Yes, I know I never wrote the second part of the Puerto Vallarta adventure...which is probably why I haven't written anything lately. I learned long ago never to promise "more to come"...sometimes I get in the "moment" and the moment fails to transcend my intentions. Sorry.
Suffice it to say Uncle Bobby was alive and well and we could flush the toilet paper.
If you want to see a bunch of photos from the "Flying Blind Faith Tour" they're posted at this link. I especially like the photo of the artists preparing for Valentine's day...but that's just me...sometimes such sentiments make me all misty...
The thought that I'd been really bad about keeping the blog updated crossed my mind yesterday when something called "Blogshares" informed me that this blog had been "delisted" from the "Blogshares exchange" and I was out about a zillion blogshare bucks, which I'm assuming are worth nothing. I'm sure years ago when I actually wanted to promote this blog rather than hide it, I signed up for blogshares. I don't remember. In any case I wrote them back saying that they had the old web address for the blog, if that made any difference in regards to their decision. I received a prompt reply, "No."
I suspect if I actually had a link to "blogshares" on here it would change their mind....but I'm already out a zillion worthless blogshare bucks or euros (I suspect they're French) so why bother? If people really have that much time to waste on the internet they need to find a life...or facebook.
I suppose I should update a few other things.
1. Amy's health - She's doing okay, some days better than others. We're both trying to be a little more health minded. We had a few scares in recent months, the drama of which I opted not to post here. One hospital stay caused primarily by an incompetent "rent a nurse" weekend staff at North East Methodist Hospital in San Antonio. I was going to fire off letters to the "Joint Commission" and the Texas Board of Medical Examiners. I did raise hell in the hospital to the point where I noticed a very friendly security guard always seemed to bump into me whenever I entered the hospital and hung around like a good buddy until I left. It's not like my middle name is "Wayne"....but I toyed with him a little because I'm easily amused that way.
However I have better things to do than save people from nurses and doctors who are incompetent, so I never got around to firing off the angry letters that would prevent more medical malpractice from taking place at NorthEast Methodist Hospital in San Antonio. I'm busy. I'm on facebook.
That's not really by choice, I developed that little "News Widget" that's over on the left hand side of the blog, and I joined facebook with the sole intent of getting that "application" approved by the facebook genies. I never have gotten it to work on facebook, but while trying I've been "friended" by 60 or 80 people, most of whom I'm related to or I have no idea who they are whatsoever but I feel guilty turning down someone's request to "be my friend." It's like kicking Mr. Rogers in the shin...although since he always took off his shoes I'm presuming that would be sort of expected when you were around him, so a kick in the shins would probably hurt me more than him...certainly it would now considering he's below room temperature and all.
I guess in this update I should admit that Amy and I didn't really abandon our "Upper Room Ministry."
Some months/years/decades ago - whenever I last wrote on that topic - I believe I was rather firm in saying, "Never again...not gonna happen...I've lost my faith in mankind...people are scum...I have guns." Something like that at least.
Well you can only waddle along with your posterior puckered for so long before God whaps you on the back of the head like Jethro Gibbs in "NCIS" (a TV show I've become way too fond of by the way).
After all my speechifyin' and pronouncements, God pretty much dropped a couple of people in our laps and said, "Go ahead be an (insert anatomical slang here) but these people need you!"
Well, I've always been a believer that when God kicks you in the...posterior you should probably get up off your...um...posterior.
God was actually gentle with us, considering the psychopaths we had tried to help previously.
We housed a fine young man who was in a military program here with the Coast Guard. The astute among the two or three people who read this might realize there's not a big Coast Guard contingent in San Antonio since San Antonio lacks....well, it lacks a coast. Anyway, he was in a training program where the only people with him were competing for the same Coast Guard position as he was and it didn't make for a lot of fellowship. His wife and kids were in Florida and by a pure "God Thing" he came to live with us for a month or two - I can never remember, Amy always has to tell me how long people lived in our house....that's especially embarrassing with our own kids but that's another story.
Anyway, Amy met this young man's Mom last summer in Ohio and heard her mention San Antonio...that started a yak fest...and of course Amy said that if her son in San Antonio ever needed anything she should call.
Do I really need to write this out? Suffice it to say that months later, she (the mom) called me, we ended up rescuing this guy from the dungeon-like barracks at Fort Sam. He came and stayed with us...doing amazing things, like cleaning. Finished his course work, got his family moved into base housing at a local Air Force Base and presumably they've been living happily ever after... that's if you try real hard to forget they owned a home in Florida which they bought before the real estate market turned to swampland.
I figured that situation worked out nicely. A happy ending...man and family reunited...we were able to provide him with a family environment rather than an institutional one, and he cleaned stuff.
Not long after came Amy...not my Amy...Amy "Dos" as I called her. A very pleasant young woman from Indiana who was looking for a place to stay for a few months until she could tie the knot with her Air Force fiance, Captain Andy, who is stationed about 19 yards from our house. Amy "Dos" is a nutritionist. She taught me that just because it says "Wheat Bread" that doesn't mean it's good for you or that it has wheat or is even bread...and she cleaned stuff.
We had regular dinners together with Amy Dos and Captain Andy, Amy (my Amy) got all aflutter as women do when weddings start drawing near. Today Captain and Mrs. Andy are on an abbreviated honeymoon...they were married last night around sunset.
This is the way the "Upper Room Ministry" is supposed to work. We help someone or some family during a time when they need a little breathing room...and then they embark on a new season of their lives. In between they clean stuff.
In truth, that's been the case with everyone who has lived with us...they've all gone on to "new seasons"...a couple of them the new season of "America's Most Wanted."
In any case, we're back to empty nest mode until God whaps us on the head again - or Amy goes surfing on "Craigslist."
In the interim, I know this much...I can feel free to sit here at my laptop in my makeshift office and type in my underwear.
Yeah, I know...that's a visual you could have lived without, but I really figured you'd stop reading this by now.
It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect - Psalm 18:32
