Wow, it's certainly been awhile.  A LOT has changed over the past few years... I gotta try to get my thoughts together and update this place.

For the record, we moved to Michigan last August (2004).  Quite a transition...but life is full of transitions.  Either we're transitioning INTO something, or we're transitioning OUT of something.  It's probably a rare moment when we're not doing one or the other.

Well, I am going to transition myself right out of this here log update.

So, until next time, please remember: "Life is uncertain...eat dessert first"!

Overwhelmed! - Part II

I was in shock!  I had no idea what was going on.  I fired off an email to my dad for explanation. I got a reply that sketched out the events quickly with minimal info.  Basically I learned that there had been a car accident in which both my brother and my uncle had been seriously hurt and put in ICU.  They both had their spleens removed, and my uncle broke 12 ribs and had a punctured lung. WOW!

My dad was waiting for my sister to come pick him up and take him to the hospital to visit them, so I would have to wait until later to get the final info.

So, last night I finally got through to my dad. he unfolded the rest of the story. Saturday night, around 10pm, my uncle and his wife, dad and James were in a car headed back from one of my sister's.  Some lady smashed into the drivers side.  My brother was driving and my uncle was sitting behind him, thus they got the worst damage.  My uncle was in a coma until yesterday.  My dad got a couple scratches and my aunt got a few scratches and a bruise.

What an ordeal.  All of this hits at once.  It begins to get a bit overwhelming.

Anyway, I just wanted to share what's been going on in my life the past 24 hours.  Just goes to show how life can turn crazy at the drop of a hat.  Oh, yeah, thankfully the driver of the car that hit my family was not seriously hurt; she only broke her arm and got bruised up a bit.  My dad is going to send me pictures of the car.  He says to look at the car, you'd wonder how anyone got out alive. When I get them, I will try to post them here so you can see them, too.

Thanks for sharing in my day.  Please let me know your thoughts

Overwhelmed! - Part I

Wow! What a Weekend!  I really enjoyed the 3 day weekend, but now that I'm back, life has gotten crazy starting yesterday morning.

I had a long lost friend call my wife yesterday morning trying to hunt me down...i had moved and my old number was disconnected - but that didn't stop him from doing the manhunt.  When we connected last night, i learned that his life is pretty much falling apart.  He is working at a company where he is always overlooked for promotions; he developed tendonitis due to the repetetive nature of his job, but they claim he got it at home lifting his kids, and thus they refuse to let him claim it as workman's comp.  So all the expenses come out of his pocket - and they won't put him on a rotational basis in order to help elieviate the pain and swelling. Plus they have threatened layoffs for the past few months.

Then there's the fact that his wife had to go back to the workforce to help them make ends meet, on top of the fact that he is already working 2 jobs.

Did I mention that his mother is in the hospital dying?  He doesn't know how long. She has cancer - enphizema (sp) in the lymph nodes - an advanced stage.  They sent her home to die,but after 2 days she was sent back to the hospital.

To top it all off, one of their 2 vehicles died, leaving them scrambling between the 3 jobs. Plus he found out that his work schedule will be changing in a few weeks, and that will totally mess up the timing for him to get home in time to pass off the car to his wife to goto her job.  They have 1 daughter and 3 sons; the boys are a major handful as they are all very close in age and all very young. They were all being homeschooled, but the boys are such a handful that the daughter was not getting any attention,so they ended up putting her in a public school (not by choice).

They don't have many friends and there's no relief from the kids.  It seems like the harder my friend works, the further into the hole he falls, spiraling downward with no end in sight.  What do you say to someone like that besides "I'm praying for You"?  I AM praying, and I firmly believe in the power of prayer, because I firmly believe in the power of the One to Whom I am praying....but still, on the human level, I feel deeply for him....and outside of prayer there's nothing I can do.......or is there???

Wow!

First entry after a L_O_N_G sabatical.  I just had to return and drop an initial greeting to let everyone know I was still alive and kicking.

Thots, thots...i feel like Winnie The Pooh when he is trying to think.  Since it is a labor (and not necessarily a "labor of love") i will end here.

Suffice it to say, "I'm Back!"

Go Fly a Kite II

We've gotten to fly our stunt kite on 2 separate occasions now, and it is a bit tricky to keep it up for very long.  I have gained a new respect for those who exhibit extreme control over their kites.  I imagine it takes a great deal of practice to master the fine art involved.  We'll see what develops in the weeks to come.  Living in South Texas on the shores of Corpus Christi Bay give me the added advantage of almost every day being a windy day :)

If you have any experience with these kites, please leave a comment or word of advice.  If you have NO experience whatsoever with these kites, but feel you are the master of all such things (or wish to pretend you are the master of all such things), please leave a comment or word of advice.  If you don't care one way or the other about much of anything, please leave a comment or word of advice.  If you don't wish to leave a comment, please leave a comment and tell me, so I will know not to expect a comment from you.

Thanks.
Stan