CHILD OF MOTION

I love motion, i have for as long as i can remember. I drive semi- trucks for exactly that reason. I rode motorcycles, bikes, skate boards, go-carts, roller skates- u name it, if it moved i was on it. 
 As i ease into my 60's, i find i still need it a least a little to keep to keep the motion monster at bay. All the times in my life i made bad decisions or got into trouble were the times i was not moving. Yes, i am aware that we cannot be perpetually in motion- darn it! 
 If you happen to have a child of motion the best advice i can give is to keep them moving. Fighting it will only bring you sorrow. The motion can be done on a part-time basis but it is needed all the same. Balance in all things is needed.
  Bwwwaaaaahhaaaa- Just kidding about the child rearing advice! Just do the best you can- there is no formula for raising kids!

ADVICE FOR YOUNG PARENTS

As I was having my hair cut by my step daughter this evening we were  chatting about decisions and the outcomes of them. She was expressing some regrets about how she has raised her son. And the fact there were no kids his age for him to play with in their neighborhood. So I elaborated on the fact that we as young parents do the best we can at our experience level. And it's an unfortunate circumstance that it's usually later on in life we see the flaws in our views. I see in all four of my kids and in my grand kids the influences of their up bringing. And I love them all for their amazing abilities in humor, strength, courage, restraint, and insecurities. I see them and wonder how these amazing people were able to come about from the little I knew when they were being raised.
So anytime a young parent questions their abilities they should be told to just do the best they can and live in faith. And give them the benefit of your experience if it can help them be more self assured. Love them.

TEXANS, LOOK AT US

I cannot just sit by and watch all that was sacrificed for- lost. We did not get this state without a lot of blood shed everywhere. On all sides there were losses. Each and every person killed or lost due to nature was important to someone. They came from somewhere, and chances are they were mourned. We cannot disassociate ourselves from theses people- any of them. The Indians, Mexicans, Whites or any other race involved in the developing of Texas. 
If you don't know why the Indians did not want us here and were willing to kill to get the point across you need to educate yourself on this and form your own opinion. 
If you think Texas was stolen from the Mexicans you need to find out the whole story. Ask the underlying questions, why were we invited to settle here in the first place, what happened that made the Texans rise up against the Mexican Government? And was Mexico ever given money for the land of Texas? Educate yourself and form your own opinion on fact, not what you heard someone say.
When you hear someone say Texas has been constantly taken advantage of by The U.S. you need to look into the matter and form an educated opinion on the matter. This state belongs to the people who live here and claim it as home. No matter how long the residency! If you come here to become a Texan become one! If you come here with one foot still in the culture you left behind you are here for the wrong reasons and should really evaluate your situation here. You either come here as a asset or a liability. And this does not only apply to folks from other countries.
Texas was a country in it's own right before it was a state of the U.S. and there are no other states that can make that claim. We had our own currency, law enforcement, the works. Our resources are boundless. No matter if it's natural, or intellectual, we have what we need to get by. We only need to find the courage and determination of those who came before us to use them to our own advantages and stop giving them away for nothing in return. We must take a hard look at our relationship with the other states of the union and decide what is right for us. If we cannot be treated as an important part of the whole of the U.S. we may as well leave it. We can compete with any one economically.

THE DESTRUCTION IN "ME"

I spent my life being concerned about me.....  I have heard it said you can't be happy with someone else until you are happy with you. I have also heard it said you can't make some one else happy if you are not. I call B/S  on both of these. I have tried and true experience in these two particular areas and I tell you, you can be happy with someone else even if you feel you need to be "fixed". And I know without a shadow of a doubt you can make someone else happy even if you are not. The old folks had a couple of words to describe this phenomenon. They were COMMITMENT, and DEDICATION.The two things that have been droned out of the youth of America for quite some time now.
I am of the mindset that at some point the younger generations are going to see what does not work and go back to the things that do. I just hope they have a knowledge of these things available to them somewhere, somehow.
So in conclusion the "ME" in situations is a recipe for pain and destruction of the family unit as it's been known through out time. Love yourself- but love others more. God Bless!

PASSING ON ....

Ever notice how children in the same home, raised the same way, can have completely opposite views of the world? Some of it has to do with personality issues i suppose. We are all individuals in the end. But you would think at least some of the upbringing would sink in. What am i on about? Well let me tell you, it amazes me the amount of people my age ( pushing 60) who still indulge in smoking pot, drinking in excess, and ignoring the basic commandments of the Father (not your Dad).
I actually know people that couldn't wait for their kids to grow up so they could have a beer, or share a joint with them. I was guilty of saying the same thing- in my teens and early 20s, but it wasn't long after that i started see the real world effects of these party tools. No way i would voluntarily curse my children with these as everyday living. I knew it was going to come without me introducing them into their lives. I was NOT a good father. I had a lot of out of sync priorities, that i have paid for in spades. But with that being said i would have never lead my children down paths i knew was not good for them.  If you take faith out of a child's life and provide them an escape from reality, they will take it every time. The hardest mistake to watch your children make are the same one's you did. I tell you i just don't get it.

I DON'T NEED GOVERNMENT HELP !

I DON'T NEED GOVERNMENT HELP !
Ok, so here i was after years of not having credit. Working only with cash to let my credit recover from some really bad mistakes i made earlier in my life. After massive medical bills, bad business choices, and monster taxes. I was finally getting our head above the water line.
 Until now....  we have had a hip replacement that got infected (that means 2 surgeries) 2 visits to the ER, 2 ambulance rides for 35 miles each, and now IV antibiotics for 6 weeks, then oral antibiotics for 5 to 9 mos. not including the usual pain medication for maint. This is going to be a bear to pull off without being crushed in debt--again ! I am not certain i can pull it off and get everything done without losing ground. But i am a warrior at heart so i don't give up.
Sounds like i am whining about my life and how hard it is, right?
Not at all! I am a very fortunate man. I only reveal this little struggle in my life to set the ground work for what i am writing about today. 
I realize that in today's culture i am considered "old school" in my views about debt.  I haven't always had these views that my father and grandfathers had, but through the learning process of years of compromised morals and stupid mistakes due to lack of self control i have come to embrace these views. I now completely understand them. 
I don't need the help of the any government programs to rob me of the feeling of accomplishment i will have once on the other side of this. Life is full on ups and downs, easy times and hard times. Nobody likes the hard times, however there is nothing that can replace getting through them on your own. So i will continue to not live beyond my means, try not to make any bad decisions, keep my credit on the way to recovery, and keep the faith that i am not here alone. 
PS. No INSURANCE !

THE DISINTEGRATION OF TIME

THE  DISINTEGRATION  OF TIME


Time has a way of taking care of a lot of unfounded worries that come our way in life. The little things that seemed so large at the time of their conception seem to crack, crumble, and blow away under the strain of time. From- the am i cool enough to hang with the desired group, to- will i impress the boss today. It all seems to fade away if you give yourself enough time. The group that seems to struggle the hardest with these self-imposed worries is the 20 to 30 yr. old. Younger children may have to work through these as well if they do not have a parent to believe in. As children are much more open to taking adults at their word than are the aforementioned ages.
Actually there is not much you cannot do given enough time. However time is a limited quantity, no one really knows how much of it they actually have in front of them.
     Now here comes the hard part- children need time to grow into responsible adults. Nearly any propaganda from the schools, or the media can be outgrown if given enough time. Now we have a government program to normalize the education of all schools in the country. By normalize i mean conform to government standards. To offset this we need to have a alternative input to our children and grandchildren. We need to take direct action ourselves to reeducate our kids. If they cannot think for themselves, they cannot work out how to survive in the world that is coming. The very same government has made the moves to insure that these next generations will be able to be controlled.
The way it works is to collapse the system, and in the midst of chaos a leader will emerge with the answers needed to help the masses. At that point it all becomes a dictatorship. Sounds like a conspiracy, right? Well it is- several decades in the making. All the moves have already been made, it is all but done, simply a matter of time. Make the choice for your descendants- give them faith, give them the ability to work things out for themselves, teach them how to think, teach them to question authority, or have them conformed into government slaves. My prayers are with you, and them.

GOODBYE TUBULAR AMIGOS

Don't you just hate having to give up something you really like? Cigars, I love em'. I like the taste, the smell, the feel of them. But two weeks ago I decided I was tired of being a slave to tobacco. And with my addictive personality that is exactly what I was. I started smoking cigars on my 40th birthday, about 5yrs ago I decided chewing on them was the way to quit. Yeah ask anyone who dips or chews how easy it is to quit... out of the pan into the fire as usual. So it became obvious cold turkey was going to be the only way to get the job done. So it has been done, but not without a great deal of discomfort to myself and my family. It is however, getting easier by the day. I refuse to give in at this point, knowing I would have to go through all this again at some later date.
 Ok, so there's my personal story, now for the pondering, what is there to be passionate about in life that is not harmful to body or soul in some form or fashion? I just don't get it, and then there is the absolute possibility that I have missed something- which also concerns me to some degree. To clarify, I am not unhappy in life, I just can't say I am passionate about anything. I can't say for sure I ever have been, nothing comes to mind. Maybe I'm passionate about not being passionate-- see what happens when I get too much time on my hands? Later!

THE REALITY OF REALITY

I am an optimist, however I have had to come to terms with the facts that are inescapable. Like, for instance, at 56 you are no longer able to do what you want physically. The mind and heart are willing but the body just can't quite make it happen. And if by some miracle of will power you push through, you soon find ( usually the next day ) the price paid for such willpower is quite severe. The reality of reality has set in. It is not giving up on hopes and dreams, it is realizing some hopes and dreams are no longer attainable at this point in life. Either from health or longevity it is irrelevant, the plans and ideas of the young must be abandoned for the more realistic. I have always wanted a farm for instance, but I have trouble just maintaining a garden, And the excessive lifestyle I led in my youth has left me with a lot of spinal damage that requires a determined effort just to do the tasks needed on a daily basis.
I am not complaining, just relaying reality that means if it has not been accomplished by now- it probably won't be. I can accept that- I will simply change my vision, or goal to something a little more in realistic. It's only an example but it's an appropriate one.
 So if like me, you have run into the reality of reality, don't get down about it just change the vision to something attainable. After all don't they say success is having a journey to take, not getting to the end of it ? Go U !

IS TEXAS DONE?

Is Texas done? Has the blood of REAL Texans been diluted to the point that we no longer have a sense of indepenence or self preservation. Are we really to follow like sheep to our demise. Have we lost our spine? Are we so afraid of what others will think or say about us that we just sit silently on our hands while our posterity is being robbed of the future choices we have had? The U.S.A. has a cancer that is destroying it from the inside. The socialist/communist forces have finally found a real champion and the ground they have taken is mind numbing. They are no longer hiding in the background.
Texans have to make a hard choice, to keep following or stand alone to become the shining city on the hill. Gov. Perry claims we are the second largest economy in the world. Why then do we need to be "managed" by Washington? Why do we continue to take money from the government if this is true? Are we not self sufficient? As a state we ARE able to take care of ourselves. We don't need them. We are able to draw as much business as we choose to our state to employ our people. We have the food and resources to feed our people. We can care for our old and infirmed without oversight from politicians. Once you reject the money from Washington only then can you reject their control and regulations. So they refuse to control our borders, let's do it ourselves. So we don't have federal money for roads, let's do it ourselves. So we don't have money from the government for social programs, let's cut the waste and pay for the rest ourselves. We have the capacity to make and produce anything we need. We have been ignored by the government for decades and if we stand up for ourselves and they don't like it... too bad! It's time to really take a look at ourselves and decide what we are going to do. If our state government won't do it, it is our duty to do it. And if we don't there is no one to blame but ourselves.

A Matter Of Faith

Well, the end of the world has come and gone. We are still here. I am NOT making fun of these zealots who are convinced they know more than Jesus Christ. God has kept the return of Christ at his command. And as the Bible says (paraphrasing) " Even the son does not know the hour". Anyone paying attention can see the darkness  looming on the horizon. And the temptation to try to predict our Christ's return is no more than a wishful prediction by people who either don't understand what we have been told, or are afraid and trying to comfort themselves by saying it's just around the corner. I bear none of them ill-will or negative attitude, I can't pretend to understand though.
It is my opinion God will let us get as close to the tribulation times as he deems necessary for his own purpose. It may be to let us see just how much of this life is not in our hands but his, or perhaps so we can really appreciate just how bad it is going to get once we are taken from here. No one knows, and may never, but the important thing to focus on is the fact he Will come for us. Most of us have never had to enter a den of hungry lions, or come face to face with an army who's sole intent is to slaughter us for what we believe. So our faith has never been tested in a life or death situation. I believe it shows a lack of faith to give into the predictors of Christ's return. The end times will be scary, we will pray to be rescued, things will be out of our control, all we took for granted will no longer be there, and as mortals we will be afraid, that is to be expected, but to do unfaithful things is not. There can be no doubt that once saved from what is coming to the world,  every knee will be bent, every eye will be filled with tears at the grace and love we are shown as true believers in Christ. Stay strong in the faith my brother and sisters in Jesus.

RAIN AND TEARS

Well it's a rainy day in Texas, a much needed rainy day. But the sun is supposed to come out a little later on. It's a good metaphor for life, I think. Today I am between the proverbial rock and  a hard place, about to be crushed- again. In my life i have been in this place many times, almost always by my own hand. Be it a bad choice, or my reluctance to make a choice. Each time I emerge from it I am more confident and self assured that I did not get out of it by my own doing, I am not that smart or I would not be there to begin with. Yes I am truly blessed and watched over. I was told once ( by my mom I think) If there were no rainy days we would not really appreciate the sunny days. And I believe it is true in our life. If there were never hard times would we ever be truly compelled to get on our knees in tears and ask for help and guidance ? So I look at the rain ( or is it tears ) knowing it will not last for ever, and when the sun comes out again all will be better. We can never give up because no one knows what the next 15 minutes will bring. Did you know 15 minutes before you met the love of your life that you were about to? Do lottery winners know 15 minutes before the drawing they were going to win it. Hope is what keeps us pushing forward, always keep your eyes in front.

LIFE GOES ON

Being the parent of 4 kids is a study in human nature. I watch my children as they go through life, i notice the choices they make, the reactions they have to situations that arise, and the things they are motivated and not motivated to accomplish. All my kids are grown and have kids of their own. The raising of my kids has been complete for some time now. I stand on the sideline and watch as an adviser (when asked). This is not always an easy place to be at times, especially when they are on a path I have already gone down and and found it to be pointless or worse. Still, I bite my lip and let them make the discovery for themselves. This may seem like a harsh way of doing things but I tell you from experience that unasked or unwanted advice is a waste of breath because in their eyes it is pointless. And will usually get a comment like" that was then-this is now" or "that was you..".
   I am completely proud of all of them. Some have faced hard choices, and insurmountable challenges and prevailed. But the one thing that never changes is the mistakes I have made are the most difficult to watch being made all over again. The personality of each one is different as well as the temperament. The one thing that ties them all together is the influence my wife and have had in their upbringing( good and bad). I see us repeatedly in them. And life goes on....

Don't look now but I am at present looking for the salt and pepper to put on my words to make them taste better as I eat them. As clear as day I said I will never go back to trucking again. And yet here I am a short six months after leaving my last trucking job entertaining the idea of getting back out there. I have been a mover all my life, cars, motorcycles, trucks. If does not seem to take too long before the walls start to close in and my feet start getting the itch to move. I do enjoy being home, but if i have to work driving seems to suit me more than anything else. At my age, and in my frame of mind I am just content to sit around the house.

 This is the first posting for this new blog I think, not very entertaining i know, but i an just getting warmed up.