The first half of October, 2008
I have been having so much fun reading other's blogs, and posting photographs in my own, that I've hardly taken any time to WRITE. So, here we go.The past week has been absolutely beautiful here in St. Louis. We've had sunshine with the temperature in the mid-70's. Lisa was completely wrapped up this week helping with a funeral - it was lovely today to have her HOME in the morning this Sunday. Her calling as RSP has underlined her devoted and responisible nature. I can't say that I'm always patient with it all, but understand that it is very small compared to what she endures as my wife, and all the things that draw my attention elsewhere. On Tuesday night this week, Lisa needed me to bring a few items to a funeral home that is just a bit south of I-70 on 270. A babysitter was already at our home, as she had to leave before I came home, so I decided to take Scott along with me, and leave the other two at home (who weren't interested in coming). After stopping by the funeral home breifly, Scott and I headed over to White Castle, which is only special because not everyone in our family likes it, so it feels special to those of us who do. Scott and I are the true fans of the funny little restaurant. Scott's eyes were sparkling with his smile as we ate. It was so refreshing to have him all alone to myself. He was his usual socail self, telling an older couple next to us various observations, turning back to me afterwards and carrying on, as if people are meant to interact as if we are all close family. I loved being with my best buddie, and knew I needed to write a short paragraph to preserve that moment. A week earlier I took Thomas with me to a White Castle near our home. He was also happy to be there, so long as I ordered a chocolate shake for him to dip his chicken patty in. Hopefully I will get the little video of him acting silly off my phone and onto this blog. I soaked that time up as well, and had to hold Thomas's face in my hands a few times and stare at him to drink in how he looks right now. He is beautiful, but is growing and changing so fast, that I find the moment of 'now' a very refreshing place to be, every now and then. He smiled with chocolate shake across his lip, and would only let me do it for a few moments at a time. I remember the first time I learned to breath deeply to get into the 'moment of now'. It was so startling to me how beautful my world is when I am fully awake. We were in Valencia, planning to move out to St. Louis. Tommy, as I only call him to others anymore, not to him, as he prefers Thomas, was playing at the top of the stairs in his Robin Hood outfit. I had been listening to a CD book called 'The Art of Wakefulness'. That CD has changed my life. I mentioned the book at the beginning of this blog. There is more here, but I will have to say it later, as I'm still catching up.Lisa posted our experience with the new musical "Emma". It was absolutely amazing. I wasn't the only guy in the room that was thoroughly entertained by the show either. I wrote on facebook that I was going, and had an old acquaintance offer his consolances. On the contrary, I think, it is only a sad thing that I can't go to a show that excellent every week. We SERIOUSLY may go again before the show closes. It is THE original cast for this new musical, featuring a cast that have been in the leading roles of Phantom, Les Miserables, and such. They were stunning. I never did get through the movie with Lisa as far as I recall, although she told me I had, I am sure I was sleeping by the end (or I have Alzheimers) because only the beginning of the story was familiar to me. As I write, Lisa is watching a movie about Jane Austen. This one came with the DVD "Sense and Sensibility" that BBC created. She is catching up on the feeling that her life is her own, as am I.Brent Bankhead, my business partner, turned 40 on the 10th of October. I didn't know about his surprise party until a few days before, but decided to get photos from Laurice, and put together a slideshow of his life. I used Pinnacle, and put in about 12 hours. It was a mistake, as I lost sleep to the project and therefore was useless when Friday came, but the product was nice enough that I had to post it on YouTube.
The party took place at our staff meeting, with the arrival of our spouses, his parents, and others all part of the surprise. His sister, Michelle, who is married to previous partner John Firth, was also there. I was blessed enough to have 20 minutes of time to talk to her. I don't know how long she will be with us, and neither does she, as she has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, but she is touching many lives, including my own, with her attitude toward the cancer and her life in general. She had me in tears as she recounted how much she is valuing every day, and that she told her family that although she is sure that God could heal her, that her gift may be that she get's to know when she is going to die, and therefore has time to record her testimony. Her blog, is at firthfacts.blogspot.com
The party took place at our staff meeting, with the arrival of our spouses, his parents, and others all part of the surprise. His sister, Michelle, who is married to previous partner John Firth, was also there. I was blessed enough to have 20 minutes of time to talk to her. I don't know how long she will be with us, and neither does she, as she has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, but she is touching many lives, including my own, with her attitude toward the cancer and her life in general. She had me in tears as she recounted how much she is valuing every day, and that she told her family that although she is sure that God could heal her, that her gift may be that she get's to know when she is going to die, and therefore has time to record her testimony. Her blog, is at firthfacts.blogspot.com