|
A Message from
Author/Hunter JP Masters...
Acknowledging That Our
Time In The Field Is A Gift
Hello, I am JP Masters and I would like to thank you for your interest
in Ridgetop Reflections and “A Hunter’s Prayer”, the first of three
releases available from our website. Ridgetop Reflections
next two releases, “One More Season” and “The End of the
Day,” will soon be
made available to the public.
Some of my earliest recollections of the outdoor sporting life come
from afternoons spent on my grandfather’s porch playing with a pair of
hand painted wooden duck decoys and looking through copies of Fur,
Fish, and Game magazine. My grandfather was an earnest,
hardworking man who took great satisfaction hunting, fishing, and
trapping in Northern Illinois. I now have those decoys. They are a
constant reminder of his legacy of honest labor and self sufficiency.
When my father
finally determined that I was old enough to learn how to shoot a
rifle, I must admit that I had already burned several “bricks” of .22
ammunition and was quite adept at cleaning the rifle, removing any
traces of my use, and replacing it before anyone was the wiser. You
can imagine my surprise when he noted that “Butch”, owner of local
hardware store, had commented that I was well on my way to becoming
quite the marksman given my personal connection to his dwindling
inventory. It takes a lot of empty soda bottles to feed a hungry
rifle.
While not a hunter himself, my father’s ownership of a natural fur
company kept me in contact with furbearing animals of all types and
introduced me to the colorful characters that trapped and hunted them.
As I worked in the skinning shed, my awareness of our responsibility
as stewards of God’s creation served to remind me that our time in the
field is a gift.
As
I see it, to spend time in the presence of something truly wild is the
most direct means of remaining in touch with our place in the natural
scheme of things. The transition from daylight to dusk and from season
to season is a blessing that helps put the daily stress of modern life
in perspective. Hunting, for me, is more than just a sport. It affords
us the opportunity to revive long masked instincts, savor the
intensity of sight, sound, and presence, and to marvel at the design
of our creator.
I
am proud to call myself a hunter and share my experiences through
teaching hunter safety, spinning hunting tales that grow better with
each passing year, or sharing some of the thoughts that have become
firmly entrenched in my heart and mind as I turn to let the warmth of
sunrise flood my face.
I
hope that your selection of one of my pieces provides you with the
opportunity to steal a moment and return to memories of time shared
with family and friends, slipping quietly through the woods, or simply
enjoying the excitement of a pair of beagles in hot pursuit. Whatever
takes us to the outdoors, may we never forget that the joy this time
gives us is intentional and but a glimpse of that which awaits the
faithful.
Again, I thank you for your interest in Ridgetop Reflections
and hope you will come back when we release “One
More Season”
& “The
End of the Day”.
God
bless and good hunting,
~ JP Masters
JP currently
lives with his family in Northeast Missouri where he enjoys pursuing a
variety of game with modern firearms, bow and
muzzle loader.
Dedicated to the
enjoyment and conservation of that rhythm to which we are all a part,
JP considers it a blessing, an honor and an obligation of stewardship to
truly be
called a hunter.
To join the Ridgetop Reflections Community,
please
sign-up to receive our quarterly newsletter by clicking here.
|
