Farewell, It's Time To Move On

Replacing The Old Calendar Of 2011 Is A Pleasure For Me. I Have Had A Year To Mourn My Son's Death. Now I Won't Look At A Particular Date And Think To Myself A Year Ago Today Bobby And I Did This Or That.
It Will Actually Give Me The Peace I Have Been Seeking For So Long. I Didn't Realize It Until The Last Few Days. The First Week Of January Was Almost Unbearable. My Son Who I Thought Would Comfort Me In My Old Age. My Son Who Gave Me Four Beautiful Grand Children.
Tonight I Played The Music Video My Niece Tabitha Created Of Bobby's Life. There Were Many Touching Moments Throughout The Video. My Reason For Not Watching It Was Because It Was Too Painful. I Cry Every Time I Watch It.
I Chose To Watch It Tonight Because I Consider Tomorrow Being A New Chapter In My Life. I Now Feel Bobby Inside Of Me. My Sadness Comes From Me Missing His Physical Appearance. Missing Our Talks And Walks In The Woods Searching For Mushrooms. I Miss Him Helping Me In My Truck.
Now That I Finally Feel Him Inside My Heart I Have Comfort. I'm At Peace.
From This Point On Bobby Will Always Be A Happy Memory For Me. He Is My Inspiration To Be A Better Person, To Help More Needy Families. I No Longer Feel Stuck In A Time Warp. After Tonight I Look Forward To Good Things.
Billie And I Shared Tonight About What The New Year Means For Us. I Can't Speak For Her But I Can Say I Feel Blessed To Have Had Him In My Life For 29 Years. Billie Asked Me If It Was Meant To Be? I Told Her I Believe It Was. Only God Knows How Much Time We Have Here. We All Just Assume We Will All Live To A Ripe Old Age Before We Die. I May Live To Be 100! However I Could Die Tomorrow.
It's Amazing How Differently A Person Views The Old Year Leaving And The New One Approaching. For Years I Felt Sadness. I Think It Was Because Of The Special Things That Happened That Particular Year. I Have Never Felt Like This Before. It Feels Like I Have Been Saved Again. Like When I First Accepted Jesus As My Savior. I Feel Like A New Person With A Vision For My Future. It Gives Me Strength.
What I Do Know Is I Feel Like I Am A Better Person Today Because I Knew Him. I Am Changed For The Better. Now As I Move My Life Forward I Do So With Peace In My Heart.

Reflection Of 2011

Each Year I Try To Reflect On Things That Happened That I Consider Noteworthy. In No Particular Order And If I Miss Something, Please Forgive Me. Some May Be Sad While Others Could Be Funny. Bear With Me. If You Get Bored Move On To The Next Blog.
My Year Didn't Start Off Too Well. I Was In The Process Of Writing An Obituary For My Son. Bobby Passed Away On The 29th Of December. We Laid Him To Rest At St Peter & Paul Cemetery In Westville On Saturday January 8th.
My Fathers Brother Passed Away On February 10Th. My Uncle Fred Miller, A Man I Hardly Knew. Miles Separated Us Through My Lifetime Preventing Me From Actually Getting To Know Him Well. A Man Of God Who Married My Parents Back In 1952.
Back In March I Decided To Cover My Thirty Some Year Old Tattoo's. One Was A Cover Up Memorial To My Son Bobby. The Other Was A Cover Up With Something I Am Most Interested In Today. Bowling, What Else?
Back in July My Brother Tuck Was The Only One Dressed Like A Red Neck. Being One Of The Baseball Stadium Announcers, They Have "Special" Nights. This Night In Particular Was To Dress Up Red Neck Style. He Was Dressed Out Well. Now If Others Participated It May Have Been A Fun Night For Him And Others. If There Was A Lesson To Be Learned That Night, Let Others Know It's Ok To Be Able To Laugh At Yourself.
On October 18th I Lost A Friend. My Friend Barnee, Who Just So Happened To Be My Brother's Dog, Had To Be Put To Sleep. He Was A Good And Faithful Dog.
Cassie Came Into My Life. She Is A Pug And I Believe She's A Match Made From Heaven. By That I Mean I Feel That Bobby Paired Us Together. She Is So Sweet And Lovable.
The Robin Hood Foundation Blanket Drive Was Another Success. About 300 Beds Will Be Warmer This Winter.
The Upcoming Year Of 2012 Is Viewed By Me As A Fresh New Year With Hopefully Good Things To Come. I Have Often Heard That Change Is Good. I Hope This Is True. My Mission In Helping The Poor May Change In Some Ways. When You Are Use To Doing Things A Certain Way For So Many Years, Change Can Be Difficult.
My Commitment In My Mission Is True. I Will Continue To Give Of Myself So Others Can Have A Better Life. If I Do Things Differently Than In Years Past, So Be It. I Have God On My Side And I Have The Faith He Will Guide The Way.
My Hopes Are High For This New Coming Year. I Say Bring It On!

Euchre Year

Last Year I Boasted About Receiving The Triple Crown In The Card Game Of Euchre. I Call It The Triple Crown Because I Play Euchre Three Times A Week.
This Year I Fell Short Of That Crown. Sunday And Monday Euchre Sessions Came Out In My Favor This Year Too. However, Going Into This Last Week Two Games Ahead, We Fell Short And Lost On Wednesday Night. It Was A Hard Fought Battle To The Very End. My Friend Mutley And I Have To Take The Ladies Out To Dinner For Their Win.
So Congratulations To The Ladies. However, Beware We Expect To Re-Claim Our Title Back For This New Coming Year.

In Rememberance

One Year Ago Today My Son Bobby Took His Life. It's With Great Sadness I Write This Today. Since The Calendar Has Taken It's Complete Cycle, I Find Peace With This.
Now I Don't Look Back And Say One Year Ago Today Bobby Did This Or Did That. Time Has Marched On Quickly. I Would Never Say It Never Crosses My Mind. I Think Of Bobby Every Day.
I Have Good Reason For My Peace. I Slept In His Recliner Last Night. I Have Never Slept In A Recliner Before. I Just Knew I Would Feel Comfort By It. That's What Is Important. If It Gives You Comfort By Going To The Cemetery Then By All Means Go.
I Last Visited Bobby's Grave Earlier In The Week When I Took My Grandson Home. I Found Myself Singing A Christmas Carol. Bobby Would Surely Understand The Reasoning Behind It.
You Must Have Known Bobby's Character To Understand Why I Did What I Did. Today I Went Bowling. He Would Want Me To Enjoy My Bowling. He Knows How Much I Enjoy Bowling. Bobby Would Be Disappointed In Me If I Didn't Enjoy My Life On His Account. Of Course He Would Be Flattered By Us Remembering All The Good Times We Shared. I Will Cling Onto Those Memories For As Long As I Live. As I Have Been Reminded Memories Are God's Gift That Death Cannot Destroy.
I Wore The Ring I Gave To Bobby When He Was Just A Teen. He Had It Re-Sized To Fit Blake If He Chooses To Wear It. Of Course I Have My Necklace With A Link To Bobby's Bracelet. I Decided To Wear The Belt Bobby Was Wearing When He Passed Away. Today Whether I Bowled Well Or Not I Had My Comfort.
As A Matter Of Fact I Bowled My Highest Series In This League This Year. I Think Bobby Was At The Bowling Alley With Me Today. I Think He Was At The Cemetery Where Billie Visited This Afternoon. I Think He Was Everywhere He Was Needed To Give Comfort For Those Who Were Seeking It.
I Am Looking Forward To The New Year. No Looking Back, When I Should Be Pushing Forward With My Life. If I Look Back, I Want To With Fondness With No Sadness. My Reason Is Simple. That's What Bobby Would Want.
Death Unfortunately Is A Part Of Life. I Think The Most Significant Part Of Death Itself Is Missing The Physical Appearance Of The One Who Passed. That's What Photo's Are For. We Should All Create Memories And Take A Lot Of Pictures Along The Way. Someday You Will Find Yourself Searching For Those Memories.
Have You Had Your Kodak Moment?

It Seemed Like Yesterday

The Other Day My Parents Invited My Sister And Her Husband, Both My Brothers And Our Wives To A Dinner. We All Lead Different Lives And Sometimes It's Difficult To Get Everybody Together. It Was Nice To See Each Other And Chat For A Spell.
As My Eyes Browsed The Table I Could See How We All Have Aged. Well, Maybe With The Exception Of My Brother Robin. Not Sure What His Secret Is For His Youth Like Appearance, But Looks Are Not Everything. They Say Never Judge A Book By It's Cover. Through Our Conversations We Talked About Our Eye Sight And How It's Not Like It Use To Be. Well What Is? Otherwise It Was An Occasion We Could All Get Together And Enjoy Each Others Company. We Were Together This Past Summer At Our Family Reunion. One Thing We Have Been Reminded Of Is, Life Is Short And We Just Don't Know What Lies Ahead Of Us. We Tend To Believe The Older Generation Depart This World Before The Young. It Doesn't Always Work Out That Way.
As Christmas Nears, My Mind Has Wandered Of Christmas Past. The Times When I Was Young Growing Up On Franklin. Those Christmas Days Pretty Much Molded What I passed On To My Family And Our Children.
This Christmas As Most My Readers Are Aware Will Be Minus One Family Member. This Christmas Will Be Our First Without My Son Bobby. As Each Day Nears Christmas, I Find Myself Becoming Sad And Lonely. Even Though I Could Be Surrounded By A Mass Of People, That Void In Your Heart Seems To Be Abundant.
I Believe The First Calendar Year Is The Hardest. This Is Not My First Years Of Grieving. As I Remembered In Earlier Years, That First Birthday, The Seasons, The Events Missed, Are All Important And Significant In The Grieving Process. I Believe Soon After The First Of The New Year, Life As We Know It Will Gradually Become More Bearable. Bobby Passed Away On The 29th Of December. So You See One Year Has Not Passed Yet. However, From The Time Of His Death And The Day We Buried Him It Was 10 Days. Of Those Days My Father And Sister Both Celebrated A Birthday. I Can't Even Remember Today Whether I Called Them And Wished Them A Happy Birthday. I'm Sure They Were Quite Aware Of My State Of Mind During Those Days. Those Were My Darkest Of Days. The Loss Of A Child No Matter The Age Can Be Devastating For Any Parent.
I Haven't A Clue Who All Reads My Blogs. It May Only Be A Handful. No Matter The Number, I Want To Thank You For Reading Some Of My Deepest Thoughts. Some People Don't Believe In Blogs. They Feel Personal Happenings Should Be Private And Not Be Put Out There For All To Read. I Have Always Enjoyed Writing. Blogging Has Given Me The Opportunity To Share My Thoughts. It's No Secret This Past Year Has Been A Roller Coaster Of Emotions. I Appreciate My Readers Sticking With Me By Reading My Words.
One Thing Is For Certain, You Have No Idea What You Will Read When You Come To My Blog Site. It Could Be Something Funny, Sad, Or Maybe Even Weird. No Matter The Topic, It Came From Me, Either Through Life Experience Or Just Plain Silliness.
The Full Cycle Of One Year Is Fast Approaching. I'm Sure On These Dates It Will Give Me An Opportunity To Reflect And Reminisce. I Believe Once That Cycle Is Complete, Life Get's Better. They Say Time Heals Wounds And I Do Believe That. For Some It Takes Longer Than Others.
I Just Want My Readers To Know That Even Though This Past Year Of My Blogging May Have Been Depressing, The New Year Can Be Promising. I Just Don't Want To Lose Devoted Readers By Depressing Them. This Past Year Has Been Difficult. I Cannot Describe In Words My Feelings, My Loss. What I Can Describe Is, Each Morning When I Look Into The Mirror, I See A Man Getting Older. My Hair And Beard Has Grayed. I See That Time Doesn't Stand Still For Anyone.
I Don't Have Plans To Formally Celebrate This Christmas Like The Ones I Had In Years Past. Of Course It's Because Of The Loss Of My Son. I Still Consider Myself In Mourning.
I Am Looking Forward To The New Year Of 2012. This New Year To Me Completes The Calendar Cycle. I Felt Like I Needed To Reserve This Year For Him. The New Year Of 2012 Represents Fresh Idea's And Hope For The Future.
I Would Say I Knew My Son Best. I Knew His Character. I Know He Believed In My Mission To Help The Poor. He Would Not Want Me Or His Mother To Mourn His Loss For The Rest Of Our Lives. He Would Want Us To Be Happy And Productive. I Know This To Be True Because I Knew Him Well. All The Reminders I Have Of Him Prove To Me He Enjoyed Life. Even His Last Days Had Laughter In It. There Are Times We Don't Understand Why We Do The Things We Do. All We Can Do Is Put Our Trust In God's Hands And Pray That One Day We Will See Each Other Again.
Next Time You Look At Yourself In The Mirror, Take An Extra Long One.

Christmas Is What You Make It!

People! The People You Choose To Surround Yourself At Christmas Time Is What Puts The Spirit In The Air.
Never Would We Forget Who's Birthday We Celebrate. It's A Holiday Families Get Together And Rejoice The Birth Of Jesus.
Most All Of My Readers Know What This Christmas Will Be Like For Me This Year. I Won't Boar You Or Bring Your Holiday Spirit Down. I Will Instead Share With You What Christmas Means To Me This Year. I Will Let The Photo's Speak For Themselves.

Christmas Through The Years Has Become More About Spending, Buying And Focusing On Everything Else But The True Meaning.
To Be Honest, This Christmas Could Be Over With Yesterday As Far As I Am Concerned.

It's A Wonderful Life?

Yes It's Christmas Time And Some Of You May Be Watching Classic Movies Such As Miracle On 34Th St Or It's A Wonderful Life. I Have Made It No Secret That I Am Not Into Christmas This Year. It's Jesus's Birthday And I Will Honor That. As For The Rest Of It I Am Not Interested. I Won't Listen To Christmas Music Because That Only Makes Me Very Sad. I Did However Watch The Movie It's A Wonderful Life This Evening. The Reason I Did Was Because I Have Never Watched It From Beginning To End. I Have Always Watched Parts Of It Throughout The Years.
Even Though The Movie Had Christmas Scenes, The Movie Itself Was Not About Christmas At All. It Was About A Man Who Fought To Be A Good Person To Others. He Made Life Sacrifices So Others Could Have A Better Life. His Guardian Angel Showed Him What The World Would Be Like Without George Bailey In It.
So Tell Me What This World Would Be Like Without You In It? Has Your Life Effected Anyone Else? Would This World Be Different Without You In It?
Actually, If You Are Reading This You Are In Existence. There Is Only One You And Only One World. I Say Make The Best Of It In Everything You Say And Do. You Have Only One Life. Why NOT Make The Best Of It?

The Baker's Dozen

I Bet Many Of You Have Heard The Expression Baker's Dozen. Some Years Back I Found Out How That Phrase Came About. Of Course That's Not The Reason For Writing This Blog But Just Wanted To Spice It Up A Bit.
Back In The Day, In A Land Far Away, Bakers Who Were Ripping Their Customers Off And Cheating Them Out Of Their Rightful Dozen. They Took Their Complaints To The King! His Response To The Bakers Was That If Any More Customers Were Cheated They Would Be Beheaded. To Ensure They Would Maintain Themselves And Keep Their Heads On Straight They Would Always Toss In An Additional, Bringing The Total To 13.
My Mind Has Taken Me To The Years Of My Up Bringing. With My Parents Being Foster Parents We Would Never Know How Many Kids Would Be Sitting At The Table For Supper. Try To Think Of A Large Family And That's What It Felt Like Growing Up On Franklin. We Always Had The Half Baker's Dozen Once Brenda, Mark And Loyal Lived With Us On More Of A Permanent Basis.
My Father Got His Escape When It Was Time For Work. He Was A Firefighter And Worked 24 Hours And Off For 48 Hours. On His Days Off He Would Work A Second Job To Keep The Money Coming In. The Roses Goes To My Mother Because She Had No Escape.
I Don't Think I Have To Run Through The Duties Of A Mother For You To Fully Understand What Her Days Were Like. Multiply This By However Many Kids Were In The House. It Was Remarkable How One Woman Could Manage This Daily Routine.
Looking Back On Those Years I Don't Know How She Managed Just The Laundry. Of Course She Didn't Do It On A Rock At The Creek But It Might As Well Been. The Washer And Dryer Were Down In The Basement. Years Later After Billie And I Moved In She Told Me Since Our Family Was Much Smaller There Was No Need For A Walk In Closet. The Washer And Dryer Came Upstairs.
Those Days On Franklin Was Always A Fond Memory. I Often Wondered Why My Father Never Installed A Revolving Door. It May Have Never Been A Bakers Dozen, Yet I Am Sure My Mother At Times Felt It Was.

Create Your Memory

At Least That's What I Call It. Whenever You Have The Opportunity To Create A Memory, It May Bring A Smile Down The Road.
Disorders Such As Alzheimer Is Such A Cruel Way To Die. It's Hard To Imagine Life Without Your Memory. I Was Told One Day I Could Begin Losing Memories. I Think We All Have Memory Issues Of Some Sort.
I Still Have Memories Of My Childhood. There May Come A Time It All Will Eventually Fade Away. Sometimes I Have To Stop And Think What I Had For Breakfast. One Thing I Know For Sure Is There Is Something I Can Do For All The Tomorrows. Someday Someone Will Be Looking Back At Moments Of Time. Something You Say Or Something You Do Will One Day Be Remembered. I Found Out A Long Time Ago It's Not Always About You. Life Is About Us All.
Create A Fond Memory For Someone. Give Them A Reason To Remember And Smile.

Robin Hood

The Robin Hood Foundation Of Danville Has Ended It's 2011 Season With Our Finale. Each Year The Day After Thanksgiving We Conduct Our Annual Blanket Drive. The Past 2 Years We Have Been Collecting Them In The K Mart Parking Lot Here In Danville.
We Promote What A Single Blanket On A Bed Can Do. By Placing A Blanket On A Bed At Night Allows You To Lower Your Thermostat. For Every Degree It Is Lowered You Save 3% On Your Power Bill. Save While You Sleep!
We Chose Black Friday Because It's The Busiest Shopping Day Of The Year. The Cooler Temperatures Are Also A Reminder That Not Everyone Is As Fortunate To Have A Blanket On Their Bed. It's Also The Season Of Giving. We Give To The Less Fortunate Because It's The Right Thing To Do. There Will Always Be Poor Amongst Us. The Lord Will Prosper You In Everything You Do For Them.
The Annual Paper Work Arrived From The State Of Illinois. In Order To Be Certified By The State You Must Have Your Board Of Directors In Place To Be Legally A Non Profit. With Sadness I Replaced My Son On The Board. I Left His Seat Vacated Since I Had Already Filed For 2011 Before His Death. I Have Other Directors And With Their Approval We Left It Vacant This Year In His Honor. Bobby Loved What The Foundation Stood For. It Was A Joy To See What It Meant To Him. Maybe I Can Send A Boy Or Girl To Summer Camp Each Year In Bobby's Memory. I Think He Would Be Proud To Have This Done For Him Each Summer.
In The Meantime Our Mission Is Finished For The Season. We Enter Into Hibernation Until April. The Blankets Were Delivered To The Abundant Life Pentacostal Church Of God. Today I Selected A Young Man Who Has Helped Me Numerous Times On My Truck This Past Summer. He Knew I Would Need The Help Since Bobby Passed Away. I Want To Welcome Richard Wallace As A New Director. He Joins Jan Owen And Brenda Bynam. All Of These Individuals I Trust Fully With Guiding Where The Robin Hood Foundation Of Danville Goes Into The Future.
I Must Hibernate My Body And My Mind Through The Winter Months In Hopes That The First Week Of April 2012 Brings Us Promises To Be Even The Best Year Yet.
Bobby, We Will Keep The Dream Alive.........

I Remember

It Was A Cool Crisp November Morning That I Last Saw My Son Alive. The Date November 22nd Was Always Etched In My Memory Because This Was The Date John F Kennedy Was Assassinated In 1963.
Little Did I Know Years Later A More Significant Event Would Over Shadow That Date. It's Been One Long And Agonizing Year Since I Last Saw You Bobby Joe. Not Too Many People Were Allowed To Call You That. To Everyone Else It Was Just Bobby.
When We Said Our Good Bye's That Day I Had No Idea It Would Be For The Last Time. Had I Known, That Day Would Have Been Much Different. I Would Have Told Him How Much Joy He Brought To My Life. He Believed In My Dream And I Had Hopes He Would Carry It On One Day. I Feel Cheated And Robbed.
Today I Don't Feel Whole. My Heart Is Broken And Every Day I Feel I Am Missing Something. Words Cannot Describe The Emptiness I Feel.
If God Had Only Hinted This Would Have Been My Last Moments With My Son I May Have Held Him Closer When We Hugged For The Last Time. I Would Have Told Him How Proud I Was Of Him For Trying To Turn His Life Around And Be A Better Person. Looking Back I Can Only Wish.
For Now I Can Only Hope That One Day I Will See My Son Again. Yes It Will Be In A Different Life Form, But All In All I Yearn For That Day.
It Seems Like There Were Many Obstacles And Hurdles Throughout This Past Year. Each Of Those Times Came A Reminder Of Moments When Things Were Good. No Thoughts Of Tragedy. Only Enjoying The Moment We Shared Of That Time.
One Night I Dreamed Of Seeing A Clock. Just A Plain Ordinary Clock, So I Thought. However This Clocks Hands Traveled In Reverse. The Minute Hand Would Travel To The Left Instead Of The Right. As I Stared At The Clock For What Seemed Like Hours, My Hopes Were For The Dream To Last Until The Time Reached To When Bobby Was Still Alive. My Dream Ended Before The Time Took Me Back To That Fateful Day. As No Surprise To Me All It Would Ever Be Was A Dream.
God Only Knows The Many Lives That Changed Because Of His Death. The Peace He Left Behind For Me Was His Plea For Me To Continue My Mission In Life. Even Though I Had Been Doing This For 25 Years He Never Actually Knew The Impact It Had On So Many Poverty Stricken People Until The Summer Of 2010. He Told Me One Very Hot Summer Day He Was Proud Of Me. He Saw Me Drenched In Sweat As I Was Unloading My Truck To A Family In Need. I Reminded Him We Should Always Give Of Ourselves To Help Those Less Fortunate. I Never Did It For The Recognition. I'd As Soon Wish To Do My Work And Steer Clear Of The Glory. I Have Never Been The Kind Of Person Who Says Look At What I Did. I Saw The Need And I Am Able To Help. I Will Continue My Mission Until I Am Unable To Perform The Labor It Requires. When That Day Arrives I Hope To Find That Right Person Who Will Have My Same Vision.
One Day As I Was Surfing The Internet I Ran Across Bobby's Old Myspace Account. As I Read His Profile It Came To The Part It Asked Who His Hero Was. He Said My Dad. Of Course I Cried After Reading It.
So Today All I Can Do Is Reflect On The 29 Years I Had With My Son. We Had Good Times And We Had Some Bad Times. All In All I Am Thankful To God For Allowing Me To Have Those 29 Years With Him. Getting To Know Him And Love Him. Sharing Common Interest That Created Memories For The Both Of Us. For Me Those Memories Will Be With Me Until The Day I Die.
So One Year Ago Today You Were On A Plane In The Sky Heading For What We All Thought Was A Better Life. As I Look Up Today I Do So In Sadness And The Pain In Missing You. However I Do Cling Onto Knowing I Was Your Hero And This Is What Motivates Me Today.
Please Lord Reserve A Spot Beside Him. Let Him Know His Hero Will Continue The Mission, Maybe Someday I Can Say Mission Completed.
I Will Always Love And Miss You My Son Bobby Joe Miller.

I See 12 Holidays In This Photo. Can You See Any More Than 12?

On This Memorial Day I Want To Thank All Our Veterans Who Served Our Great Nation. Whether It Was Peace Time Or War, Your Service To Our Country Is Greatly Appreciated.
I Want To Briefly State Something That Has Bothered Me For A Long Time Now. I Make Jokes About Being The Man From Nantucket. Yes I Consider Where I Served As A Sailor's Paradise. I Enjoyed My Stint And Will Remember It For As Long As I Live.
However Had I Been Assigned To A Ship That Cruised The Coast Of Vietnam Or Other Places Of Significance I Would Be As Proud Of Who I Am Because Of It.
When I Took The Oath On That Cold January Morning In 1973 I Was Willing To Make The Ultimate Sacrifice For My Country.
I, Gregory Miller, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.
Setting All The Jokes Aside From Where I Served, Had My Papers Instructed Me To A Ship That Saw Enemy Fire That Is The Place I Would Have Been. Just To Set The Record Straight, Those Who May Consider Me NOT A Vietnam Veteran Can Kindly Eat My Shorts. Therefor Those Who Served In WW2 In The Mail Room Or The Kitchen Can Hold Their Heads Up High. There Is Absolutely No Reason To Feel Less Of A Soldier Because You Saw No Enemy Fire.
So Today My Hat Is Off To Every American Man Or Woman, Black Or White, Catholic, Jewish, Christian, Or Otherwise Who Proudly Wore The Uniform Of Any Branch Of The Military. This Day Is Set Aside To Honor Your Service To Us.
We Thank You......

It Must Be Cassie!

Tomorrow Will Mark A Week With My New Friend. She's An Adorable Full Of Love Pug. She Has Taken To Me The Moment I Brought Her Home. I Was Told Her Name Was Sassie. Today I Was Looking In A Box Of Heart Worm Chewables, When I Discovered A Dog Tag With A Vet Receipt. On This Receipt Shows What Shots Were Given. Description Of A Blonde Pug Named Cassie. For Almost A Week Now We Have Been Calling Her Sassie. When I Asked Her Name I Thought She Said Sassy But Maybe The 50 Year Old Ears Of Mine Need To Be Washed And Dewaxed!
Anyway Just A Minor Detail. It Doesn't Matter What Your Formal Name Is, As Long As You Live Up To It. She Has Shown Me Lot's Of Love. I Think Things Are Going To Work Out Fine. I Can Get Use To A New Name. But A Blonde Too??

Today; 110211112011

Today's Date Is The Same Forward And Backward.
Just Sayin....

Happy Halloween

Meet Sassie!

Sassie Is A New Edition To The Household. Sassie Is A Three Year Old Pug. She Is So Sweet And Lovable. I Wanted To Share The Announcement With My Blog Readers.

If Dog's Could Talk....

Dogs Are Great! Don't You Think So? I Have Had Dogs Throughout My Life. I Believe Dogs Are Very Therapeutic. If You Are Having A Bad Day Your Dog Will Try To Convince You Otherwise. Which Is Good. No, I Mean That's Great! I Believe Dog's Are One Of God's Greatest Creations.
They Are Loyal And Give Unconditional Love.
I Could Never Understand Why Someone Would Tie Up A Dog To His House Or A Tree. To Me That Is No Better Than Slavery. If Dogs Could Talk I'm Sure They Would Say Please Don't Tie Me Up. Don't Keep Me From Running Around, Jumping And Having Fun. Play With Me And Be My Friend. Don't Put Me In A Cage. A Cage Represents Bad Behavior. A Cage Is Just A Convenience For The Owner.
Show Me Love And I Will Repay You With A Promise Of Loyalty And Friendship. Alaya Is Billie's Miniature Yorkshire Terrier. She's A Good Dog. We Don't Have Her For Protection. She Only Weighs 3 Pounds. Actually She Is Billie's Best Friend. Alaya Has Never Abandoned Billie. Alaya Sensed Billie Needed A 24/7 Friend.
I Can't Imagine Tying Up Alaya Outside In The Cold Temperatures Taking Away Her Freedom To Roam.
If You Own A Dog, Please Love It And Show It Love And Respect. Treat It As You Want To Be Treated. I Thank The Lord For His Creations.

In A Perfect World.......

In A Perfect World Love Would Prevail Above Anything. Life Would Begin With God's Blessing. Kindness And Goodness Would Be All We Know. There Would Be No Poverty, No Sickness, No Death. Just An Everlasting Wonderland Of Perfection.
Growing Up In Danville Illinois Was Satisfying. By That I Mean Life Was Simpler. A Small Midwestern Town In America's Heartland. A Town Eager To Be Recognized As A Place Where Abraham Lincoln Practiced Law Before Becoming Our Country's 16th President. A Town That Rolled Out The Red Carpet For Not One, Not Two, But Many On Screen Celebrities Who Called Danville Their Home.
Growing Up In Danville Gave You Values And Self Respect. Miles Away From The Hustle And Bustle Of Big City Life, Danville Was The Perfect Place To Raise Your Children.
I Was The Second Child Born To A Young Couple Who Promised God They Would Provide Love And Guidance. Two Were Born After Me And Yet The Family Was Not Complete. Mom And Dad Became Foster Parents To Children Who Needed A Home With Love And Stability. Being Raised In A Large Family Gave Me Lessons In Life. Lessons That Can't Be Taught From A Book. First And For Most God Was And Always Has Been The Center Of My Life. I May Not Be The Bible Thumping Fanatic, Yet God Knows My Heart.
Life Has Taken My Life In Many Directions. None I Would Consider In Travel, However In The People I Have Met A Long The Way. Very Interesting People. I Had The Pleasure In Meeting The Most Simplest Human Beings On Earth And Felt Blessed By It. Their Story, Their Way Of Life. The People The Bible Spoke Of. People Who Lived The Life Of Poverty. My Father Was Raised In Poverty. The Son Of A Preacher Who Didn't Know Life With Electricity In His Younger Years. Back Then As Well As Today The Economy Has Crippled Our Nation, The Land Of The Free. Healthcare Had Taken A Backseat In The Mightiest Nation On Earth. Whether It Be The Pharmaceutical, The Insurance Companies, Or The Doctors, Maybe A Combination Of All. Children's Teeth Rot Because Dental Care Was Not Available To Them. The Sick Could Not Afford Their Medicine And Keep The Power On Too. People Die Everyday In This Country Of Ours. They Die From Afflictions, Or Illnesses That Could Be Cured. Greed Is Placing A $100.00 Per Pill Ordered By Your Doctor. A Pill That May Have Cost 3 Cents To Manufacture.
In A Perfect World We Could Have More Love And Compassion Toward Our Fellow Man. Less Judgement And More Peace With Our Brother.
A Better Understanding For Those Who Suffer From Depression. A Comforting And Assuring Word For Those Who May Be Contemplating Suicide.
In A Perfect World I Would Have My Son Alive And Well And Enjoying Life To The Fullest.
In A Perfect World.......

If My Memory Serves Me Correctly, The Junk Drawer Was Located Between The Refrigerator And The Stove. I Believe It Was Either The Second Or Third Drawer From The Top.
If You Hollered "Where's The Screwdriver?" Most Likely Someone Would Holler Back, Look In The Junk Drawer. Oh How I Miss That Drawer. We Don't Have One Here, But We Should.
You Could Find Almost Anything In There. I Never Questioned How It Got There. It Was Likely That Is Where I Would Find It. You Would Think I Would Have Created One Just Like It When I Lived On Franklin Street.
To Be Quite Honest About It I Have Always Left The Kitchen Alone. That Was Always Billie's Territory. Maybe I Will Create One For My Man Cave....

Our Friend Barnee

I stood by your bed last night,
I came to have a peep.
I could see that you were crying,
You found it hard to sleep.

I whined to you softly
as you brushed away a tear,
"It's me, I haven't left you,
I'm well, I'm fine, I'm here."

I was close to you at breakfast,
I watched you pour the tea,
You were thinking of the many times,
your hands reached down to me.

I was with you at the shops today,
Your arms were getting sore.
I longed to take your parcels,
I wish I could do more.

I was with you at my grave today,
You tend it with such care.
I want to re-assure you,
that I'm not lying there.

I walked with you towards the house,
as you fumbled for your key.
I gently put my paw on you,
I smiled and said " it's me."

You looked so very tired,
and sank into a chair.
I tried so hard to let you know,
that I was standing there.

It's possible for me,
to be so near you everyday.
To say to you with certainty,
"I never went away."

You sat there very quietly,
then smiled, I think you knew...
In the stillness of that evening,
I was very close to you.

The day is over...
I smile and watch you yawning
and say "good-night, God bless,
I'll see you in the morning."

And when the time is right for you
to cross the brief divide,
I'll rush across to greet you
and we'll stand, side by side.

I have so many things to show you,
there is so much for you to see.
Be patient, live your journey out...
then come home to be with me.

You May Not Like It Today But You Will Love It Tomorrow. I Can Remember As A Youngster My Mother Would Always Be There With Her Camera. It Was Either Still Photo's Or On Special Occasions Her Movie Camera. Now Don't Get It Confused With Today's Video Camera's. Back In The Day It Was Black And White With No Sound.
It Seemed Such A Pain To Have That Camera Flash Or Those Bright Lights For The Video In Your Face. Today I Am So Thankful She Did That. Unfortunately We See Very Little Of Mom. Even Though At Times Others Would Volunteer To Take The Video So She Could Be A Part Of It. It's The Same Way With Me When Beckie And Bobby Were Growing Up. I Was Always Behind The Camera. However You Could Hear My Voice Make Comments Or Laugh At What Was Being Video'd At That Particular Moment.
Now Let Me Ask You Something. Is That Quarrel You Are Presently Having Important Enough Today You Won't Regret It Tomorrow? Now Only You Can Answer That Question. Not Me Or Anyone Else. I Confess I Have A Couple People Who I Have Told To Go Fly A Kite. Well, Actually I Used Other Words But For Blog Purposes I Choose These Words. Will I Regret It Later? The Answer Is No.
As I Grow Older I Must Be Wiser Than In Years Past. Sure I May Have Gotten Ticked At Something They Said Or Did. Then I Asked Myself If It Was Important Enough To Harbor A Grudge Against Them? I Forgave Them Secretly Even Though They Didn't Ask For Forgiveness. Apologies Are Not As Important To Me As Forgiveness.
This Blog Is Not Aimed At Any One Particular Person. If You See Yourself In It Then Maybe You Should Ask Yourself The Question. Will Your Anger Toward Another Be As Vivid Tomorrow As It Is Today? Will It Matter One Way Or Another? Only You Can Decide. If You Are At Peace With Who You Surround Yourself In Life Then So Be It.
I Try Not To Pass Judgement Onto Others. I Don't Like It When Others Do It To Me.
If By Removing Someone From Your Life Permanently Have An Impact On Your Future, All I Ask From You Is To Re-Read The Words In The Box. If Your Answer Is The Same Then I Respect That. I Respect That Because I Respect You. Whatever Decisions You Make In Life Are Yours And Yours Alone. Who Am I To Question You? I Most Certainly Would Not Appreciate Someone Questioning My Decisions In Life.
I Am Thankful My Son And I Loved One Another. I Cannot Imagine How I Would Be Dealing With His Death If Our Love Was Lost. Dealing With His Death Is Difficult Enough.
Just Food For Thought My Friends. Peace...Love....Forgive.

The Power Of Prayer

Donations This Year Have Been At The Very Lowest In More Than 10 Years. I Have My Own Opinions As To Why. Why Doesn't Matter. What Matters Is How We Can Turn Things Around And End Our Season With A Bang.
Tonight My Friend Connie Told Me She Has Been Praying For More Donations. She Confessed This To Me Tonight As We Were Unloading The Truck At The Church. For The Past Three Months We Had Been Concerned About The Need In This Community. Clothing, Household Misc Goes As Fast As I Truck It In. Those In Need Pay Absolutely Nothing.
The Robin Hood Foundation Of Danville Is On It's Last Leg Of The Season. We Cease Operations In October. I Try Not To Say We Finish Out October Because October Is Such A Funny Month. You Never Know What To Expect. This Past Weekend We Had Frost. Overnight Lows For The Area Has Been In The 30's. Today The High Reached 80. I Would Be Delighted To Usher Out This Month With The Telephone Ringing Off The Hook.
Calls Have Increased This Past Week. For Whatever Reason I Will Not Question. I Will Say However I Believe God Has A Lot To Do With It.
Pray For Poverty........

Do I Really Need To Add Any Words To This? Of All The Blogs I Have Written, I Would Have To Say This Is One Of The Shortest. The Sign; Think About It....

What A Blessing It Is To Give. It Took Me Some Years To Really Find This Blessing And How It Makes Me Feel. I Think A Lot Of It Is Because I Had Been A Recipient At Times And I Truly Felt Blessed. I Never Considered It A Big Deal When I Gave Because I Have Been On Both Sides In Giving And Receiving.
I Would Prefer To Give Anonymously Because I Don't Want To Make A Big Deal About My Giving. It's The Need That Should Be Recognized, And Not The Giving.
There Are Scriptures In The Bible Instructing Us To Help The Poor. There Will Always Be Poor People. My Reason For Giving Has No Biblical Purpose Behind It. Goodwill Toward Man Was Etched Into My Being From My Father. For As Long As I Can Remember My Father Guided Us In The Direction In Helping Others First And Foremost. For Example, When We Were Young And Eager To Make Money Shoveling Snow, My Father Told Us After We Shoveled Our Own Walk We Must First Shovel The Walks Of Our Neighbors And Charge Them No Money. That Example Made An Impression On Me About Priorities. From Then On I Have Always Tried To Remember Other's Needs. There Are Those Who I Would Consider Meek And Would Not Ask For Anything. That's Why We Should Always Be Aware Of Our Surroundings And Watch For Signs From Those Who Could Use Some Extra Help.
At Times I Get Frustrated At People Who Are Not Thankful. Some Expect To Be Helped Time And Time Again. These Are The Takers In Life. A Simple Thank You Is Sufficient Enough For Me. No Big Deal On My Part In Giving. As Long As I Know The One I Am Giving To Appreciates It. There Are Too Many In The World Who Are Thankful. I Try Not To Question The Need. I Believe Once We Start Questioning The Need Our "Give List" Gets Smaller. Not Everything Is As It Appears.
We Will Never Win The War On Poverty. If We Had More Givers Than Takers The World Would Be Better Off.

Everything Is Shrinking

I Recently Polled My Friends On Facebook About The Price Of Gas. Actually It Wasn't About Price At All. It Had Everything To Do With Consumption. My Father Mentioned To Me That Products On The Shelves Of The Grocery Stores Are Shrinking. For Example He Saw An Advertizement For A Half A Gallon Of Ice Cream. When He Went To Purchase It, He Noticed It Was Not A Half Gallon. They Made The Box Smaller. He Mentions It To Management, I Don't Remember What Their Response Was. The Price Is Reduced And So Was The Product. Today I Went To Purchase My Microwave Popcorn. Same Familiar Box Which Appeared To Be Thinner. I Read It Only Contained 3 Bags Instead Of It's Usual 4.
Back To My Facebook Friends. As Follows Is The Message I Had For These Friend.

"I'm not all the great in math. Really I'm not. Help me figure this out. If gas is 3.60 and I spent $36.00, how many gallons of gas did I get?"

I Posted This In My Status On Monday. As Of Tuesday I Didn't Get A Correct Response. I Did Not Ask The Question To Be A Smart Alek. I Wanted To See How Many Of Us Would Be Observant. With The Price Of Gas Being One Of The Most Common Conversations Between People, Can Be More Complicated Than You Realize. How Much Is Gas Today? How Much Will Gas Be Tomorrow?
The Answer To The Gas Question Is 9 Gallons Of Gas. As Advertized On Every Gas Sign Is The Price Of 9/10th Of A Gallon. This Measurement Has Been In Existance For As Long As I Can Remember. You Don't Get An Actual 1 US Gallon. Gasoline Is Measured By 10Ths Of Gallons. I'm Not Questioning Anyone's Math Ability. I'm Bringing Awareness To These Issues. Yes It May Be Best For Everyone In The Long Haul. Over A Period Of Time. That's With The Exception To The Gas Prices.
So In Essence, For Every 10 Gallon Of Gas, You Lose One Gallon. Yet Pay For What You Think Is In Gallons, But Rather Of 9 10/ths Of A Gallon.
File This Blog Under Useless Information. Just Sayin...

Spent A Lifetime Worrying About Tomorrow.

Am I The Only One? I Have Been An Everyday Worry-er For As Long As I Can Remember. Yes Maybe I Do Take Life A Little Too Seriously. I Have Recently Began Re-Thinking My Life. I Was Reminded Last December How Short Life Really Is. One Thing I Have Come To Realize Is There Will Always Be Things I Cannot Control. I Have Always Been The Kind Of Person Who Likes To Fix Situations. Instead Of Worrying About Today, I Find Myself Stressing About Tomorrow. Yet I Have Always Been A Firm Believer In Being Prepared. However In Most Cases That Takes Money. What Happens If The Refrigerator Quit Working? Appliances We Find Ourselves Dependent On, Will Eventually Quit Operating. Nothing Is Made To Last A Lifetime.
My Brother And I Found Ourselves In A Short Conversation About Warranties Of A Roof. He Commented About Getting A Roof With A 75 Year Warranty. We Both Know Neither Of Us Will Live That Many More Years, So Why Do We Need A Warranty Beyond Our Years? Maybe Because We Are More Concerned With The Longevity Of Our Homes Than What We Should. You Think The Next Person In Line For Your Home Appreciates The Care You Put Into The Home? I Would Have To Say Yes. The Man Who Owned My Home Had Put New Siding And Windows. He Even Put On A New Roof. Yes I Do Appreciate His Effort. However His Motives Were To Dress Up The House To Sell It. It Worked For Him.
Recently I Have Experienced Changes In My Life. Adapting To Change May Be Some Of My Problem. Whatever Is My Problem, I Need To Remind Myself Each Morning When I Get Up, I Cannot Save The World.
If I Were To Die Tonight I Would Be Very Disappointed In How I Lived My Life. I Could Have Been A Better Husband. A Better Son Or Father, Brother. More Of A Friend To Others. I Feel I Am Being Rushed In Life. It's Like My Life Is Moving Faster Than What It Should. Time Is Moving Swiftly. I Can Sit And Reminisce From Years Past And It Does Not Seem That Long Ago. It's Funny How Life Is Though. As A Kid I Don't Remember Me Ever Wondering What My Life Would Be Like When I Was In My Mid 50's. I Bet It Seemed A Lifetime Away. As A Child I Looked At My Grandpa As An Old Man. Today I Am Older Than What My Grandpa Was Back Then. I Assume My Grandchildren Must Think I'm Old. Am I?
I Know I Have Already Lived More Than Half My Lifetime. Knowing This Maybe It's About Time I Made Some Positive Changes In My Life.
Look At Today Being A Present. It Should Be A Present From God By Giving Us Another Day Of Life. Life Is A Gift And We Should Treat It Respectfully. We Should Plant Memories For Others Lives. It's Not All About You! Living It That Way I Consider Selfish. My Grandchildren Will Have Their Memories Of Me Like My Children And My Friends. I Have Those Same Memories Of My Parents Throughout The Years.
If I Manage To Change My Life And Live For Today, My Future Days Will Be Better. It's A Step In The Right Direction. So Live And Love. Smile. Let There Be No Question About How You Feel Toward A Person You Love And Respect.
Be Kind. After Watching A Full Evening Of People Who Didn't Have The Chance To Make Changes In Their Lives. Their Lives Were Gone In The Blink Of An Eye.
Life Is Good. I Need To Keep Reminding Myself Of This.
Condolences To All Those Families Effected By The Disaster Of 9-11. May God Bless Each Of Them.