Oh Happy Day

"Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake." -Victor Hugo

My wife has such great patience with me as I struggle to come out of my 'man cave'. It is a term that relates to how men will retreat into a quiet area internally to work through things. I have been working through the death of a loved one and it is not as if I'm depressed.

What I have found is that I am struggling at getting back to an ability to 'multi-task' in my daily life. Each of us in our lives have many things going on in our worlds. You juggle each of them in some manner, handling them as best one can. The work of 'living' must go on and we must enjoy the act of 'living'.

So just keep telling yourself that these are happy days for all of us. The problems and issues that arise around us will pass.



We played this song along with images of her life during a tribute to my Mother during a memorial service. I smile every time I hear it and think of her. These are happy days.
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Open Road Missions in Peru

I wanted to pass along an update from my friend Paul O'Connell and his Open Road Missions work being done in Peru.

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Ho la from Peru,

Trying to stay connected with everyone is always a challenge but this certainly makes it easier..if you're interested, here is the latest from Peru.

Hot off the press..we had an earthquake last night..well technically the epicentre was in Bolivia. It was a 5 point something, but never-the-less a nervous experience. I don't believe things were meant to move like that. I am up on the 4th floor so not much chance of making it out if it was a big one, but it wasn't my time.

I have just returned from working at an orphanage high up in the Andes. There are about 100 orphans and they have a school along with a small medical clinic. I taught English classes and worked in the bakery. No machines here so all is done by hand. There was about 60lbs of dough to mix, a good workout to say the least.

The kids were great and teaching them was a highlight. The school also accepts kids from the surrounding area. One of the boys in my class walks 1.5 hours each way to get to school..unbelievable.

The altitude also takes a few days to adjust to. You feel short of breath and tend to have headaches for the first few days. A few minutes on the soccer field had me thinking I was having a heart attack. Yes, when you come to Peru, every day you get to experience near death emotions (just kidding). Not really, but it just reminds one of just how awesome life is and to enjoy the most of it.

If you would like to help out down here, you can donate by visiting my website at: http://www.openroadmissions.com/ or send a check to ORM P.O. Box 491985, Lawrenceville, Georgia 30049, USA, which is my home base. It is real easy and it would help me out big time.

Talk to you later! Paul
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If you have the chance, check out his website, pass along some of the information for others. He could really use your support in his efforts.
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Lessons Learned

Bear with me as I bring myself back around to writing again. I arrived on Tuesday, October 7th to be with my family as we helped our mother in her final days. They are days I will write about and days that will not soon be forgotten

The stories she told us and lessons learned in those days will become clear. My writing will be a release for me and also a way to impart some of her wisdom into your lives. I have learned to be content with my circumstances through out the years. Much of that I owe to my mother.

As I complete these last few days helping my father start to rearrange his life, I know that my sister and brothers will all be there to brighten his days. Each of us will cherish his remaining days and in knowing that our mother rests with angels.

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Gone From Our Sight

Gone From My Sight
by Henry Van Dyke

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship, at my side,
spreads her white sails to the moving breeze and starts
for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength.
I stand and watch her until, at length, she hangs like a speck
of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

Then, someone at my side says, "There, she is gone"

Gone where?

Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast,
hull and spar as she was when she left my side.
And, she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.

Her diminished size is in me -- not in her.
And, just at the moment when someone says, "There, she is gone,"
there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices
ready to take up the glad shout, "Here she comes!"

And that is dying...

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