I'm

the biggest nerd in the world hanging out at the library all the time :-).

"I

figured you're doing all you can to hang in there and didn't need to hear it right now."

Christian Sat PM.

Exactly.

Thanks :-).

Gotta get

Love you.

U2

June 16, 

Papa John's Cardinal Stadium

Just sayin.

They're playin Bonnaroo as well.

Romans 8:28

 Romans 8:28

Micah 7:8

Micah 7:8

Psalm 145:14

Psalm 145:14

Psalm 119:116

Psalm 119:116

Psalm 54:4

Psalm 54:4

Proverbs 19:21

Proverbs 19:21

Psalm 37:24

Psalm 37:24

2 Corinthians 4:8-10

2 Corinthians 4:8-10

Yeah you will

Seems like :-).

:-)

"Alternative facts" =

State run propaganda machine.

You know, like the kind found in the old Soviet Union and it's client states that people my age were taught about the dangers of when we were in school.

You know?

Lord knows Christian and I sure have our differences on lots of things.

We know each others fears, insecurities and faults like a brother would.

But you know what?

I can't remember a time when I really needed the guy and he wasn't there.

Ever.

Not once.

He steeped up in a big way Saturday PM.

I was glad he was there.

Loyalty, it counts for a lot.

Alan

has been at Sunday Diner the last two Sundays :-).

Always good to see him :-).

Hebrews 13:2

Hebrews 13:2

Fr. James Martin, SJ

“I was a stranger and you did not welcome me.”

President Trump has announced that he will order the construction of a Mexican border wall, the first in a series of actions to crack down on immigrants, which will include slashing the number of refugees who can resettle in the United States, and blocking Syrians and others from what are called “terror-prone nations” from entering, at least temporarily.

These measures, which mean the rejection of the stranger, the rejection of the person in need, the rejection of those who suffer, are manifestly unchristian and utterly contrary to the Gospel. Indeed, last year, Pope Francis said, "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not the Gospel."

But maybe you don’t want to listen to Pope Francis. Maybe you think that he was being too political. Or maybe you think Pope Francis is too progressive for you.

Maybe you think that you have a right to refuse a person in need. And that you have the right to protect yourself. Well, we do have the right of self-protection. But refusing the one in need because you want to protect yourself, especially when the other is in desperate need and obvious danger, is not what Christianity is about. It’s about the opposite. It’s about helping the stranger, even if it carries some risk. That’s the Parable of the Good Samaritan in a nutshell.

But if you still don’t want to listen to Pope Francis, then listen to Pope John Paul II, St. John Paul II, who wrote dozens of times about refugees and migrants. “Seek to help our brother and sister refugees in every possible way by providing a welcome…Show them an open mind and a warm heart,” he said. And as if predicting our current situation, he said, "It is necessary to guard against the rise of new forms of racism or xenophobic behavior, which attempt to make these brothers and sisters of ours scapegoats for what may be difficult local situations."

For this is an issue of life or death. Migrants flee from profound poverty, which causes suffering and can lead to death. Refugees flee from persecution, terror and war, out of fear for their lives. This is, then, one of the church’s life issues, so dear to St. John Paul II.

But maybe you don’t want to listen to St. John Paul. Maybe you’re not Catholic. Then listen to the voice of God in the Book of Exodus, speaking to the people of Israel: “You shall not oppress the resident alien [i.e, the refugee] for you aliens yourselves once, in the land of Egypt.” Every American heart should be stirred by that. Other than the Native Americans, all of us are descendants of immigrants. We were aliens ourselves once.

But maybe you don’t want to listen to the Old Testament. Then, in the end, listen to Jesus. In the Gospel of Matthew, he provides a litmus test for entrance into heaven. At the Last Judgment, he will say to people, “I was a stranger and you did not welcome me.” And people will say, “When were you a stranger and we did not take care of you?’ And he will say, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.”

Jesus himself is speaking to you from the Gospels. It is Christ whom we turn away when we build walls. It is Christ whom we reject when we slash quotas for refugees. It is Christ whom we are killing, by letting them die in poverty and war rather than opening our doors.

“Today,” St. John Paul II said, “the illegal migrant comes before us like that ‘stranger’ in whom Jesus asks to be recognized. To welcome him and to show him solidarity is a duty of hospitality and fidelity to Christian identity itself.”

So, reject these measures and welcome Christ. Call your local legislators and tell them to care for Christ. Write to the White House and ask them to protect Christ. Show up at town hall meetings and advocate for Christ. And pray for our brothers and sisters who are refugees and migrants.

Because if you do not, and you reject Christ, then it is their prayers that you will need.

Rumi

"Only from the heart can you touch the sky"

While

everyone was in an uproar about the immigration ban this weekend this happened:

The danger of Steve Bannon on the National Security Council

Cause you know demoting "the highest-ranking military officer in the United States, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the highest-ranking intelligence officer in the United States, the director of national intelligence" and putting your own guy on the NSC who has no national security experience whatsoever, that makes sense, thats a good move.

Morons.

Oh, and the administrations statement about the Holocaust?

Yeah, it didn't mention the Jewish people either.

The Trump administration has no regrets about leaving out Jews in Holocaust statement

Lots of people might not think thats a big deal, the reality is they are giving the neo-nazis a coded message, 

"We are with you."

Fascism is here.

Morning Knucklehead

Love you.

I

really just want all the drama over.

I promise you I will get it out of my life one way or another.

Especially the self made variety.

Got

that lifetime supply of chocolate yet?

Bahahahahaha

Love you.

Have a great day.

I

love you Virgie and I'm never going to leave or I would have done so already.

I hate being how I was yesterday but I just get so fed up with things.

It's seems to be the only way I can get your attention and I hate it.

I know things are only like they are now because you know I'll make it and it's good theater and a good story but thats whats so frustrating, the fact that things didn't have to be like this.

There's just no way in the world I want someone else.

There's just not.

I decided a long time ago, "her, or no one." 

I mean I knew no one else was ever gonna do.

I remember going to see Bonnie Raitt at the Grand Old Opry with a friend of mine that lives outside of Nashville. I remember the whole day thinking, "This isn't right, it's not fair to her or me." She liked me a lot and she made it pretty obvious but I just really wasn't interested. (Kinda like you in the beginning lol) Only we had known each other for years and I knew there just wasn't anything there, at least for me there wasn't. Imagine spending your whole day with someone and wishing they were someone else, it kinda sucked to be honest. I'm sure it wasn't any fun for her either as by the end of the evening she probably knew nothing was ever going to happen between us.

My point is, I knew then, better to just keep loving you and nothing ever happen with us than to be with anybody else and just be wishing they were you.

I mean it just doesn't make sense to make two people miserable right?

Why do that to someone?

Better to be on your own and wishing you were with a certain someone than to be with someone you wish was someone else.

Anyway, when Bonnie Raitt and John Prine did "Angel from Montgomery" it about brought me to tears, particularly the line:

"If dreams were thunder

lightning was desire

this old house

would have burned down

a long time ago"

Because I looked over at my friend and she wasn't you.

Love you.

You'll

forget all about "overrated" when I get a hold of ya.

Bahahahahahahahahaha

Well

good thing we don't live our lives biochemically then I suppose :-).

How much fun would that be?

Rumi

"Don't be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. 

Unfold your own myth.:"

:-)

Love you.

Carlito:

Spoiler Alert!

[voiceover and closing narration] 

"Sorry boys, all the stitches in the world can't sew me together again. 

Lay down... lay down. 

Gonna stretch me out in Fernandez funeral home on Hun and Ninth street. 

Always knew I'd make a stop there, but a lot later than a whole gang of people thought... 

Last of the Moh-Ricans... well maybe not the last. 

Gail's gonna be a good mom... 

New improved Carlito Brigante... 

Hope she uses the money to get out. 

No room in this city for big hearts like hers... 

Sorry baby, I tried the best I could, honest... 

Can't come with me on this trip, Loaf. 

Getting the shakes now, last call for drinks, bars closing down... 

Sun's out, where are we going for breakfast? 

Don't wanna go far. 

Rough night, tired baby... Tired..."

You

know what happened to Carlito right?

If you haven't ever seen that movie you should watch it some time, pretty good movie.

I have felt like him running to that train in Grand Central for going on years now...

Rumi

"What comes, will go. 

What is found, will be lost again. 

But what you are is beyond coming and going and beyond description."

Yeah you are :-).

Carlito Brigante

"This dream of mine? It's so close I can feel it." 

Carlito's Way.

Love you

Hope you were awesome today.

Bet you were.

You're you, how could you not be?

Rumi

"Real love begins where nothing is expected in return"

Why

this is a really big deal.

"It was witnessed by the largest crowd to ever see an inauguration in person."

Or some such nonsense his Press Secretary said on day one of his presidency.

"The Atlantic" hits this one right on the money.

"If your willing to lie about stuff this minuscule, why should anyone believe what you say about the really big things that matter? (The Atlantic Magazine)

I mean, what if your small child told you such a lie?

Would you just let it pass?

Better yet, what if it was the Obama administrations first day and they said something like this?

The right wing reactionary fucks would be foaming at the mouth.

Then, on the same day, for him to go to the CIA headquarters in front of the Memorial Wall in a speech that was intended to mend fences with the intelligence community that he had offended and start talking about the crowd size of his inauguration?

It was entirely tasteless and disgusting and yet he wonders why a large amount of people don't respect him?

I guess daddy didn't ever tell him respect was earned, not given.

Not to mention the entire speech was a rambling incoherent mess.

Somebody please holler at me when this guy can stay on point for longer than 30 seconds,

which is unfortunately the attention span of the whole country these days, or at least it seems like it.

A few days later one of his top advisers goes on the Sunday AM talk shows and starts talking about

"Alternate facts"?

Seriously, "Alternate facts"?.

Oh, you mean like, oh, I don't know, blatant obvious lies?

All administrations lie or try and spin things in their favor I get that.

My buddy Lonnie from a while back was right, It's the obviousness with which they do it these days thats offensive.

This is the kind of shit fascist pulled back in their heyday.

Again, what if the Obama administration had done something like this on day one?

Now today he says without a shred of evidence that the only reason he lost the popular vote was because 3-5 million illegals voted?

Dear sir:

A lot, and I mean a lot, of people here and around the world simply do not like you, they see you for the spoiled lil daddy's rich boy that has had everything handed to him that you've always been and they don't like the majority of the incoherent policies you wish to pursue. 

I'll just call that, "My Alternate Facts."

The billionaires are going to fix things for the working class.

That's the biggest crock of shit I think I've ever seen people buy into.

Matthew 7:15

And Sean Spicer, please don't ever wear this suit again.

It looks like you got it at JC Penny's.

For goodness sakes, I have better looking suits that fit correctly and I am no where near appearing on TV almost everyday. 

I get it. I really do, As John McCain said."The world is on fire". People are scared for their economic security, for their children's future and the world doesn't make sense to them anymore so they want someone to make it make sense to them again. History shows that in troubled times people coalesce around a strongman, bully type who says he alone knows all the answers can fix it all. Rarely however, does it ever work out that way.

Thank goodness for Bro Joe's bible study class on The Book of Revelation.

For true Christians with real faith, there is no reason to be scared.

Whats happening in the world today is exactly what had to be happen.

Don't expect it to stop any time soon.

In fact, expect things to continue to get more and more complicated.

Matthew 7:15-20

John 16:13

Look at that first picture again.

Somebody please tell me how this administration embodies,

"the Spirit of truth."

Rumi

"When you’re anxious or worried, be patient. The key of patience opens the door of happiness."

Damn :-(.

Butch Trucks, Allman Brothers Band Drummer and Co-Founder, Dead at 69

Derek's uncle.

Speaking

of glazed doughnuts.

Bahahahahahahahahahahaha

Figure it out.

My

idea of splurging these days?

paying $1.50 for a half dozen two day old Bill's on the Hill glazed doughnuts.

Hey, heat them up in the microwave and they aren't bad.

What

town could possibly be "about two hours" away as somebody said?

I just can't figure it out.

I just wonder what town it could possibly be or why we would want to be there :-)?

I'll tolerate a lot.

Being thought I'm stupid isn't one of them and sends me through the roof.

You know this.

Woman Logic vs Man Logic Visual Aids :-)

First?

Man Logic.

Simple.

Easy.

Linear.

A = "If"

B = "Then".

Short.

Sweet.

To the point.

Usually the Shortest route possible.

I'll even throw in an example just for kicks.

"If" (A) she is living in her own personal hell with sleepless nights due to her nonstop attention having had the plug pulled on it?

"Then" (B) she might want to consider what the rest of her life would be like without it.

See? 

Seamless.

Simple.

Easy.

Now Woman Logic

And I'll give you another example:

"It's only been going on five years, surely he can figure it out."

Like I said, there is no figuring it out, best just to live with it I suppose.

Love you Dingleberry.

Cowboys

Wow.

What a game last week.

I'm sure there's somebody out there wondering what I thought about it all.

First things first.

Congratulations to the Packers, pulling for yall now, go get 'em, Atl isn't an easy task by any means, I didn't want Dallas to have to play them in the playoffs.

Dear Cowboys faithful:

There is absolutely no shame in loosing to Aaron Rodgers and his merry band of cohorts.

None. It took everything a former league MVP, Superbowl winner and sure fire future Hall of famer had to eek out a victory for his team. This guy has been doing the miraculous for so long now it seems routine for him and football fans have come to expect it. I told Al and mom early in the third quarter, "If I can't see Dallas play? I'll watch Green Bay, not because I like them or I'm a fan of theirs, but because I like to watch Aaron Rodgers, he's that good and you never know what he might just pull off."

Now to the heart of the matter.

I have a saying, "I'd rather go 8-8 and not make the playoffs that loose a playoff game at home." Guess what? That didn't apply this year for this Dallas team. Nor would I have applied it to any other team in the same situation. Promise. Largely because of the two rookies at QB and running back. You're not even supposed to get in the playoffs in this scenario so it's a lil hard to be all that disappointed, particularly when the entire O line is in tact for next year as well as having Dak, Zeke and Dez back. In fact, of the 20 free agents this off season? Only two are of any real count, Mo Claiborne and Barry Church, so the future looks bright, this team should be a contender for years to come. Not only that? Next year? With a first place schedule? There will be no "sneaking up" on people not knowing how good you are. Hell, there wasn't even any, "sneaking up" on people this year from the midpoint on, so expecting everyone's best shot should be what this team expects. Now you have a very young, talented team on your hands that understands five or six plays in a championship game can make it or break it for you. Hopefully we can get some help on the D line.

Seriously, your whole season can boil down to five or six plays.

Like Brice Butlers (Free agent to be) unsportsman like penalty on Dallas first offensive possession. The pass was completed to the 22. Instead? They got backed up 15 yards, a 37 yard difference and a potential field goal attempt thwarted. Not that there is a guarantee the field goal attempt would have been good, but that boneheaded play cost your team even the attempt. If I was the coach or GM? I would have cut you the day after the game, (Jimmy Johnson cut a player at half time once). I would send a clear signal that kinda boneheadedness will never be tolerated here, go cost somebody else some potential points in a playoff game sir, we don't need you. Nothing is as cut throat as the NFL, as Buddy Ryan used to tell his teams, "I can guarantee you three things about the NFL, you're going to make a lot of money, you're going to make a lot of friends, and it won't last long. Anyway, that play stands out as do others.

Aaron Rodgers holding on to the ball when he was sacked the play before the pass that set up the eventual game winning field goal. I couldn't believe it. I though the ball was going to come out and Dallas recover and have a chance at their own game winning field goal attempt. Not only did he hold on to the ball he had the presence of mind to call a time out as soon as he got to his knees. Time left on the clock when the game winning field goal was attempted? Three seconds. Without Rodgers game awareness in that situation? Green Bay may not have had any time left to try a game winning field goal.

The unbelievable pass that set up the game winning field goal. Like I said, we've come to expect this from Mr. Rodgers. Randall Cobb said Rodgers just told all of his recievers what he wanted them to do. Sandlot football anyone?

The 56 yard field goal. 56 yards? In a playoff game? On the road? Are you kidding me? I couldn't believe it. Making two 50 yarders, one after being "froze" by a timeout. If Rodgers hadn't performed another one of his miracles? Mason Crosby is your game MVP.

Dallas having their chances at the end zone and not getting in and then having to settle for a game tying field goal instead.

Fun fact:

Minus the first eight minutes (which to me was nothing more than a continuation of the GB Giants game the week before) and the last minute? Dallas held GB to exactly seven points. Think about that. Hold a team to seven points for 51 minutes of the game and still end up loosing. 

I have to give Al credit, when it was 21-3 I didn't think two rookies would have it in them to fight back like that and Dak's QB play really kept them in the game. Al kept saying, "It's not over, they'll come back, how many times have we seen things like this." At 21-3? Another GB score and I might have left lol.

Thoughts on GB.

It's rare that a team ever finds a hall of fame quarterback, in Green Bays case they have had two back to back now. (Rodgers will in my mind no doubt be one). The likelihood of finding another when Rodgers is done? Pretty slim.

Sorry Don Majkowski Mr. Rodgers is the real "Majik Man" and if you don't know who he was? You really shouldn't call yourself a Packers fan :-).

Don Majkowski 

Peace y'all.

Woman Logic

It's the gift that keeps on giving lol.
I mean who else can I ever plan on getting this much material from?

So.
Apparently it's perfectly fine to enlist friends and family to push a boy to the brink of a nervous breakdown multiple times over the course of years but if the boy pulls the plug on the daily attention she craves and loves?
Oh good lord, life just became hell for her.

You know?
I understand how woman logic works, I do, I get the how, it was always just the why, you know?
Why does it work?
I think I finally figured that out as well.

Fellas?
There is no why.
There just isn't.
It just is.
The sooner you accept that?
The easier your life will become.

Relax knucklehead.

Love you.

All

you are doing is pissing me off and making me want to run away from this.

You said be honest.

Love you.

And

why in the world should I believe 

"the last seven or eight weeks" from a week or so ago any more than I should "soon, real, real soon?"

Would you like to take a stab at that one sweetheart?

I told you.

You don't kiss my ass enough.

I'm fed the ever livin fuck up with this shit.

I've done enough

and I'm sick of it.

I tell everyone and nobody ever listens.

How am I supposed to feel?

Why?

Do you have to make this so hard on me?

The last three weeks are going to absolutely be murder.

But you're loosing sleep?

Come live in my world for a few.

So?

Why do I have to continue to make my point?

Why?

I don't need "this", and

I don't need you.

Simple.
Easy.
Don't think so?
Watch and see.

All I have ever wanted?
 You.

When it starts being about all the superfluous, extraneous stuff?
I can do without it thank you very much.
That should be apparent by now.
Apparently?
It's not.

 I think it's ridiculous that I have to keep reminding you.

You're not the only one who has ever had sleepless nights over this sweetheart.

Love you Virgie.

 

Betty White Quotes

“My answer to anything under the sun, like, ‘What have you not done in the business that you’ve always wanted to do?’ is: ‘Robert Redford.’ ”
— on The Insider

“Darling, you were supposed to explore the galaxy. Not fill it.”
— to William Shatner during his Comedy Central roast

“I’ve worked with quite a few. Maybe had a couple. And you know who you are.” 
— accepting her lifetime achievement award at the 2010 Screen Actors Guild Awards

“I’ve always liked older men. They’re just more attractive to me. Of course, at my age there aren’t that many left!”
— to Parade

“Have I got them fooled.”
— on being referred to as “a legend,” to Joy Behar

“I’m a health nut. My favorite food is hot dogs with French fries. And my exercise: I have a two-story house and a very bad memory, so I’m up and down those stairs.”
— to The New York Times

 “Vodka is kind of a hobby.”
— to David Letterman

“Get at least eight hours of beauty sleep a night; nine if you’re ugly.”
— to David Letterman

 “I love children, the only problem with children: they grow up to be people, and I just like animals better than people. It’s that simple.”
— in an interview with Entertainment Tonight

“I didn’t know what Facebook was and now that I do know what it is, it sounds like a huge waste of time … at my age if  I want to connect with old friends, I need a Ouija board … In my day, seeing pictures of people’s vacations was considered a punishment.”
— from her 2010 opening monologue on Saturday Night Live

“[Men are] a hobby of mine. They might not know it, though.”
— to PEOPLE

“I married my first husband because we wanted to sleep together. It lasted six months and we were in bed for six months.”
— to AARP The Magazine

“You can lie to anyone in the world and even get away with it, perhaps, but when you are alone and look into your own eyes in the mirror, you can’t sidestep the truth. Always be sure you can meet those eyes directly.”
— from her book, If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won’t)

“It’s amazing—past a certain age, you can get away with murder. You can do anything and people will say, “Well, the poor old soul, she’s … you know …’ ”
— to Harper’s Bazaar

Tryin :-).

Rumi

"Don't take mirror seriously as true reflection is in your heart."

 

Love you.

Any

particular reason nobody's mentioned plans with Nicholas on his eighteenth birthday?

Or why people are checking on me out of the blue for no reason at all?

Or giving me a lil bit of anxiety meds without me asking?

Just wondering Lucy.

Cool as the other side of the pillow over here.

Been waiting my whole life to be who I knew I always was.

Why in the world would I worry about it now?

To late for all that.

Love you Virgie.

More like

 

the risk I've already been taking for years, 

+ the risk I'll always take sweetheart :-).

Yep :-)

"I guess us leaving was a day coming that I hadn't ever thought would get here either.

 

Oh well.

 

Sometimes just gotta walk on and do what you know is best for you and your family.

Hancock County KY just aint it no more Dollbaby."

Psalm 9:10

Psalm 9:10

Psalm 100:5

Psalm 100:5

"His

 understanding no one can fathom."

No

One.

Isaiah 40:26-28

Isaiah 40:26-28

Proverbs 3:5-6

Proverbs 3:5-6

Jeremiah 32:27

Jeremiah 32:27

Isaiah 43:18-19

Isaiah 43:18-19

Mark 9:23

Mark 9:23

Philippians 3:13-14

Philippians 3:13-14

2 Corinthians 4:17

2 Corinthians 4:17

Psalm 46:10

Psalm 46:10

Blah

Blah.

Fucking \Blah Lucy lol.

I

"Oh I'll keep takin' punches until their will grows tired"

guess they thought I was kidding Lucy.

FY!

Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier I: Round 15 (Knockdown.)

:26 mark.

Yeah.

Kinda what it's felt like at times :-).

Love ya girl.

Afternoon

there Knucklehead.

Locked myself out of the house yesterday :-).

Sweet, right?

Love you.

Be awesome today.

I know you will.

"This

is my dream, this is what I will work hard everyday of my life for."

"All day everyday till the end of days dollbaby."

Love you Virgie.

Peace.

Entrepreneur:

A person that works sixteen hours a day seven days a week for himself so that he doesn't have to work eight or twelve hour shifts four or five days a week for somebody else.

This

is it right here. 

This is exactly how it is, or was, or whatever.

 

"You have reached the conclusion that life is just as painful whether you practice self-denial by living up to others' expectations or practice self-expression and feel guilty about it." 

"If I have one life to live, I want to live it as me."

I mean I just came to the conclusion that if I was just going to continue to scrimp and scrape and live pay check to pay check?

I at least might as well do so on my own terms.

Why go through all of that and be working for a continual line of power-hungry asshole supervisors that don't know what they are doing, let alone be capable of leading?

If I flamed out spectacularly?

So be it.

At least I would have the satisfaction of knowing I did everything I could to live how I wanted.

Knowing you were there didn't hurt Lucy :-).

Love ya sweetheart.

Psalm 16:2

Psalm 16:2

Psalm 29:11

Psalm 29:11

Mark Brown

"The challenge in life is to live beyond what you think is possible into the realm of what God thinks you are capable of."

God doesn't see us how we are.

He sees what we're capable of.

Psalm 121:1-2

Psalm 121:1-2

Psalm 23:4

Psalm 23:4

Proverbs 3:5-6

Proverbs 3:5-6

2 Samuel 22:32-33

 

2 Samuel 22:32-33

Psalm 37:4-5

Psalm 37:4-5

Psalm 23:1-3

Psalm 23:1-3

Psalm 18:30

Psalm 18:30

Psalm 37:16

Psalm 37:16

Well

go figure :-).

More excerpts from Thick face, Black Heart

Exactly

"Why these people who want to do so much good for everyone, who call themselves government and this and that – why them say you must not use the herb?"

1000 years...

two by two...

I'd say somebody knows a lil bit about the bible.

"Hey my love do you believe that we might last a thousand years
Or more if not for this,
Our flesh and blood
It ties you and me right up
Tie me down

Celebrate we will
Because life is short but sweet for certain
We're climbing two by two
To be sure these days continue
These things we cannot change"

Morning

or actually afternoon there Dingle-berry :-).

Love you.

Rumi

"You know how it is.

Sometimes we plan a trip to one place,
but something takes us to another."

And

the coup de gras in this book so far:

Exactly.

"Money is fickle. Keep an indifferent attitude towards it."

"Thick Face Black Heart" cont.

Yep.

RNM

"We refuse to be what you wanted us to be; we are what we are." 

 

 

I

mean when your path is just unfolded right in front of you?

Slowly?

Piece by piece over time?

How is not what your creator has intended for your destiny?

Why wouldn't he want you to take it?

I'm telling you if you don't recognize it and jump all over it and kick in that door of opportunity and introduce yourself? 

The chance will be passed on to someone else.

Why would he reveal it to you if he didn't want you to step up and own it?

Several times in the last few weeks I've had people looking at me like I have lobsters coming out of my ears.

(Christmas story reference lol).

They don't say anything, they don't have to.

I can tell what they are thinking,

"How do you do this? 

How can you live like this? 

How can you be you so sure?"

There's only one answer.

Faith.

Hebrews 11:1

 

 

(Thick face black heart excerpt).

Like I said before, I don't ever ask for anything in my prayers except to lift up others, health, peace of mind, that's it. 

Doesn't have anything to do with how things are working right?

Sure.

Okay.

 

"Thick Face Black Heart" cont.

 

It's the whole, "The more difficult your path the higher your calling thing.

I

am such a firm believer in this.

I really am.

 

Cause I've seen it work to many times, in my life and in others lives as well.

I can give examples here in the last few weeks.

I was about out of cash.

I mean down to next to nothing.

I got an unexpected gift of $100 from some close friends.

First $40?

Right to Nichs college fund.

Next $20?

Right to the gas tank of the truck.

Next $20?

Ramen, eggs, bread, a few toiletries etc.

I had made it on less than $20 for two weeks.

Back in the same boat.

Almost entirely out of cash.

Food supply getting way low.

Within days?

A $20 gift card, a Christmas gift from my aunt makes it's way into my hands.

That right there told me:

"Do you not see that I am with you?

That I am carrying you when you need it?

That as long as you have faith that I will provide for you?

That I am using you so that others might see that I am real and can work in their lives as well if they would just believe?"

I mean I have done this stuff about going out on a limb and trusting that inner voice (Big Man) that I hear which tells me in which direction I should go several times now and each and every time things have always worked out better.

So it just gets to the point where you surrender yourself and accept how things are working.

There becomes absolutely no need to question it. 

"That's just all coincidence" detractors might say.

Really?

For decades now?

(I could give examples from years ago as well but it's all way to  long to fit here in this post.

Time and time again?

To many coincidences aren't a coincidence is what I say Lucy.

Others have tried to suggest that I am hearing a false voice.

That the evil one is playing tricks on me.

Really?

This is how the evil one works?

Helping you help others?

Providing for you when you need it the most?

The evil one doesn't come through in the clutch.

He wants that fear and anxiety to engulf you.

For you to not be able to escape the walls feeling like they are collapsing down all around you, that's what he wants.

It's not my fault people don't understand or won't accept or recognize whats going on right in front of them, regardless of who they may be or their position.

The lord works in mysterious ways indeed Lucy.

Love ya girl.

Yeah

I do :-).

Another

one from the greatest hits file :-).

I just love this one :-).

Oh so true

"The only way to succeed is to make people hate you."

Josef Von Sternberg

Yep

It's just

crazy how things work.

I could sit here all day and post the other 40+ quotes I took screenshots of from this e-book and I'm only half way through it.

Whats crazy is Tony, my buddy in the NOC back in the day gave me this e-book..

He gave me a lot of things and I had them all saved on my desktop and would fiddle around looking through and reading them from time to time.

When my computer crashed?

This was the only thing from Tony I had left.

Made it's way to my desktop on Nicholas old machine somehow.

Been cleaning things up, deleting things off the desktop I'm no longer working on or interested in getting rid of dupliucate files and such and then yesterday?

I opened this up.

Couldn't put it down.

Of all the things Tony gave me, this just happened to be the thing I had left.

I just happened to open it up yesterday.

Crazy.

Or maybe not.

Depends on how you look at it I guess.

Love you Lucy.

"Thick Face Black Heart" cont.

Understanding the difficulties,

enduring the hardships,

predicting the risk,

tolerating the abuse:

for such a person,

all ensure fame and success.

- Chinese Maxium

"Thick Face Black Heart" cont.

"You must follow through with your plans and accept and endure whatever consequences occur."

This

book, "Thick Face Black Heart" is fucking awesome.

"Inner strength and the unshakable conviction that you are right."

Sound fimilar?

It oughta.

Parker Beam

passed away Sunday PM :-(.

Parker Beam, legendary Master Distiller, dies

Cowboys

vs Packers.

Sunday 3:40 CST.

Go Cowboys!

How

everything in the world can go wrong with changing a flat tire :-).

Got up to go to church yesterday and the front right tire was flat.

It has had a slow leek in it for a while and was flat on Saturday AM before I hooked up my small air compressor to it and filled it up enough to get around town and do what I needed to do.

So I knew the possibility existed that it could be flat Sunday AM.

Sure enough flat as could be.

Cold as a witches tit, didn't really wanna mess with it, it had been years since I had to change a flat on the truck.

Forget it, deal with it tomorrow when it's warmer, text mom and Al and tell them you'll need a ride to make it for Sunday Diner.

Done.

Go back and lay down.

After a while?

To hell with it, you've got nothing else to do, it's been a while, just take your time and don't get in a hurry.

Thats when things go wrong and people get hurt.

Always like a challenge :-).

First things first.

Get the lug nuts broken off while the tire is still on the ground.

Check.

Except they were frozen on and took every bit of my body weight to break them free.

I mean for a few minutes I wasn't sure I was going to be able to break them free.

 

Okay, moving on.

Lets get the spare down.

Tales a long thin rod that hooks into a notch that lowers the chain that holds the spare.

Do you think you could just put the rod in the slot and it would automatically slide into the notch?

Why hell no, you gotta climb underneath the truck while looking over the spare and insert the rod making sure it slips into the notch.

Nice, great design guys.

Finally, set up.

Lets lower this puppy and get it on the truck.

Not so fast kimosabe.

You think the rod would just turn the notch and lower the chain?

Why hell no, again, it took everything I had to break it free from whatever ice, corrosion etc was holding it in place, no vice grips, used channel locks, nice.

Note to self, get yourself two damn pair of vice grips!

Anyway, finally get it lowered.

Cool, I remember this part, this lil piece slides through the wheel and the tire comes off and...

Yeah.

Sure.

That lil piece?

It was corroded onto the wheel itself.

Well?

Shit.

Okay go get some WD40 and a hammer and lets see about getting that piece uncorroded so we can get the spare tire off

Check.

Worked like a charm.

Came right off.

Okay, lets go get the jack and jack this puppy up and change tires, at least the spare looks in good condition.

Got the jack I like from the garage (Janet gave it to me years ago, rarely ever used it).

Place jack in the right position and jack it all the way up and?

It's still not high enough to get the flat off the ground.

SHIT!

Now what?

I could wait for Christian to get home and use the tractor to lift the front end up I suppose.

I don't know when he'll be home and that sounds like a long process.

Lets see here.

For one of the first times ever, the phrase, "What would Ricky do?" entered my mind lol.

Hey, you got bricks and pieces of 4x4, get some of that and build a lil platform to place the jack on and that should get it high enough to get the flat tire off.

Done.

Tire is off the ground and spinning.

Should be able to take it right off and put the spare right on right?

Well hell no the tire is froze and or corroded onto the axle.

Well?

Shit.

I can change a tire.

 I assure you I am more than capable.

But the wiggling the old one off and placing the new one on when the vehicle is elevated?

Not really so keen on that part.

Anyway, I can't get the damn thing off.

Shit.

I'm standing there looking at it and here comes Christian.

"Having fun yet?"

"Oh yeah tons, just a blast."

"What's wrong?"

"Well I got the truck up high enough but I can't get the tire off."

He gets out of his truck, inspects the situation and promptly gives the tire a few good kicks.

Rocked the truck some but didn't come close to knocking the jack down.

"I hate this part" I said.

"It won't fall far if it falls." he replies.

Anyway, the tire was off, we both worked to get the spare on and tighten the lug nuts.

Al shows up to give me a ride for dinner.

"Looks like you've about got it."

"I think we'll be alright, I'll be over in a minute."

The spare?

Yeah it needed some air as well so we drove to Christians big air compressor and aired it up and we both went about our day.

 Nice to have good neighbors.

And that Lucy?

Is how everything in the world can go wrong with changing a flat tire :-).

Love you.

Love you

Lucy.

You know?

I could have dealt with the waiting all along.

It was the unexpected Joe Frazier left hooks to the body and the endless kicks in the nuts I could have done without :-).

So yeah, pardon me if I don't like Joe Frazier left hooks and kicks in the nuts.

Which reminds me of: