Challenges of life

Dear Family and Friends,
How blessed a person is if he has a caring family and a host of quality friends. I have both, far more than I deserve.
After a week of steady work, safe trips and some checks in the mail it is nice to have this divinely inspired break, the Sabbath. Now I know I certainly do not keep it in the same manner as when I was growing up. I remember the mad rush to have out baths over by Sunday on Friday night or else. At that point we had not yet learned about the Lords love as much as God's rules or approaching our Lord as a caring friend instead of a pretty serious boss. Yet there were many good things about the way we were raised. Our family was very poor, my father and mother worked hard day and night with little time for relaxing. We lived on an 80 acre farm in Washington near Castle Rock and even closer to Toutle along the north fork of the Toutle River, the same river that did so much damage after the mountain blew. Our farm would have been very deep in ash as it was located a few miles from the mountain. Once in a while the family would pack a lunch and after church we would drive to Spirit Lake, a deep deep tree lined lake that was so beautiful and mysterious. We would hike up the mountain and our dad would tell of his times up the mountain to its top with just a day pack and his faithful dog Dixie. He had climbed it by himself and described the few pieces left of a lookout station that someone had tried to build near the top to spot forest fires.
When the mountain blew I felt like someone had ripped out a piece of my childhood as some of my happiest memories were of the lake and the mountain. It was a close to a vacation as we ever came as I was growing up. We never went out to eat, we never stayed in a motel or hotel, we never camped out other than when my brother would take me with him on a fishing trip. Life was serious and hard and it was the same for most everyone in the little community. I wore jeans with patches on the knees and don't remember ever having a new pair as I grew up.
When my father decided to expand his social circle beyond his family he moved us from the farm to a rental in the city, sold the farm for $14,000 and took on a job of selling Lincolns, Edsels and Mercurys. Later he left and my mom and I struggled to survive, she cleaned houses and went with me to my piano teacher and while I had my lesson she did ironing in another room. My brother often rescued us with groceries and visits and he was a life savior many times. Yet during those years I purchased a new bicycle on time and made my $5.00 a month payments to the store. I ran a Spudnut route selling doughnuts made with potatoes nearly every day and on a good day I cleared a dollar. I also sold pens, pencils, had a paper route in the early hours of the morning and managed to even go on a berry bus to pick strawberries. I rarely lasted more than few days as I just ended up eating too many berries and not picking fast enough to please the management.
Life was rarely easy but it seemed OK. Early on I discovered that I could sing and from 5 years old on I was put up front a lot singing for meetings, camp meetings, church and even secular events. I found my place in the world with my voice, first a boy soprano and eventually a tenor.
I'm in a different place now. I've pretty much decided that I'm tired of always being alone but quite unsure of what to do about it and I guess unwilling to expend much energy in the process. The single biggest obstacle I face in life at the moment is the extra 80 lbs I carry. At this point I've not decided on a day by day basis to find a new way of life and stick to it so the weight lingers and taunts me.
I'm always pleased when the Sabbath hours begin, I put away my work and concentrate on rest. This evening Lois, who is alone until tomorrow evening when Ray comes back, and I had dinner at the Boardwalk. We sat outside and enjoyed watching the harbor and other people who got louder and louder as they sipped their white wines and beers. Our food was great. I had a side salad and a pasta with vegetables in a wonderful sauce that was so good it was sinful. To drink I enjoyed green tea. It was a nice way to end the week.
Tomorrow morning I plan to walk with Ken and then pickup Keanna for Sabbath School. This afternoon she had a rare experience. Nikki took her to Dublin to meet up with Annie, her long time friend who used to live on the same street as she does. Then to celebrate Annie's birthday all the little girls climbed into a limo where they were transported to a "Build a bear" store in Walnut Creek. How times have changed! Imagine, a limo for 6 year olds. I think they all had a great time.
I want to share some sobering news that Irene has received. She had a CT scan this week and the results were mixed. She is on a different drug right now that is being given to her "off label" meaning it is not approved or recognized to be effective with GIST. However for some people it seemed to be helping. This weeks scans showed that the tumor (s) in Irene's liver are growing while the other ones are unchanged. Meanwhile the side effects of the drug are really making life tough for Irene with fatigue and depression. This precious child of God needs our prayers and good thoughts.
Good night to all,

love

tim