REAR GUARD

JUST GETTING THIS STARTED FOR NOW:
the preacher told about a hiking trip he was on with boy scouts and his dad as a leader.
one day, the son wanted to be at the back cuz' he was feeling slow. every once and a while he would call out to his dad at the front, " i'm still here. i'm doing ok."
that got me to thinking of the special job of being the rear guard. I want to see what the Bible has to say about it; and write about Paul always mentioning his people, the jews that he still is concerned about; and dear former president George W. (whose wife is a teacher at heart always, of course) who at least tried or did lip service to "No Child Left Behind"; and my poem, if I can find it, called WE ARE THE PRODIGAL SON; and, of course, Jesus talking about the lost this and lost that.