Remembering Past And Looking Forward

Looking Back At 2012 I Would Have To Say The Weather Stands Out More Than Any One Thing In Particular. At The Beginning Of Last Winter We Experienced Cold And Bitter Temperatures. We Were Prepared For One Of The Harshest Winters. Much Surprise To Most Of Us At The Turn Of The New Year (2012) The Temps Were Above Average. Those Living In The Midwest Saw The Least Amount Of Snowfall. Actually It Was Declared The Third Mildest Winter On Record. I Got My Snow Shovel Out One Time And It Was Just Used To Remove An Inch Or Two Of Snow. The Likelihood Of Ever Seeing A Winter Like This In My Lifetime Would Be Slim To None. It Doesn't End Just There. We Jumped From Winter Right Into Summer. Speaking Of Summer Chalk Up Another Record Breaker. We Experienced A Drought I Had Never Seen Before. The Only Thing That Came From This Drought Was No Mowing Grass For Almost Three Months. The Grass Turned Brown And Stayed That Way Until Almost Near The End Of Summer.
Record Hot Temperatures Blasted Throughout The Midwestern States. Lakes And Rivers Were Shrinking And In Some Places Cities Were Requesting Residents To Conserve On Their Water Use.
As I Sit Here On The Last Day Of 2012 Soon I Will Watch The Nation Ring In A New Year. How Can We Ever Do That Without Dick Clark? Dick Passed Away Last April. The Man Who Never Aged Would No Longer Host A New Year's Eve Celebration.
Departing This Wonderful Earth To Just Name A Few Was The Man Responsible For Being The First Person To Walk On The Moon, Neil Armstrong. Music Icons Whitney Houston, Donna Summer, Robin Gibb And Kitty Wells. Those We Saw On The Big Screen Or Television Well Known Names Like Ernest Borgnine, Larry Hagman, Jack Klugman, Sherman Hensley, Phyllis Diller And Andy Griffith.
My Brother Tuck And Wife Evelyn Were Able To Travel Back To California To Spend Time With Their Daughter And New Husband. My Parents Stayed In Their Home And Got Well Acquainted With Granddog Jackee.
Closer To The Home Front We Chalk Up Another Great Year For The Robin Hood Foundation Of Danville. Our Grand Finale Was Yet Another Successful Blanket Drive. More Than 400 Beds Will Be Warmer This Winter's Season Because Of The Generosity Of Those Who Donated Blankets To Those Living In Poverty.
So There You Are Folks, This Years Events As I Remember Them. If I Failed To Mention Something Of Importance Just Chalk It Up To Forgetfulness.
Looking Ahead In Just A Few Days Will Be My Father's 80th Birthday. He Prefers To Keep It Simple So We Will Have A Little Cake At The Bowling Alley In Celebration.
Since I Didn't Win The Lottery I Will Fire Up The Old 1993 Box Truck The First Week Of April And Start Helping People Obtain Items They Cannot Afford. This Will Be My 27th Year In Picking Up Left-Over Rummage Sale Items. You Just Never Know What You Will Find A Long The Way. Each Year Can Be An Interesting One.
One Thing I Want To Mention. My Last Blog Titled "Remembering Bobby" Gave Me Reason To Reminisce About Fond Memories I Had Of Bobby. As A Matter Of Fact There Have Been Numerous Blogging Moments About Bobby. Even Though I Have Mentioned Touching And Memorable Moments And Times Of Bobby It Also Allowed Me To Heal. Two Years I Have Grieved For My Son. I Found Blogging  Has Helped Me Move Forward In My Life. You Can't Put A Time Table On One's Grief. We Are All Different. Even Though It's Just As Fresh In My Mind Of The Events Of Bobby, There Comes A Time You Must Let Go. I Found Myself Not Being The Productive Person That I Can Be, Or Once Was. In Order To Move Forward I Cannot Continue To Live In The Past. Please Don't Misunderstand Me. I Think It's Healthy To Look Back And Remember The Good Times. In Order For Me To Be More Productive, The Days That Led To His Death Must Be Shelved. For Too Long I Have Been Haunted By What If's.
Things I Cannot Change I Must Put To Rest And Move Forward. I Will Forever Love My Son And Miss Him Dearly. However, I Have A Beautiful Daughter, Wife And Grandchildren Who I Need To Focus On. The Years Ahead Of Me Need More Attention Than Those Behind Me. What Is Done Is Done.
I Have Always Been A Firm Believer That God Has A Purpose For Us All. Senseless Deaths We Cannot Understand Will Someday Be Revealed In His Bigger Plan For Us.
So When A Crazy Man Guns Down Innocent Children At School Or A Tornado Wipes Out An Entire Community, There Is A Reason. Maybe That's Why Life Seems To Be So Mysterious. The Answer To All Our Questions Lies Beyond. One Day We Will Understand.
For Now Though I Will Try To Focus More On Those Who Matters Most. I Will Try To Stay Positive In Things I Do In My Life. Maybe Along The Way I Can Drop A Few Pounds To Make Things Easier In April So I Can Get In And Out Of My Truck. Will This Be The Year I Roll My First 300 In Bowling? Oh God Let It Be While My Dad Is Watching. Recently He Has Been One Of My Biggest Supporters In Watching Me Bowl With The Old Folks On Thursday. Him And My Mother Show Up And Cheer On The Keenager's Each Week. I Certainly Hope They Know How Much I Appreciate It. They Claim No Shame In Me Accusing Them Of Child Abuse By Declaring Themselves Winners At The Euchre Table. Like The Cubs For Me And Tuck, Maybe Next Year.
So There You Have It. This Is As Close As It Gets To Making A New Year's Resolution This Year. I Make You Only One Promise When It Comes To My Blogs. This One Will Be My Last In 2012.

Remembering Bobby....

Today Marks The 2nd Anniversary Of My Son's Passing. I Chose This Photo Because Bobby And I Attended An Annual Pancake And Sausage Breakfast. I Attend Every Year And It Has Become A Tradition That My Bowling Team Also Attends Since It Always Lands On Thursday.
He Took This Photo From His Cell Phone. Just Another Memory Of Him I Can Cherish.
I Miss Him Terribly. Words Cannot Describe How My Heart Aches When I Think Of Him. I Can Remember The Conversations We Had The Summer Of 2010. I Told Him Sometime Down The Road I Would Like For Him To Carry On My Charitable Work In The Community. It Was Something He Believed In And Enjoyed Helping Me On The Truck. I Considered Him My Right Hand Man. He Told Me It Was An Honor That I Selected Him To Serve On The Board Of Directors Of The Robin Hood Foundation Of Danville. He Understood The Need For What We Provided To Those Less Fortunate. He Seen First Hand How We Obtained The Items And Who Received Them. In All The Years While He Was Growing Up He Knew What I Did But Never Fully Comprehended It Until He Became A Part Of It.
So Today I Cling Onto The Memories I Have Of Him. That's All There Ever Will Be Of Him. He Had Some Problems In His Life But Don't We All? I'm No Saint And Never Claimed To Be.
I Think We Sometimes Take Life For Granted. We Just Expect Things To Always Be The Same. Life Just Doesn't Work That Way And That Cold December Morning Reminded Me Of That. We Always Expect The Oldest Living Member Of Our Families To Go Next. It Doesn't Always Work Out That Way.
Many Lessons I Learned From My Son's Passing. I Found Out Who My Friends And Family Are. Yes I Said Family. You Just Assume Family Is Family. Through My Experience I Leaned Onto Those Closest To Me In Life. They Are The Ones Who Helped Me Get Through This. Sometimes It Takes A Tragedy In Life To Find Those Who Really Matter. It Sure Was A Wake Up Call In My Life. I Know Now Who Matters Most In My Life. You May Sense Some Bitterness In My Words And In My Opinion It's Justified. I Think It's Always Good To Know Who Matters The Most In Your Life. I Try Not To Put Too Much Of My Personal Life In My Blog. I Try To Keep It Simple. I May Have A Story Or Experience To Share. I Try To Keep My Blogs Upbeat And Positive. I Try Not To Ever Air Out Dirty Laundry Through My Words. The Words I Leave Behind After I Am Gone You Can Reflect On What Mattered Most In My Life. Some Days You Can Enjoy A Moment Of Laughter. Others Can Be A Reminder How Much I Enjoyed Pranking Someone If I Can Get By With It.
Whether You Laugh Or Cry After Reading My Blog, Let It Show You The Real Me. I Am The Real Deal. You Take Me For Who I Am.
I Will Always Love You Bobby Miller. May You Rest In Peace. One Day We Will Reunite And Spend Eternity Together.

After Writing Letter's To The Editor For More Than 40 Years I Got My First Rejection From The Commercial News. I Can Certainly Understand Their Concerns Of Libel If It Was Printed. When You Attack Someone's Character You Had Better Have Proof On Your Side. I Do Have The Proof But That Comes From Familiar Faces I Know Through The Summer Months. I Suppose The Salvation Army Documents Recipients, But Not Positive. I Normally Document Everything I Do. Somebody Told Me It May Seem Useless At The Time But Somewhere Down The Road It May Come In Handy. Wellll, I Suppose This Is One Of Those Times. I Decided From Now On Anything And Everything I Do Within The Summer Months All That I Do Will Be Documented. Sometime, Someday, I May Need That Information. I Could Write This Letter Later In The Year After I Have John Doe's Name And His Testimony. In The Meantime I Will Be Patient. I May Find Myself More Productive In Just Helping Those In Need And Leave The Politics To Others.
In The Meantime I Will Share My Letter With Those Who Read My Blog. If Someone Wants To Raise An Eyebrow And Challenge Me, All I Can Say Is Bring It On. This Is My Blog And I Will Control The Content Of It. It May Be The Commercial News Policy To Be Cautious In The Letters They Publish Because They May Question The Validity Of The Accuser. I Don't Need To Be Cautious Because I Have The Proof In The Pudding.
I Am A Strong Believer In Karma. Maybe That's All I Need In This Particular Situation. Here Is My Unpublished Letter.

Editor, Recently I have witnessed activity around the Oaklawn Inn Motel. Painting, pouring new concrete, beds inside and outside of rooms. I am very disturbed by this. My reason for feeling this way is based on firsthand knowledge of events that happened after closure of this motel this past July. 

For reasons of public safety, officials from the city of Danville gave residents staying there 24 hours to vacate. I had heard rumors from ordinary people on the streets the motel was full of drug dealers and prostitutes. This was not true. Even though there may have been drug dealers or prostitutes living on the premises it doesn't represent the total makeup of those who resided there.

My reason for this writing is not to crtitisize the city for protecting the safety of the residents. It's because of the events that followed the closure of the motel. The motel offered daily, weekly and monthly rates. The vast majority of these residents paid monthly rates. When these residents were told they had to leave by the 4th of July they had no place to go.

Being only 4 days into the month these residents asked for compensation for the remaining days of July. The owner of the motel refused all of them any compensation. He told them no refunds. I thank God this happened in a warm month of the year. My reason for saying this is because many of these residents had no place to go. Keep in mind July was one of the hottest July's on record for Illinois. However, it was tolerable compared to if it were January or February. Many of these people were forced to live in the woods for the three weeks remaining in July.

I was approached by a concerned individual searching for any kind of assistance for these people. After explaining to me what was happening and where a lot of these people were "camping out" I began compiling a list of different social services that may be able to assist them. A gentleman I spoke with told me he took in a Vietnam Veteran who relied on oxygen. He didn't have the resources to help but just the one. He was able to provide different locations as to where these people were living for the remainder of the month of July. I had found a few here and there and gave them some food that came from the Abundant Life Pentecostal Church Of God. On the back of my business card I listed other social service agencies that may be able to provide assistance to these people.

These residents lived from month to month. None of these individuals had the resources to contact an attorney and tell them what had happened to them. A terrible injustice was inflicted upon these individuals by the owner of the Oaklawn Inn. I had contacted the Salvation Army and spoke with Sharon Sawka who was very aware of the situation because some had come to her for assistance. I called WCIA because they had been reporting the fire of the annex of the motel. I wanted the television station to know the whole story. I gave them Sharon's number and I believe they done a follow up story on the displaced residents of this motel.

It's my opinion the owner of the Oaklawn Inn should be criminally charged by not refunding these individuals the money owed to them. He knew these residents could not afford an attorney to represent them against him. I feel he took advantage of the situation knowing he would not receive further income for his property while the motel was closed.

Today there are signs of improvements to this motel. I'm afraid if the property passes the inspection from the city the motel will again be open for business. I just wanted to bring awareness to the people of Danville how this business owner treats their patrons. He took advantage of their poverty knowing he would not be held accountable for it.

It saddens me to know we have a business person here in Danville that would do such an injustice on helpless individuals. 

Gregory Miller-Director

Robin Hood Foundation Of Danville

Spreading Germs

We Had To Cancel Playing Cards This Past Wednesday Because Billie Was Coming Down With A Cold. Actually It Was AJ Bringing Home Cold Germs From School. It Never Fails That I Get A Cold Sometime During The Colder Months Of The Year, Sometimes Twice.
I Don't Like Being Around People Who Have Colds Or The Flu. It May Go Back To The Day When I Caught TB From Somebody Way Back In The 1980's. I Bowl Three Leagues A Year And I Give High Fives And Shake Hands With Many People Throughout The Week. I Try To Watch People And See Whether Or Not They Are Blowing Their Noses Or Sniffing A Lot. If So I Try To Keep A Distance From Them. I Try To Avoid These Nasty Germs The Best I Can. Recently I Ran Across A Home Remedy To Help With Colds. It's A Simple Recipe Of 1 Tablespoon Of Honey And 1/4th Teaspoon Of Cinnamon In One Cub Of Hot Water. I Googled This And Found Out The Same Recipe Helps You Lose Weight As Well. Drink A Cup The Very First Thing In The Morning About 30 Minutes Before Breakfast. Drink Another Cup Before Going To Bed At Night. So Far I Haven't Seen Any Results In The Weight Loss, But I Didn't Catch That Cold Billie And AJ Had. I Always Catch A Cold When Someone Else In The House Has One. However I Had Been Drinking This Mixture About A Week Before The Cold Symptoms Came Into The House. Maybe By Me Having This Mixture In My Body And Continuing It Kept The Nasty Bug From Turning Into A Full Blown Cold Like It Normally Does With Me.
Even If I Don't Lose A Pound In Weight, Drinking The Mixture Is Well Worth It If I Can Avoid Catching A Cold This Winters Season.
I Was Taught At An Early Age To Share. However When It Comes To Sharing A Cold I Look At Things Differently. As Far As Bowling Goes I Can Normally Bowl When I Have A Cold. However There Have Been A Couple Occasions I Decided Not To Go Because I Felt So Bad. When I Do Decide To Go Though I Make Sure Everybody Knows No High Fives For That Strike They Got.
So Please Be Cautious When You Are Carrying Germs. Do Everything You Can To Keep Those Around You From Catching It. I Know They Will Appreciate It.

Bobby Parks

He Was My First Encounter In Befriending A Mentally Retarded Individual. He Was 14 Years Older Than I Was But In Reality A Person I Could Relate To.
I First Met Bob When I Was Introduced To Him By A Neighbor Friend. I Knew He Was On A Different Intellect Level Than I Was But I Have Always Been A Social Person. A Trait I Inherited From My Father. Capable To Communicate With Others At All Levels. I Suppose I Was About Ten Years Old When I First Met Bob. That Would Make Him 24. Most Men At That Age Were Married Or Out On Their Own. Bob Lived With His Mom And Dad. I Remember His Father Had Passed Away Around The Time We First Met.
Today's Terminology For Bob's Condition Is Called Downs Syndrome. He Was A Gentle Soul That I Will Remember For As Long As I Live. He May Not Have Understood Me On The Same Level Of Knowledge Yet He Over Shadowed Me On Kindness And Happiness. Because Of Him I Learned That Even The Seriousness Of A Situation Didn't Necessarily Have To Be Looked Upon As A Blockade. Because Of Him I Learned There Will Always Be Obstacles In Our Lifetime.
How You Handle Them However Shows Your True Character. I Would Like To Say People Like Bob Parks Are Responsible For Molding Me Into The Person That I Am Today. As I Watched Others Make Fun Of Him It Showed Me Their True Character. I Would Like To Say I Am A Better Person Because Of How My Life Crossed His. The Lesson I Learned In Knowing Bob Parks Is That We Are All God's Creation. He Molded Us In His Own Way For A Reason. Whatever That Reason Was I Believe Was To Show All Of Our True Tolerance. There Is No Doubt In My Mind Because Of Bob, I Know Love, Compassion, Caring And Patience.  
May He Rest In Peace...

Beckie Has A Little Lamb

Meet Mary. Mary Is A Little Lamb Adopted By My Beautiful Daughter Beckie Jo.
She Lives On A Farm That Has Hundreds Of Sheep And Pigs.
I Nicknamed Beckie Ellie Mae(Beverly Hillbillies) Years Ago When She Took A Liking To Every Critter She Came Across. She Wanted To Live In A Zoo.
The Next Best Thing To Being In A Zoo Is That Of A Farm. Well, With The Exception Of The Smell. I Believe Mary Think She Is A Dog. No Barking, Just A Lot Of Baaaing.

Never Fear, Underdog Is Here....

Bob Link Pictured Here, Recently Passed Away. Again The Date Of November 22nd, A Day I Will Never Forget If You Have Read My Previous Blogs. That's An All Together Different Story.

Once You Met Bob Link You Could Not Help But Like Him. I Met Bob Back In The Early 80's When CB Radio's Were Popular. I Met His Voice First. He Went By The Handle Of Underdog.

After Meeting Him It Was As Though We Had Known Each Other For Years.

One Thing That Stood Out The Most With Bob Was His Relationship With The Lord Was No Secret. He Was A Talented Guitarist And Enjoyed Playing It In Church. He Was A Wonderful Friend That I Will Always Remember. I Seldom Seen Him In The Winter Months. He Lived Across The Street From The Church I Conducted My Sales. He Would Bring Me Outdated Newspapers He Delivered. I Would Wrap The Fragile And Glass Items To Prevent Them From Breaking. He Was A Gentle Soul That I Am Sure Is Enjoying His Eternal Life In Heaven. He Often Shared His Beliefs With Me And I Enjoyed That. I Believe The Reason I Enjoyed This Was Because He Was Never Meek To The Real World. I Have Known Christians To Just Fill In Space And Become Part Of The Crowd. It Was Never A Secret With Bob. If You Knew Bob You Knew He Loved The Lord. He Lived His Mortal Life Knowing One Day His Eternal Life Would Be With God. You Have To Respect A Man For That. 

Bob And I Shared A Touching Moment When I Told Him How I Felt About Organized Religion. It Is The Belief Of Some That If A Person Takes His Life He Goes To Hell. The Thought Of My Son Being In Hell For Eternity Is Heart Wrenching. I Want To Someday Be Reunited With My Son As Well As Others I Believe To Be At Heavens Gate. He Placed His Hand On My Chest And Told Me I Will Find My Peace Within. He Reminded Me To Keep My Trust In Him And Only God Himself Makes That Judgement Call.

I Have Not Had A Conversation With Anyone Else Since On This Subject. I Was Comforted By His Words And I Felt Peace.  

Writing My Blog's

You Never Know What You Will Find In The Writings Of My Blogs. Maybe That's Because I Don't Know What I Am Going To Write Until A Thought Crosses My Mind. One Thing For Certain Though, It Will Always Remain Public. I Know Some Who Have It Private. I Encourage Comments To My Blogs. Of Course It's Up To My Discretion Whether Or Not I Make Them Public.
Today I Walked Quite A Distance. The Temperatures Have Been Above Average For This Time Of Year. Today Being The First Day Of December I Made It Extra Special And Walked More Than Usual. I Left The House At 59 Degree's. I Returned About 2 Hours Later With A Temperature At 63. Tomorrow Promises Another Nice Day For Walking. I Suppose I Will Lick My Finger To See Which Way The Wind Is Blowing.
I Would Have To Say The Entire Year Of 2012 Was Rather Unusual, Weather Wise. Last Winter's Season Began With A Very Chilly December. It Gave Us The Impression It Was Just The Beginning Of What Could Be A Very Cold Winter. However, At Springtime After The Turn Of The New Year, 2012  Was Officially Declared The Third Warmest Of All Time. What A Treat It Was For Me Since I Hate The Winter Months. However If It Weren't For The Winter I Would Not Get That Much Needed Break From The Work I Do In The Warmer Months. Actually It's Five Months I Call My Hibernation. I Don't Recall Having A Spring This Year. Illinois Went From Winter Into Summer. We Had Some Very Hot Days This Past Summer. Very Little Rain Brought Us Right Into A Drought. The Grass Turned Brown And I Didn't Mow For Almost Three Months. It Really Didn't Matter To Me That Much But I Did Feel Bad For Those Who Mowed Grass For A Living. Equally So For Those Who Shoveled Snow. 2012 Could Not Leave Fast Enough For Them. No Corn Mazes For Central Illinois This Year. However My Brother Inlaw Told Me His Grain Company Were Seeing Normal Amounts Of Corn In Spite Of The Drought. I Suppose Some Places Got Rain While Others Did Without.
Today Being The First Day Of December I Feel It's Appropriate For Me To Reflect On The Days Of 2012 In My Blogs This Month.
I Make No Promises When It Comes To My Blogs. Ok? You May Shed A Tear Because I May Pour Out My Heart About Something. You May Get A Chuckle Out Of Something That May Jog A Fond Memory In Something I Might Say.
I Guess What I Am Saying Is Read My Blogs At Your Own Risk. If You Are Easily Offended I Suggest You Not Come Back. My Upbringing Has Allowed Me To Wear My Cap In The Right Direction. Even Though Sometimes I'm Not Sure Whether I Am Coming Or Going.
As I Type This Blog I Am Watching "It's A Wonderful Life". George Bailey And His Wonderful Life Has Become A Tradition In Watching Christmas Movies Over The Years. Miracle on 34th Street I'm Sure Will Be On As Well.