and wrote me get-well letters. You do not know how much your words of encouragement meant to me. I also heard from several of our members who have undergone what I am going through now. All these people were very positive and open to me in sharing their experience during their cancer journey. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
In the meantime, our three FMCA chaplains have been working on a program where our members who are experiencing cancer; the loss of a loved one; or any spiritual, physical, or mental problems can seek help. I am looking forward to what they come up with. I have been told that the first sessions are planned for our Perry convention. Stay tuned.
In February, FMCA national treasurer John Reynolds recommended to the board, and they approved his recommendation, to completely refund all family member and vendor certificates that were issued in lieu of refunds for the canceled Tucson convention in March 2020. These refunds totaling over $720,000 probably will have been distributed by the time you read this. I am very proud that our finances have turned around and are now profitable. Much thanks need to go to your Finance Committee for their hard work.
The financial audit that was just completed showed that FMCA officially had a positive 2020 fiscal year, the first in many years. We also have had a positive first quarter in this fiscal year, 2021. This is very, very good news for all of us. I am confident that FMCA will continue to be financially sound.
Until next month, travel safely and be well.
Notice Of Annual Membership Meeting
The FMCA Annual Membership Meeting will take place on Saturday, July 10, 2021, at FMCA’s 103rd International Convention and RV Expo in Gillette, Wyoming.
Contact An FMCA National Chaplain
Chaplains Connection Line: (833) 458-0778
Email: chaplains@fmca.com
The mission of FMCA is to bring together RV owners who share similar interests in congenial traveling, recreation, and social activities in order to preserve and perpetuate the traditional ideals and spirit of friendly and wholesome family fellowship as manifested by the founders of FMCA.