Much has changed since my last visit.
You may not have noticed (or maybe you have), that I had dropped in and out whenever possible. At the time I had nothing to say, which is why I never posted. But during my time away I have been busy with work at the J.O.B. or on my book (the latter has been rare as of late) illness, promotion, death in the family to name a few.
As for work I been promoted to a co-manager which means more hours and less time on the computer. OK except for youtube. Then my best friend whose been in and out of the hospital for heart problems and he is a potential candidate for a heart transplant.
Then a few weeks ago, my father passed away. He has 75 and had sufferred from mini-strokes which affected his speech mainly. I was really hard from mom and me, because the last few days, while noticing how little he had become to him keeping actve, we couldn't help but since something was going to happen. My middle brother Mike took it the hardest. Imagine spending your 40th birthday looking at your dad in a casket. The strongest of us was my sister. She had to see his body before she could come to grips with it. In her mind when she came home, he had went to the casino, which was his hobby since before he retired. Oh we did give him a military funeral because he stationed in the army as a Missile Launcher driver. I told my friend, Kevin (who I mentioned above) and he had to jive on it. " How can you turn him down for a job?" He said as we laughed. I'll admit even though he use to fuss at us a lot, me more so because I was the youngest. And even though I never cut the grass right or could tell a phillip screwdriver from a regular screwdriver, or could start a fire during the winter. I learned to take the good over the bad and understand that he wanted me and my brothers to be strong men. But over time I was there when he needed me whether it was busting wood, cleaning the gutters or fixing something around the house.
One message my uncle Malcolm (also my pastor) told about dad when he was a young man and they were putting shingles on the roof. he said " I would rather have 2 pair of pants, knowing I can afford to buy 10, then have 10 pair of pants and can't pay for 2". Words to live by.
Since then we have been helping my mother fix up the house and take care of business. My Uncle Bert helps out when he can as well as my brother mike, and sister who had to go back home but will return next week to do some rearranging. In fact. It was her and I with every ounce of strength we had to get dad's reclyner upstairs.
As for my friend Kevin, he managed to find hope in living. He vows that he and I are going to get our books off the ground.
Well that's my story. I know I've said a lot but I had to get it off my chest. It's not easy but I'm putting things in God's hands and keeping the faith.
