so, I had this really long blog planned out, like I usually do. basically wait a month and then narrate my life — that’s the formula. well, not this time. i’m cutting my losses, and then i’m going to offer you some false hope that i’ll update more often. muahhahahha.
last time we chatted, i had just returned from a sweet vacation in Guatemala. since then, not much and a whole lot has happened. here is what comes to mind:
I came home and my car broke down. broke down big time. for about a week, i borrowed my parents’ cars to get to work. then i paid to have it fixed, because apparently my car was critically unsafe to drive on about five different fronts, two of which involved the steering and brakes. nice. so, $1200 poorer and feeling smug about my trusty chrysler, I went about my business. one week later I found myself stuck in the middle of the road with a dead engine. great. to make a long story short, I now am the proud owner (or GMAC is, I should say) of a 2007 Saturn Ion. It is a stick, rocks the gas milage, and is very fun to drive. where is my old chrysler now, you ask? If you guessed, “in your front yard”, you win!
my brother came home for Thanksgiving. It was wonderful. we played a lot of guitar (he’s still better than me.) we also went to a Third Day show in Mobile. of course, they rocked. They did not play “All the Heavens”, so Leslie and I had to play it ourselves when we got home. we sound okay though. my favorite for the night was “Blessed Assurance”. it was very cool to be singing that in a stadium with several thousand other people. all in all a good night. David Crowder band played too; I recommend them. So does Third Day, but then again, they own the label.
My Aunt Faye lives with my family, and has for the last couple of years. Uncle Bill has been in a nursing home, because of his health. Aunt Faye has gone every single day to visit him. every single day. last week, Uncle Bill’s health took a turn for the worse. that was not unexpected, and it landed him in the hospital. Aunt Faye has been married to Uncle Bill since she was 16 years old. I cannot fathom that. More than sixty years together. Wednesday night we were in the hospital room. My mom was there, Aunt Faye, and some other family.
It was becoming obvious that Uncle Bill was near death. Even Aunt Faye said that a few hours out, when his blood pressure became very faint. As far as I can remember, it is the first time I’ve actually watched someone die. Uncle Bill was brave. He couldn’t talk for the breathing tube in his throat, but he did not face it with fear. I hope that when my time comes, I will die well. I learned more from Aunt Faye though. She was a nurse in that very hospital for over 20 years. She knows about death, and has seen it many times. She knew her man, the one she’d loved for sixty years was going to leave so soon. She did not wail, she did not beg him to stay, and she did not try to command control over the situation. For the time Bill stayed, she told him a lot of things. She told him how she loved him with her whole heart. She told him how he was very precious to her, and how he was a wonderful man. And with Faye holding his hand, Bill passed on from this world to await the Judgement. I can only hope that I am blessed to have a wife who is so unselfish with those last moments, and who loves me, and who has such an amazingly strong faith. But even if not, if God calls me to live my life without a mate, I pray that I will die trusting God in the same way I’ve learned from Bill and Faye.
okay, enough sadness, a couple of news items and I’ll call it a night. apple, inc. makes this thing called a macbook. I have one now. In fact, I’m typing this very blog on it. I’m very happy with my expensive and irresponsible purchase, thank you very much. I love the fact that I can check my e-mail on the toilet. gross, but true.
finally, this weekend was great. Friday night, I went swing dancing for the first time. My friend Catherine Langford (we were pretty good friends in high school) invited me. I have little to no rhythm, so it’s hard for me to dance. I had so much fun though! I plan on going again soon. It’s great exercise, and its almost a family atmosphere. At the American Legion, where they do this every Friday night, there was no smoke or alcohol, just dancers of all ages and skill levels. Watch out, ladies. (really, watch out, you might get hurt while I’m flailing around the floor.)
and lastly, saturday I went up to Montgomery to see my good friend Sara Vaughn. I learned how to develop black & white prints, old school style. also, I rode some sort of Christmas train through the Montgomery Zoo. I might have permanently scarred a little kid by shouting “MUHAHHAHHHAA …. MEEEERRRRRRY CHRISTMASS…”, Halloween style. woops. I got my payback though. Sara and her friend Courtney made me watch Rocky Horror Picture Show. Disturbing, on so many levels. but Tim Curry was amazing, despite how uncomfortable it was to watch, at times.
Well, I’m done kids. I love you all. Merry Christmas.
Tags: Guatemala, Music, spirituality