Friends – Thoughts of a Common Man

COVID Be Gone

Well, after almost three years into this pandemic Kate and I finally contracted COVID. I guess we should consider ourselves lucky to have gone this long without getting it, but that is of little comfort considering how we’re feeling at the moment.

I came down with it first, and Kate the next day, so her symtoms have been a day behind mine, which has been a cruel insight for her as she sees what is coming next. Yesterday was my worst day, or so I hope, which means today is hers. She is barely able to function and we’re running low on groceries.

Even though we’ve had numerous offers of help we have been hesitant to ask. We try not to be a burden to anyone, but today was the day we had to seek some kind of assistance. So, we had one friend do some grocery shopping for us, while some other friends picked up a Starbucks order for us. To be honest, anyone who knows us knows that I don’t cook, so with Kate feeling so poorly I decided to order some prepared food from Starbucks that Kate likes and that can be reheated in the microwave. We’ll see how that goes.

For anyone who’s already been thru this, then you know how unpleasant it is. For us its severity is about the same as the worst case of flu that we’ve ever had. We were a young married couple at the time and my mother came to our rescue with groceries and medicine. I vividly remember my mother coming into the house after I warned her not to as we didn’t want her to be exposed to such illness, but she came in anyway and I can still see her sitting in my chair in the corner of the living room, checking on us and making sure that we were all set. A mother’s love, care and concern never changes, no matter the age of her child.

Yesterday Kate was so sad over the fact that she hasn’t seen any sun in weeks and she felt as though she was going to snap. Well, late this morning we caught a brief glimpse of sunlight, but Kate was stretched across both parts of our sectional sofa at the time and was sound asleep. Knowing how much she needed her rest I resisted the urge to wake her so she could see the light peeking through the grey sky. I was torn between the medicine of rest vs the hope of a new day and light. In the end I choose a restorative rest for her, hoping that is what she needs and will be the best thing for her at this point.

I have tried working remotely these past two days, but finding myself tiring quickly I was limited to how much I could accomplish. So, between fitful naps I started re-reading a book that I first read back in 2003. It’s titled “The Secret Life of Cowboys” by Tom Groneberg. It’s about a young man who leaves the city life after college and pursues his dream to become a cowboy. It is a story filled with joy and heartbreak. Tom tells his story in a way that is brutally honest. He doesn’t hold back and I only wish I could tell a story the way he does.

The author brings to light the fact that with great pain, suffering and sacrifice you can find strength in their lessons, and sometimes you need to learn that your success lies in learning from your defeats. While sorting thru our book collection over the years I could never bring myself to part with this book, and I’m glad that I did not. I like his gritty writing, and I like his story. It has brought me comfort knowing that even though Kate and I feel miserable at the moment, if we hang tight, keep our faith in each other and in God, a brighter day lies ahead.

COVID will run its course and hopefully with no long-term effects for us. And for the moment I will take solace in the fact that it could be worse, that we have loving friends and family who are keeping tabs on us, and that God is great, especially during trying times.

A special thank you to everyone for your well wishes, concern and help. As always, thank you for reading. Looking forward to sunnier days and better health!

My limited foray into social media

I initially shied away from social media but over the past few years I decided to try some platforms to see if it’s all that people say it is.

So, I opened a Twitter & LinkedIn account, started subscribing to YouTube videos, pinned some articles on Pinterest when we were renovating our house, and last but not least opened an Instagram account. I decided to examine these various accounts to see what, if anything, they added to my life. I never did open a Facebook account.

Full disclosure, some of my job duties include keeping tabs on any legislative issues at any level of government that may have an impact on our business, good or bad. With that said, that makes politics a part of my life, as I feel it should be for most people as it affects us all, but it shouldn’t be your life unless it’s your fulltime job.

So, my first social media account was LinkedIn, which as you may know is a professional networking platform, and for the most part I see great value in this platform for anyone working or seeking employment. It’s also a great way to keep in touch with business colleagues who may change employers and/or locations. In my humble opinion, this is by far the best professional network platform in social media, and I appreciate all that it has to offer. Some of the participants have complained about the increasing number of political posts and would prefer to keep it strictly business in nature. However, anyone who has ever owned a small business is acutely aware of how politicians, especially their laws & regulations in particular, affect your business each & every day. So, I believe politics should have a place at the table in any business-related social media platform.

From there I have mixed feelings about the rest of the social media platforms that I tried. I recently closed my Twitter account for a number of reasons, but most of all due to a lack of civility by its members, especially when the topic involves politics. I can’t help but believe that people would not say in public or to someone’s face what they feel free to say on Twitter. There is downright hate & malice directed from people towards others who may think differently than they do. Now don’t get me wrong, I followed some great people on Twitter who added great perspectives on various issues, but in the end I didn’t feel it was the best use of my time by scrolling thru various Twitter posts.

Pinterest is a great platform to help you decide on different home renovations, which my wife & I found extremely helpful, especially giving us the ability to print pictures to show the contractor of how we wanted the finished project to look. Kate has also used Pinterest for decorating ideas. And even though Pinterest has a host of other uses, we have found our home projects to be the best use of that platform.

If you’re a visual person, then YouTube is the place to be! I use it to watch music videos, and listen to music in general while at work, as well as how to assemble or fix something. There are great videos of exercise routines which I refer to periodically. I really think that YouTube is one of the best overall platforms currently out there, and honestly, I don’t know how society ever functioned without it! If I was only allowed to keep one social media platform, it would have to be YouTube.

The platform that gives me the greatest joy would have to be Instagram. It’s like Facebook but without all the drama. Now don’t get me wrong, if you want drama you can find it on Instagram as well as any of the other social media platforms, but I have found that it’s easily minimized with Instagram. I have one rule when I follow an Instagram account and that is I won’t follow an account that is political in nature or posts an inordinate amount of political themed subjects. I certainly support everyone’s right to post as they wish, but that’s not why I’m on Instagram, and I admit, my grading of such material is entirely subjective. Instead, my wife & I enjoy seeing our friends & family and their many activities and accomplishments, which also provides a great timeline of their lives. The only downside here is that I think people sometimes see their social media accounts as a substitute for personal interactions, which should never be the case. I look at social media as an enhancement of personal relationships, not as a substitute for engaging in social visits.

And that is probably my biggest concern with social media, in that it has become a substitute for people’s personal relationships. It has also allowed people to become more divisive and dismissive. It has taken the political discourse straight to the gutter, and worse. Social media has a tendency to quickly bring out the worst in people. Luckily there are a number of people who are trying to push back by posting uplifting & positive material, factual & focused material, posts with a possible solution to a current challenge. Anyone can be petty & derisive, but it takes someone of substance to look at a given situation and use positive & constructive criticism to find a solution.

So, for what it’s worth, there’s my humble perspective on various social media platforms. While enjoying any one of these platforms or the many others that are available, let’s just remember to stop looking at our phones for a while and just enjoy the moment that’s before us in all of its glory & splendor. Instead of being a passive bystander watching life on your phone, try being part of the activity and enjoy actually engaging in the moment. Trust me, you won’t regret it!

As always, thank you for reading, and may we pray for the citizens of Ukraine and a speedy end to the war.

Summer vacation 2019

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Every year my wife and I take a 2 week summer vacation and we rent a cottage on Lake Ontario and open it up to all of our family and friends. This year was our 18th season of doing such, and though not everyone made it, it was a busy and fun time for us. It is our goal during this 2 week period to not only provide a fun time for all, but to also reconnect with friends & family that we don’t always have the time to do when we’re home.

There was a time when we would have between 20 & 30 people at the cottage all at once, and sometimes as many as 10 or more overnight guests. Now we rarely have that many guests at the same time. They spread their visits out over the 2 weeks which gives us more quality time with each of them.

Needless to say, there is great preparation that goes into such an endeavor, and by the time we have everything loaded into the SUV, there is only room for Kate and I. We would love to bring our dog Chloe, but the cottage owners don’t allow dogs, so off to doggie day care & boarding she goes to catch up with all of her friends! Chloe’s choice for boarding while we’re away is K-9 Kamp. If you have a dog and need either day care and/or boarding, trust me, this is the place to go!

As with most annual events, there are certain foods and traditions that have come to be expected. My wife makes a pasta dish called Rosa Marina, which I only get when we’re at camp, and then I have to share it with everyone!! She also makes a number of other food dishes, but it’s the Rosa Marina that most everyone looks for. And the last few years she started making frozen pudding shooters using various alcohol blends which have become a huge hit with all of the adults. This year she made 5 batches of shooters, which totals approximately 120 individual servings, and there were only a few servings left when it was time for us to leave. All I can say is, “I’m innocent I tell ‘ya!”.

My favorite tradition is the evening trip to the local ice cream stand, known as “The Trolley.” The crew that works there knows and respects my rule that whenever I come in with customers no one is allowed to pay but me. Many people have tried over the years, but the staff has always respected my wishes, and for that I make sure to tip them well! My other rule for The Trolley is that you can order anything you want, in any size that you want, BUT you have to eat all of it! Failure to do so will get your portion downgraded on the next visit, and as one great-niece found out, I don’t forget any infractions of that rule!!

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(One of many Trolley visits)

One other tradition we have at camp for our overnight guests is our morning wake-up song. And the official camp wake-up song is Brad Paisley’s “Spaghetti Western Swing” played at full volume!! It seems to work pretty well, thanks Brad!

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(Rise & Shine)

While at the lake, there are certain restaurants that are a must visit for Kate and I. Almost every morning we have breakfast at The Cherry Tree Inn in Henderson, love their homefries! The staff there are always friendly & welcoming, especially Colleen & Deb. Full disclaimer though, I have had one complaint over the years, and that is that their prices are too LOW!! Seriously, I don’t know how they do it at their current price points and still put out a quality breakfast, AND turn a profit! And if you have little ones with you, Colleen even has a treasure chest filled with toys that the children are allowed to pick from and take home. Where was this place when I was a child??!!

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(Colleen & Deb)

When we leave The Cherry Tree Inn we head straight to Chrissy Beanz bakery in Sackets Harbor for a mocha frappachino (with two straws) and a cinnamon stick. And yes, we do this almost every morning as well! The array of coffees, pastries, cookies and desserts are incredible, and the mocha frapp is just like Starbucks USED to make. We sit at one of the outside tables and watch the world go by as we sip our frozen drink and savor the cinnamon stick. And if you’re able to be there just when the cinnamon sticks come out of the oven, then it is truly your lucky day, as it doesn’t get any better than that! Chrissy Beanz is another small business with great staff, and we would like to thank Luke, Alyssa, Chloe and everyone else for doing such a great job during our visits this year.

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(Alyssa & Luke of Chrissy Beanz)

The gentleman that owns Chrissy Beanz cafe also owns the restaurant across the street named Tin Pan Galley. His name is Andrew Hanzlian and he has been doing a stellar job with his restaurants for decades. And to truly enjoy all that Tin Pan Galley has to offer, you have to make sure that you visit for Sunday brunch (awesome Bloody Marys & stuffed French toast), lunch (my favorite is the TPG lobster roll), and dinner (best enjoyed on a warm summer night with live music playing). You see, the restaurant has a huge outside dining patio that resembles an old English garden, and my wife and I have had some magical dinners there over the years and we go back every chance we get. And don’t forget dessert, the creme brulee is Kate’s favorite.

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(Myself, Rikki, Kate & Anne-lunch at TPG)

So, if we’re so busy restaurant hopping, what are our friends & family doing to occupy their time, not to mention how are we reconnecting with them? Well, as you will see in some of the upcoming pictures, many of them are with us as we traverse from one eatery to the next. But, while at camp we’re busy playing board games, card games, coloring, swimming, kayaking, sunbathing, and yes, you guessed it, eating!!

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(Eating while playing cards)

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(Kayaking & swimming)

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(Sunbathing 101 – Safety first (SPF 50, shaded area, proper clothing)

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(Coloring – with adult beverage duly noted)

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(Reconnecting over lunch on the shoreline)

And finally, time spent with great people over wonderful meals at some of the best restaurants you will ever visit –

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(UMAK with Meghan at Good Fellos in Sackets Harbor)

(Can anyone say The Trolley?)

(Or how about Chrissy Beanz??)

And then there’s family –

We have vacationed in a number of great places over the years, but the stretch of NYS between Southwick Beach to Sackets Harbor along Lake Ontario is the place we return to on a regular basis. That whole area has great views, small businesses, restaurants, people, recreation activities, and historic places. We hope one day to summer there when we retire, and if not, we still have a host of memories of time spent with family and friends doing what we do best, finding pieces of life’s puzzle. And if you made it to the end of this blog, as you can see, there were a LOT of pieces!!

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(Sunset from cottage shoreline)

As always, thank you for reading, and if you visited us at camp, or you’re in this blog, thank you for being a special piece of our life’s puzzle.

Life in Pieces…..of the puzzle

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(Puzzle piece created at our nephew’s wedding)

For many of us, at some point or another in your life you ask what your purpose in life is, why are you here? For most people who have children that question is answered with their first born. You realize that it’s no longer all about you, your wants and your needs. It’s now about raising a loving, caring, compassionate, and capable person. And sometimes, even with all of your best efforts, examples, teachings and sacrifices, it doesn’t always go the way you would like or had hoped for.

For those of us who were never blessed with children the answer to the question of our purpose in life is harder to answer, if not almost impossible. When I ponder that question I first view life as a puzzle, one with a lifetime of moments, experiences, relationships, trials, and tribulations that each make up a piece of life’s puzzle.

So as I progress in my blogging experience I have come to catalog my life in singular experiences, moments, and relationships, individual pieces of life’s puzzle, that when taken together as a whole begin to create a picture that is uniquely mine, while simultaneously creating a unique picture piece for those individuals with which I interact. Thus my piece of the puzzle also has a place in someone else’s puzzle of life. (At this point of the blog I’m not sure if I’m playing 3 dimensional chess or going down a rabbit hole!)

For years my wife and I focused on spending time with our parents, everything from dining out, to family gatherings and vacations. For the longest time it was the six of us and we were content with that. We knew we would have a hole in our hearts when they were gone, but we never realized what a hole would be left in our lives when they passed.

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(Parent’s Night at Rosalie’s Cucina in Skaneateles)

We also spent a lot of time with our nieces and nephews, everything from school plays, concerts & sporting events, to our annual boy’s & girl’s night vacations. And now we’re starting to experience the same with their children, our great-nieces & nephews.

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(Great-nephew James after ice cream)

The pieces of the puzzle filling in around our family are all of our friends, some of which have been with us since the beginning, while others have come and gone, filling a unique purpose at the time. I once read that friends are a gift that we give ourselves, and I could not agree more!

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(Celebrating our Anniversary with friends in Key West)

So, I can’t speak for my wife, but as I look at my purpose in life, I have realized that I’m here to add pieces not only to my life’s puzzle, but to life’s puzzle in general, and to help others fill in their puzzle where otherwise there might be missing pieces. And sometimes the pieces I create fit pretty well, where as others not so much. I don’t think life’s puzzle has smooth edged pieces which delineate the outer most pieces and provide a framework, but instead consists of smooth and jagged pieces, depending on the life experience involved.

And if there is no outer framework, how do we know where the pieces go, especially when they don’t always fit perfectly, and how do we hold them all together? For me, it’s Faith. It’s believing in a God that knows not only where the pieces will fit, but what pieces should be created in the first place. Now, I may not always agree with the creation of certain pieces of the puzzle, but I can’t see or envision the whole picture as God sees it, so I just have to have Faith that everything will come together for a reason, and as it should.

I remember questioning how it was that Chloe, our Bernese Mtn. Dog, came to be THE dog in our life, especially after years of my wife saying no to having a dog. What was it about this one dog that she said yes to? And why, after having Chloe for a year and I was ready to give up on her and give her to another family, that my wife said absolutely not, Chloe is family?

That question was answered one night at my father’s nursing home. Chloe had been there many times visiting with Dad, and so I stopped with Chloe in the car after a late night at the office because Dad was in his final days and I made a point of stopping to see him every day. Being it was so late I commanded Chloe to stay in the car while I went up to see him. Dad was having a particularly difficult & painful night, so I was there longer than usual. At one point I excused myself and told Dad that I would be right back as I had to give Chloe a break. I let Chloe out of the car, she did her business, and as we approached the car she pulled hard on her leash towards the nursing home, and refused to get back into the car. I tried to argue with her and ordered her back into the car, but instead she pulled me towards the entrance of the nursing home and would not take no for an answer. We took the elevator to the sixth floor, and when the doors opened Chloe pulled me down the hallway towards Dad’s room, and once she was thru his door she relaxed her stance, went over to his bedside and gently licked his outstretched hand. And for a few moments Dad’s pain was minimized as he stroked her fur and she returned the favor with her gentle kisses. She then laid on the floor between his bed and my chair, and stayed there until we left to go home. It was the last time Dad saw Chloe, and it was at that moment that I realized why we had this dog, and the relevance of her piece to the overall puzzle of life.

My point is, we don’t always know why certain pieces are given to us, or necessarily what to do with them, but they are there for a reason, and though we may not know what to do with them at the moment, they will eventually fit into place when & where the time presents itself.

So yes, my purpose in life is a puzzle to me, literally and figuratively. And I’m not sure that we’re ever meant to finish the puzzle, but at some point the time comes when we pass from this earth and we stop adding to it. My only hope is that in my rush to experience my pieces of life that I have not overlooked, or worse yet, lost any pieces to my puzzle, and that my pieces of life add to all of those individuals that I connect with and am blessed to know and love.

Now that I think about it, it sounds to me like I just might be playing 3 dimensional chess IN a rabbit hole with this particular blog!!

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(“Did someone say rabbit hole?”)

Vacation in Delaware

Delaware_vacation052219 Last month my wife and I vacationed in Bethany Beach Delaware. It’s a great area and a reasonable drive from Syracuse. Our hobby is food. My wife reads cookbooks and watches the food channel to learn new recipes and techniques. I am the official taster and sampler of her latest creations, which is one of my favorite things to do!

We arrived at the hotel late on a Sunday night, so we decided to have something to eat at the hotel’s restaurant, which has a veranda that overlooks the boardwalk and ocean. Our waiter that night was Wes, and he did a great job making menu and drink recommendations for us. Everything was great, and we thanked him for making the recommendations that he did. We charged the meal to our room and went upstairs and unpacked.

The next day was a lazy day spent at the hotel pool, and we ate all of our meals at the hotel restaurant again, and lo & behold, Wes waited on us again. We engaged in conversation with him and he mentioned a number of places that we might want to try while we were in town. We again went with some of his menu recommendations and we found everything to be great.

Come Tuesday we decide to have lunch on the veranda, and asked for Wes to be our waiter, to which the restaurant complied. By now the three of us are like old friends and enjoying each other’s company. I asked Wes if he ever takes time off from work, and he said that he rarely does, but that he was off tomorrow night. Well, one thing led to another, and the three of us made a date to go to a restaurant that he recommended that was located in Ocean City MD. We exchanged cell phone numbers and vowed to cover the details of where & when to meet the next day.

Well, as my wife and I were getting ready to leave to meet him in the hotel lobby, Kate expressed her concern that we barely knew this guy, and how did we know that we would be safe? It was a legitimate concern, one that I had but had not voiced to her. Now normally I’m the one who would never of let this happen, but Wes seemed liked a stand up guy, and had shared numerous details of his life with us, and I thought perhaps I should step out of my comfort zone. I assured Kate that all would be fine, as we were meeting him at the hotel bar, in front of numerous co-workers, so there were plenty of witnesses of who we were with should this night out go south, which by the way, we literally headed south to get to the restaurant that he suggested. Just thought I would throw that in there.

In the meantime, he’s talking with his co-workers, and come to find out, they are voicing the same concerns that Kate was! So, as we meet Wes at the restaurant bar and sat down with him to have a drink, and unbeknownst to us, we’re getting the once over by some of his co-workers. I confess to Wes that we might have had some concerns, and he tells us about his coworkers and their concerns, which gave all of us a chuckle!

The three of us leave and head toward the 1st of two restaurants that he recommended. The restaurant’s name is Liquid Assets, and it’s unique in its configuration. It has coolers along one side of the bar filled with six-packs and cases of beer. The other side of the bar has shelves filled with bottles of wine. People stop in just to buy beer or wine, while others come in for the restaurant. The bar is in the middle, between the coolers of beer and shelves of wine. We decided to have drinks and appetizers at the bar. Wes knew most of the staff there, and with that camaraderie came excellent service.

Well we started ordering drinks, and appetizers, and a number of different food items, and it all kept coming all night long. We were having such a great time at our current location that we decided to skip the second restaurant and spend the evening there. The three of us had a great time, not only with each other, but with the bar staff as well, and everyone joined in on the lively conversation. Thankfully my wife volunteered to be the designated driver so we didn’t have to call an Uber.

After Wes and I were quite inebriated the three of us decided to call it a night. Kate loaded us in the car and we headed north and dropped Wes off at his apartment. There were hugs all around and we headed back to our hotel.

The next day Wes conveyed to his co-workers what a great time was had by all, and I shared pictures of the evening with friends and family. Wes waited on us the morning that we were leaving, and he asked if we could have a picture of the three of us before we headed home and we were more than happy to comply.

In case you’re wondering where all of this is going, for me it’s quite simple. It’s never easy for me to step out of my comfort zone, but this time I did. And in doing so, Kate and I met a nice guy, that introduced us to a restaurant with awesome food, that we never would have found on our own, and even if we did, we doubt that we would have stopped in as it’s located in a strip mall. We had a fun evening with lots of laughs and made a new friend along the way.

You know, so many people never give their wait staff the time of day, much less a decent tip. I hope the next time you’re dining out that you take the time to at least learn your waiter’s name, and if time allows, maybe a little something about them. If anyone knows the best restaurants in the area they do, and more times than not they’re more than happy to share that knowledge with you. All you have to do is ask, and in doing so you let them know that they are valued not just for what they can do for you, but as a person as well.

Wishing you a summer filled with good food, good drinks, and lots of family and friends. It doesn’t get any better than that!

And Wes, we’re coming back for another bowl of those mussels!

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Jose’ Harris Quote

Photo by Helena Lopes on Pexels.com

“There comes a time in your life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh. Forget the bad, and focus on the good. Love the people who treat you right, pray for the ones who don’t. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living.” Jose’ N. Harris, MI VIDA: A Story of Faith, Hope and Love

I thought I would go back to my roots with this blog and talk about the above quote which is a recent favorite of mine, but one that I also struggle with.

I agree with the perspective that as one ages, and hopefully matures, you actively decide to cut thru all of the noise in life and those who create it. You make a conscious decision to move away from those who create & thrive on the drama, and instead focus on and surround yourself with people who are at peace with themselves and the world around them. And by doing so, you find contentment not only with time spent with them, but within yourself, as you are much more able to focus on what is truly important to you, whether it be finding or increasing your inner peace, better health & fitness, quality time spent with family & friends, prayer, strengthening your relationship with God, or just reliving fond memories of all the people who have come & gone in your life, leaving their indelible print & influence on your being.

For to truly be happy with yourself and others, you really do have to forget the bad and focus on the good. It does no one any good to harbor ill will or let resentments foster. In fact, it has been my experience that it hurts the person who is carrying these negative feelings more so than the person or persons that they’re directed toward. And lets be honest, who in life is not guilty of at one time or another of hurting another person. Certainly not me, I am as guilty as they come. The key is to recognize that you are just as guilty, if not more so at times, as the person that you resent. So, I try to atone for my actions that have caused hurt and pain to others, learn from them, and move forward.

Here’s where I struggle with Jose’ Harris’ above quote – if we only surround ourselves with people who make us laugh, and walk away from all the drama, and more importantly, those who create it, what does that say about us? Not everyone has a happy go lucky life, not most people I know anyway. And if we only surround ourself with positive people who bring us light, laughter & happiness, then does that make us shallow? For what kind of friend or family member would I be if I walk away just when they need me the most?

So for me, it’s important to realize when a person may be going thru a rough time in their life and may need a shoulder to lean on, perhaps even cry on. And to be honest, I think the deciding criteria for me as to whether to continue to have this person in my life is whether or not they add value to life in general. It may not have to be our particular relationship at the time, but I have to see that they are a good person who is capable of and does bring peace, joy and happiness to others on occasion.

As a friend, and as a family member who takes an active role in family relationships, I think it’s important not to be too quick to cut and run. But when & if the time comes to make that decision, then I feel it has to be made decisively, and only after you have truly tried your best to help this person overcome their need to create drama and to focus on the positive.

So yes, “Life is too short to be anything but happy”, but it shouldn’t be done by casting aside those that may not bring you happiness in the moment. And yes, laughing is one of the best medicines ever, and I can honestly say that I have so many family & friends that surround and fill my life with laughter that I truly consider myself a rich man. But I love them not only for what they do for me, but for who they are and what they add to the fabric of life in general, and the world as a whole. And I pray every night for those people who create the drama, and particulary for those who don’t treat me right, that God will help them to find inner peace, comfort and strength. For it is my belief that they create the drama because they are lonely, isolated and unhappy, and are unable find their way out of such darkness.

I have fallen down more times than I can count, and sometimes I fall in a hole so dark that I’m not sure if I’ll ever find my way out, but with the help God and all of the good people He has placed in my life, I always have. So I hope as I choose to walk away from all of the drama, and those who create it, that I remember to offer a helping hand to all those who want it, but more importantly, to all those who need it, and in doing so, giving them the courage to move forward as well.

In the words of one of my wife’s favorite songs – “Don’t worry, be happy!”

Thank you for reading.