Life routine and roulette/ 4 months of survival

Dear Family and Friends,
I wonder why I use these words, all of my family are my friends and I feel like all my friends are family, sort of a nice warm feeling inside.
As I ponder the events, conversations, relationships, transactions that make up this week I am led to conclude that while some are routine others are so accidental so by chance. Fresh in my mind is an encounter with an idiot just a few hours ago, traffic was moving well toward Stockton on Highway 4 and suddenly someone in a small white pickup was beside me on this narrow two laned road attempting to pass and a car is coming the other way at 60 mph. For a second I held several lives in my hands, if I had sped up people would have died so I braked sharply and the fool swerved in seconds before the other car passed by and then he was back out passing again. I really don't mind if he has a death wish or hates life but he was going to take others with him. After a few seconds I caught myself wishing him all kinds of evil and my blood pressure was rapidly rising, once I became aware I slowed it down but I still wish he could know how close he came and that he might not care but others do care. Hence the roulette part, the wheel was turning with outcomes unknown.
I started this day at the park with Starr and Lady where they had an enjoyable time. Then home to a quick breakfast of Cheerios, I decided to live dangerously so no oatmeal this morning. Then off to see a local home. I knew by the street it was located on that it would be huge and it was. Sometimes when you drive up and first see the subject of the appraisal you just groan. Two story, interesting angles, plants grown up close to the house, a nightmare yet it turned out to be the nicest visit of the week. The property had been constructed years ago as a weekend home for two brothers, so it has identical master suites, even two sinks in the kitchen side by side. The dock was made of concrete, yes concrete can float and was 52' long with plenty of room to berth most any watercraft. The renters had just opened a new Lords ice cream store in Brentwood and as a result have no time of much else. As I was working in the back on the deck a little old man came out to join me. He was pleasant, joyful and talkative. The whole family are a racing family, they have always raced a car somewhere and followed the racing circuit all over the country, they started their life in the south and still have that wonderful decency that comes from starting life poor where people matter more than things. As we talked they shared stories about their family, about the little old grandfather losing his wife in the past few years, of the little ones watching over and caring for her as she lost her health. What a precious family and unexpected discovery on this Friday morning in April. It was hard to leave their home and of course they invited me to their ice cream store promising seven flavors of non fat ice cream to tempt me. Then I drove the 4 blocks back home and worked for several hours creating appraisals. Bob and Carrol had tempted me this morning with an invitation to join them at the Spaghetti Factory in Stockton this evening and when a client called to ask for more photos of a commercial building that settled it. So after checking with Nikki to make sure she and Steve did not need me this evening I headed to Stockton. I had enough time to go by and see Pam for a minute at her school where she is the principal, John Adams School. Dinner was great, nice conversation, great whole wheat spaghetti, broccoli, salad and a dab of ice cream. Not exactly a meal for dieting! And since they had two for one tickets from the paper I have a second meal in the frig which I can spread out over next week.
Then a quiet drive home in conversation with my beloved brother Jerry. Yes retirement is working out well for him and he is in love with life. I am so happy for him, no more working all night at the controls of a train which reached a mile and a half sometimes. Enough!
The first half of this week I mentioned that I had no work and now as of this evening I think I have about 15 orders to see. FHA everywhere and many are sales of bank owned homes which is great news.
I would also like to report that several checks have come my way this week, enough that I could pay for the new glasses, the motorhome payment, the health insurance, data sources and many smaller bills too. I feel it is only fair to mention when funds do come in since I often mention when they don't.
Tomorrow I get to take Keanna to Sabbath School and then have her for the day. We will venture to the park, find lunch somewhere, watch vegetale Videos and just enjoy the day. What fun she brings and I appreciate how much the little figures she draws have improved as the months progress. Her coloring is in the lines, her sense of original drawings is great, this is a very talented little girl and I thank God for her every day. She and Timothy are a constant reminder of the cycle of life. That God is not through creating miracles yet.
There is a growing chorus of voices asking where Wes is, demanding to hear from him, missing his humor and wit. Wes we need you.
Deborah wrote today from Benicia and shared her blog address: www.debztalkin.blogspot.com. Friends it is worth reading, beautiful photographs of spring flowers and unique places to visit, great food ideas. I'm impressed.
As some of you are aware today was the 4Th month since Nan passed away. In some ways it seems like yesterday and in other ways I find it hard to remember the routines of survival we were in toward the end. All I know is that what we all did was for love of a precious woman, one who could charm you into anything, who could cut you low with a well considered word or two, one who could get to the bottom of an issue almost immediately, one who was soft, lovely, stunning to the very end. God only made one but we all got to enjoy her for the years we each had with her. She was like life itself for me, if she said it I believed it, if she asked for it she got it, if she wanted it gone it was gone fast. She got her way because her requests were reasonable and caring. It was a pleasure to be her helpmate over the years and I consider it an honor to have been her "rock" for 37 years. Oh that you all could have been as fortunate as I was.
So Lord thank you for sharing Nan with all of us and why she had to go we don't understand but nothing can take our joyful memories of her gallant and courageous life.
love

Tim