quick

I know. I should have photos here. My weeks have been very busy.

A friend of mine went in for surgery. They believe it was endometriosis, tests will confirm. She was out within hours of her surgery. She is recovering now.

A "friend" of a friend has had a wicked series of events:
serious injury to foot, pain in side, perhaps someone else with endometriosis, her daughter was continually ill. The results were that the daughter had elevated lead levels.

At other times, apart from working at my job, I get the chance to meet with my true love. I spend much of my time driving. Blogging and driving seems dangerous, I'll skip that.

More work and more projects ahead.

God speed and my the Lord be with you!

Jack

It was terrible at the viewing. I didn't want, but had to see Jack. Damn that was terrible. I weighed more, or I thought I did, as if pillars holding my roof started giving way to the weight above. I was crushed and miserable.

Before I got there, I had no time to grieve. I had little time to grieve while there and when I got back, I had little time to grieve. I will fully let out soon before I burst.

The next morning was the funeral. Oh, but it was too quick. Perhaps I'm reading something into it, but I believe that Jack and God whispered a truth to me.

I looked again at the casket. That wasn't Jack. When I sat around the gathering of people -- there was Jack. Jack stayed and STAYS in the hearts and minds of those who knew him. I can see his wry smile and eye-twinkle in his children, and his compassion and love from all.

I wanted to hug him one last time. I wanted to see him smile one last time. I wanted to hear him one last time. There were a lot of lasts that I wanted. He would have suffered and so it would be to his suffering that I would have had him. I can't want that.

He has left a legacy far beyond genes -- family, but also in friends who he has touched, inspired, motivated, loved. They too have loved and found him to be a profound role model.

When people call out, "what is love", they don't know Jack. I know Jack, he's a friend, an uncle, an inspiration. I will, of course, miss his physical presence, but he has not gone. He is in everyone who ever met and knew him.

I expect to see Jack waiting for so many people to come to Heaven with him. He never looked down on people on Earth, he isn't now. He's still here, with us, teaching us not to look down either. Love, look forward, be a friend.

He has given his life to others. I can't write or ever say that my gift to him is equitable. Simple and lovable . . . I will miss our many before-lasts and our many lasts Uncle Jack. I love you and with you alive in others, past-tense is inappropriate.

For my Uncle Jack

Please pray ... he and his adoring family need it!

Thank you!

my weekend

Charlie's Jack O' Lantern

It's great to be loved. Kissed is great too!

I got a chance to have Tawnya meet Keith, Lori, Charlie. Charlie took a liking to Tawnya. While he is normally a bit shy, not so. It was good and I guess everyone had a good time! Yea! Charlie did mention that he was bored and so I put on a simplistic video game for him. He was quickly bored of most games. We later played board game of LIFE. Keith finished last. I squeaked by with a timid win. The five of us played poker after that. I think the integration of family and friends is going well, however slowly.

I mucked up with X and certainly don't want to do that again. Moreover, I truly and deeply love Tawnya!

On Sunday, I bade a sorry good day to Tawnya and helped Keith and Lori take out the dock at Lake James. Don showed which was very helpful. Two people can do some, but in the end three or four people work best. It went quickly except for ...

rrr click
rrr click
click
click
click

The pontoon boat would not start for all the money in the world. Lori couldn't get it to turn over, nor could Keith or Joanne. Pffstt! Done. We raked up some leaves and headed out taking Micah with us. Charlie and Micah played some games. Keith and I went and got pizza fixings.

Lori stopped functioning like the boat. She had pain in her neck, back, ribs, heart, arm. She was done. She lucked out and didn't have to go to emergency room.

It was an exciting weekend and Lori's mom mentioned that I should come up to the lake to enjoy it, not just work on it. Point taken and made. I never made it up this year. I hope to do so next year.

On Sunday

Tom, Lois, Marcus went to the Zoo. It was a great day, nice weather! It was nice that Lois was feeling well enough to go as she has not been feeling so fine generally. Lois and Marcus rode the sky view in the African section (sans animals) and later Tom, Lois, and Marcus rode the train.

Thanks folks for a great day!

Faith

Tom and Lois attend here and quite frankly, I think they do a great job! The people there have helped more than I can say.

Standing Still on Boot Hill

"Normally I'd be dead now, but my new [heart] worked great!"+

I should be dead afraid of how much of a financial mess I have. I should be sweating bullets and thinking of eat a few high-velocity ones, but instead I am standing still. I can see the grim carnage of what I did to bring this on myself. I also have lived to see another day and likely more after that.

I'm not a new man, not really any different save one small detail...
I have hope.

While I won't soap box God, as I have been typically-human wishy-washy, I thank God for a will to live (better). God also sent me someone to help. She is my closest friend and knows what and who I am. We have kept each other in the shadows for a long time. We are soon on our way to more perfectly blend our families and friends together. She and her daughter got to meet some of my family. [photo]. I hope slowly we can integrate our lives into one.


No, there aren't marriage plans now and there aren't "little ones" on the way. She has braved much to get to where she is and I still have more broken glass to get to the end. I don't have a problem using the "love" word. Here she is with her daughter who agreed to meet me.

+ John Candy as Den, Heavy Metal

Marcus' interviews

Yes, I've had a few and I did it my way!

Oh, singing aside, I did some interviewing. My Friday interview yielded, "Dear John . . ." ie: thanks, but we've found another. I did an interview today and that seemed to go well. She gave salary info at the end.

"Sheesh! I've never worked for so little. Only once, but that was a very worthy cause."+

Tomorrow I have another interview for, dun, dun, dun, dun ... sales. Go figure!

+ Princess Bride

down time

Here you can see Thomas playing with Lily. It is a simple game. "I have it, you can't have it." Lily seemed to like the game, but not nearly as much as Beth & Tom's dog Sampson.

Marcus' 2nd Indy interview a

Marcus' 2nd Indy interview a waste. That's OK. His first one went very well.

from the files of DLF

Well, Friday Diane, Jessica, and I worked on one of Diane's offices. She need to resort student files, and purge one whole year's worth. It is an annual practice she makes.

Diane found that switching the titles of the cabinets is easier than moving files.

Diane walks into with water for her fish. The poor little things go with water quickly.

Jessica tips a glass of iced coffee. Diane got Jessica and me coffees. Jessica turned her into an iced coffee.

This is a small selection of stuffies. Jessica remembers some of them from when she was young.

day journey

Please pardon my Dante-like story introducing my pictures. I have, for a while, shunned my idealistic attachment to God, thinking that a loving God doesn't induce slow and withering agony to persons. I shuddered to think that a God-fearing church-goer could develop Alzheimer's and die a miserable death while criminals remain alive and well. Some felons living rich.

I was really thinking nothing of that when I saw some pictures ready to take. I walked on my little journey just thinking of taking pictures and of the week coming with only two known interviews. I carried with me a bit of self-pity on which to snack on this trip, however long it might take.

Clouds with a streak (of good luck) with a nearly hidden jet in the sky.

I was drawn to a shaded area where I could take a picture of clouds with shade cast off them .

I could not believe that I found this...
what appeared to be God's mailbox and God lives locally.

I was always hoping that God would give me a plainer sign. I think God has this time.
OK, so God exists, then I wonder what does God do?

I should reflect on my life, maybe.

Should I lie in wait or be active?
While there is a certain attraction to waiting, living is better.

There is beauty everywhere, often closer than you think.

There is death. There is always death, it is the cycle of physical existence.

Should I take a seat and listen?

I should grow on old decaying ideas and learn to develop, regardless the challenges.

Bright, colorful ideas can be seen, if you look hard enough.

Bird by the roadside, quite dead.
I could fear flying, fear trying, but then I would die anyway having never known flight.

I could leave a mark here and there.
I could think of all the times I got burnt, but no.

Despite the peril, the challenge, it starts with a first step.
Here, I nearly sank inescapably. I chose a different path.

Though trains move back and forth over the same tracks, they begin somewhere, right?

"Now, why was I trying to catch a train" came to mind, but instead I think it is a well laid track for me to follow.

With a train-like snort, this deer by the railroad tracks watched me intently, but didn't run away for I didn't chase it away. I watched it, and it me.

New life, little tadpoles swimming happily in murky water.

I looked down to my left and saw a small path in the wood where I had been walking.

I got on my journey from a cement road to one like this.

In the middle of my walk, I saw a creek and the life surrounding it.
It was cool (temperature) and lovely.

There is life plain, simply neat to see and watch.

With some patience, you can see the details of things you dismiss as common.

If you walk slowly enough to enjoy your walk, you can see how you can have a unique perspective. It's not just a beetle, but one you haven't seen, haven't photographed, haven't touched before.

I started off on a purposeless journey. It didn't matter what I did for it was purposeless.
Perhaps life isn't so. Perhaps God has an influence that I just can't perceive.
I am a doubter, a skeptic, a dreamer of sorts, but call myself practical.
I also haven't been really observing, but just moving in a plane of existence.
I should have a purpose-driven life.
Now, my question isn't to God, but to me.
What is my purpose?

While my prose is terrible, I thought that I would introduce the pictures with the kick in the head I got. At the end of my journey I was sore with a sprained ankle, which I thought was just twisted. I also had to walk on it for about 90 minutes, as well as climb a barbed wire fence to get out of the wooded area. I wasn't hurt, just sore and I walked funny (or funnier).

I've taken pictures, so what? What is the point without a track, a path, a direction?

For now, I guess I could encourage people to turn off the car and walk where you have never walked before. Go, enjoy, smell scents you haven't, seen things you haven't ... touch, hear, live.

All of the photos were taken in Fort Wayne, IN in various locations.

Thank you Father

Thanks for the lead for some work today!

Marcus visited friends

Thank you Cerpicio, PK, and Josh for inviting me over. PK's food was great! PK does a great job!
Josh saw Daddy pluck something from these bags and munch. Hey! I'll get some. Although sporting a few teeth, he isn't quite ready for chips. He instantly recognized bowl. Well, bowls have toys or food. Either way, that's for me! He was not allowed guacamole either. Boy! Talk about meanies!
PK had this bear at her other job. She noticed that Josh is able to chew away some of the fur. The other kids who experienced this bear were older and weren't chewing on it. Regardless, Josh seemed to like Mommy playing with the bear with him.

Although no charges have been filed, Joshua has stolen a number of hearts. With a change in schedule, PK has more time off with Josh. According to Cerpicio, the grandparents aren't happy with having the so-called obligation to watching him and loving and kissing him.

Anyway, all you need is love!
Josh fell asleep after a feeding and was loved on by mom and dad. He didn't wake for that. He needed his diaper changed and for that he woke. This particular picture is likely a very common one, as common as the wall standing, but far more interesting -- Josh getting love and kisses.
He was at the table with us and decided that he ought to be eating too, so he allowed daddy to feed him, but after each bite looked over to mommy. It didn't matter if he had to twist his head nearly 180 degrees.
Josh is a quiet, lovable little boy who is inquisitive and wants to skip that whole crawling part in favor of standing, walking, then running (all in one day). Josh was intrigued with the camera and generally stopped still while I took a shot, not showing his clever and clear happy grin he most often wore.
While there are many toys here around him, he seems to favor toys nearly his same size. He like a musical, chewable dog and Charlie Brown. He also likes to play the "gravity" game or what my father called the "step-fetch-it" where the child, here Joshua, would swing around a toy and when you were least prepared, he would drop it or launch it. It is a great game. While he gets stronger, the objects will go farther.