The PERFECT Job!!!

As many of you know (maybe) I have been unemployed for almost a year now--technically since the middle of December last year...but I have found the perfect job! Tony LaRussa, the manager of the St. Louis Cardinals for several years now...and he usually signs a one-year contract with the Cards each year...but so far he is undecided about next year as far as returning for another year or retiring. He is 65 years old...there could be an opportunity there!!!

I, of course, would speak on my own behalf and be my own agent in any negatiations with the Cardinals but I'm pretty sure we could hammer out a deal within a few hours of intense negotiations. My expertise and loyalty should be considered in the deal and I've been there for them thru some good years and some pretty lean years! They have the makings of a pretty big winner, I just believe that a new skipper with one goal of winning the World Series and bringing that Championship trophy back to St. Louis would be a determing factor in any deal that we could make.

Of course, if they balk in the negotiations I may determine to go after another coveted position that may be opening soon: radio broadcaster. Mike Shannon is getting close to retirement age as well so there could be an opening in the Cardinals radio network that broadcasts all their games...both spring training and during the season too! I must admit that my experience may be limited in the airwaves field but I do have the face for radio!!

I'll be working on my resume.....

Will I May

Denise and I had a conversation yesterday that made me do some thinking and altho I have no root answers, I have given it some thought! What to do about it is obvious, but but therein lies the complexity of it. What to do with all my stuff!!??

As persons who have passed the age of 50 we are realizing how stupid it is to not have a will. Along with the fact that there will never be any $$$ money to squabble about because even now there is never enough even in the good times and that is even magnified during these "difficult financial times", which is 'Demo-eze' for recession, which equals no jobs, which equals no money $$$! I can make light of this in that I am in my second...yes second major lay-off in four years and after having worked for the past 31 years without much incident, it qualms at the shock of having to go thru this yet again!

It has however come at a interesting time given the fact that my Dad has esophageal cancer and his lifespan looks to be shorter than longer. I am Blessed and fortunate to have this opportunity to be 'off' to at least be available to be there and spend some time with him, since I didn't as a youth, but that is for another story. The story now is: will I??!

It's a sad story too as I realize that two of my children have absolutely no dealings with me whatsoever and there are two who are on the fringes, who are there when convenient and it pleases them. Ok, I can deal with that sortof...it is what it is and truth in relationships has long been not-so-much in my family for gemerations now so it is basically par for the course! One has already gone home to be with Jesus so he has no need for 'stuff' anymore and there is one who is likely the only one who will be there till the end! Toche!

In that I have stuff that will have no face value to any one after I am gone for much of my stuff has been around for a lot of my life. Baseball cards that were worth anything have long ago been sold and the sheer numbers of those 'left behind' is enormous if not lucrative! Baseball, NASCAR, and few football which mostly consists of Carolina Panthers and an assortment of those whom I really don't know the value...which in these 'difficult financial times' cards are NOT a priority in any person's imagination, even my own! As a long-time collector I have gone high and low to collect those that I had and have, but today the collection is all but worthless. My Lou Brock cards (he has been my lifetime favorite player for the St. Louis Cardinals!!) remain my all-time favorites, and in the Beckett his cards are fairly expensive...the truth is that a person would never get out of them what I have put into them!

A will, a will....hmmm what I mostly leave behind besides stuff is a legacy of what?? Broken relationships, forgotten promises, burned bridges, backward thinking, do I need to go on?? My hope would be to leave behind at least this: the absolute importance of finding and having a relationship with Jesus Christ and to know Him as Lord and Savior and having a lasting relationship with Him. That would be what I would want to leave behind--not so much by my own example but because of His Gift to us!

Will I may...

Growing Old (er)

Yesterday I reached a new milestone-52 years old! "Blessed with the joy of living" is what local radio host Pat Shannon says daily on his 'Home Ad' show when someone asks him how he is doing...And I am as well! God has been good to me these 52 years and I have to proclaim His goodness to all! That's not to say that life has been a 'box of chocolates either, but in the grand scheme of things life has been good!

Christy and I took a "Day-cation" on Wednesday to commerate the beginning of my 'Birthday Celebration", which is a month-long (at least) observance of the passing of time--at least I celebrate that long!!! We drove up to the Parkway and went to Doughton Park (where we had about a 6 mile hike)and on to The Cascades (which was beautiful!), both of which can be easily accessed by going up Hwy. 21 to right above Roaring Gap. It was a GORGEOUS day, chilly and windy but an awesome day of hiking and scenic photography! I took 561 pictures(!) of which a few came out to look pretty nice, but it was a great way to start the festivities!! We are definitely going to return there again!! BTW--I took an even 1800 pictures last month!!!! Definitely a record!!!!!

We are hoping to go to Horse & Mule Days in Denton next weekend for another opportunity to add to the collection of pictures that we are taking!! Our State and other magazines are awaiting our entries!!

I've had a short vacation away from my duties at Grace in the past 2 weeks as well and with a couple of Homecomings to maybe attend, I may have a couple more weeks 'off'. I enjoy doing the PowerPoint there at church but I have two capable assistants and I need to 'grow my team' so this gives tham an opportunity to bloom as well!!

I'm still unemployed (obviously!) but it has come at a very good time for me considering the declining health of my Dad, who has Esophaegal Cancer, which they have determined to be terminal. Of course, man cannot make that declaration, only God can make such a claim, but as far as man goes his time on this side of eternity is seemingly short. We all "like grass wither away" and it is "appointed man once to die" as I myself must face one day if not for the Rapture first but it is a difficult time to watch him grow increasingly more taken by this dreaded disease. Who would think that a condition that multiplies cells within your body could have such a horrible effect on your health?? An almost silent killer, at least there is no visible signs of it, but one that has taken more loved ones than I care to even say! Even now, we have another dear friend who is fighting off this growing fire within. When will it stop... and WILL it before Jesus comes??

Growing older has other issues too as our own health may be in question and countless other 'bumps in the raod' happen as time marches on. But you know, the neat thing about it is.....God's ALREADY there!!

Who Then Should Go?

In the past 2 days I have heard 3 sermons that pretty much say the same thing and has spoken directly to me. That's not to say that I am doing what was therein, but it is to say that it is imperative and commanded by God in His Word. The Word is this:

"But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?"- Romans 10:14 NLT

Actually I got the text from Pastor Greg Laurie this morning and in each message the word was the same and that is to tell others about Jesus! Whether at work or play, in the marketplace or the home place, day or night, in the mood to or not but we are to share Jesus wherever we go.

Pastor Greg also shared a story that hit really close to me as well! 'What if we knew of an absolute cure for cancer and all we had to do was to tell someone about it. And we even knew someone who had cancer and was needing that cure. Whether we felt that we could speak the cure correctly or not, wouldn't we feel compelled to share the cure with this person? How much more so should we share Jesus with a lost and dying world???'

"What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building."

-1 Corinthians 3:5-9

Which is more important, a person's physical well-being or a person's eternal soul?

It's Been A Interesting Month!

It was an interesting month of August to be sure! I've written about my Dad and his struggles with esophagas cancer. But some neat stuff has happened as well, or at least I think it was pretty cool! Last April I entered some pictures into the "Our State" magazine's yearly photo contest which is published in August. I sent pictures in all of the categories in hopes of at least getting an 'honorable mention' in one of them and my pic published, but in the last part of July I received a letter from them stating that I had won THIRD place in the black and white entry that I sent in, which was taken in Dobson, NC at 'The Depot' restaurant last November! I was shocked to say the least!

They sent me a copy of 'Our State' and a gold ornament of the State Seal of North Carolina. And about a week later, I got a call from the Statesville Record & Landmark and they wanted to do an interview and story about the picture. They had received a press release of the photo and my name but no details on how to contact me. I went on a Wednesday afternoon for the interview with Jim McNally (who is a really nice guy there at the paper) and my story was in the Thursday paper on the FRONT page!!! You can imagine my surprise when I saw that and since then a lot of people, even people that I don't know(!) have spoken to me about the article!

I write about this NOT for self-glory but just to proclaim the goodness and love of God! He knew even then that my world was getting ready to be turned upside down with the news about my Dad and our Father showed kindness to me by having this neat thing come along first, which He knew was pretty important to me!

I have been wonderfully Blessed in recent months with my layoff and subsequent ability to draw unemployment and have this 'window of time' to get to spent some time with my Dad and Uncle Glenn as well. Uncle Glenn is 88 years old and his time may be short as well and with my storied past (http://www.worldofdanny.com/ 'My Journey: The Antics of A Pilgrim') growing up not knowing one side of my family, it has been a real delight to have this second chance at restoration with my Dad and that side of the family! Actually, I hope in the near future to be able to have the time to add a chapter to my attempt at writting an autobiography of sorts.

And now for the rest of the story...I am going to enter some pictures into the Iredell County fair and also maybe some in a contest in the 'Wildlife In North Carolina' magazine as well, if I can make the deadline, which is the 15th! I seem to have a growing number of pictures in my 'library of pics' and maybe it's not too self-promoting to put some of my stuff 'out there' for some other folks to enjoy too! I really do enjoy taking pictures, am I a 'photographer'??? I would need to hone my skills quite a bit before taking on that sort of title, but I do have one award for such!

Time To Grow, Or Time to Grow Old??

As I was walking this morning a thought hit me again, that I have encountered many times, and it is this: isn't it funny how when we were young, we couldn't wait to get to be an adult and as an adult, how often we wish for the time when we were young and carefree! As an adult we make decisions every day, some seemingly trivial and others that are life-and-death decisions; whether we are driving and pull out in traffic or must make life-decisions for aging parents. I imagine that the human condition is one that we are never truly satisfied!

I would think that God could get so fed-up with us, as we are always complaining and wanting more and more and just how thankful are we before we begin again our/my incessant want and desire! As a child I remember a fairly happy childhood. I did have a lot of things going on and change seemed to be a constant as I look back but those days weren't actually so terrible. I grew up in a broken home, my Mom & Dad separated when I was 22 months old, so I don't have any memorances of my real Dad as a child and my Step-Dad and I got along pretty good. I wasn't abused or treated badly in any sense of the word and even tho my parents squabbled some, and when they did oftentimes there were days or weeks of silence, I still think I had a pretty good childhood, all-in-all.

As an adult, I have had some moments I guess. I got married right out of high school and we had three girls within 8 years. Looking back, I think that kids should grow up some before having children of their own but when actually would we start then? I'm reminded quite often that I haven't grown up even yet! LOL! I've had two marriages that didn't last and Denise and I have been married almost 16 years (in Nov.), so it must be true that the couple that has God in the center in much more likely to last! I am thankful for her and for our devotion to each other and to our God!

And as time passes on and we grow older, it seems really difficult to watch our parents grow older as well and to see their health deteriorate thru the years. I have written before about my Dad and how his cancer has returned after several years (12) of remission. I am truly thankful for this time of remission because we have gotten to know each other in recent years and as much as possible, catch up on life, past and present. He has brought a lot of awakening into my life as far as an appreciation of things past, whether the hard life of those who lived those times, or past ways of doing life in the day-to-day struggles growing thru the depression years and the years that followed! I love old buildings and old tractors and just the old ways. My uncle lives in an old house that was built around 100 years ago and even tho it is pretty dismal in that it has seen better days, the house itself is like a walk back into time and I cherish being in and seeing the 'old home place'.

I will truly miss the growing times spent with my Dad in the past few years when this cancer takes him Home and away from us here left behind. His has not been a perfect life, nor mine either, but the time we have had has been interesting and priceless. I think his life has affected many people around him, some good and some not so good, and I take that into consideration every time I see him. But as far as myself, it has been a good time. Good memories, the bad stuff kindof flows away and if I try to look at him thru the loving eyes of my Father in Heaven, I must with compassion forget and forgive.

I am no one's judge, including my own. I leave judgment to God Almighty and in His power and might will I/we live to see this thru until Heaven!

I sure do miss the simple days of youth...

For more info you can go to: http://www.worldofdanny.com/ and read my story at "My Journey, The Life of a Pilgrim' which is my on-going autobiography.

Cancer...Again!

What exactly is cancer??? "Cancer is not just one disease, but a large group of almost one hundred diseases. Its two main characteristics are uncontrolled growth of the cells in the human body and the ability of these cells to migrate from the original site and spread to distant sites. If the spread is not controlled, cancer can result in death." Why is it when we hear this word we tend to tremble at its implications??!

Last week, we took my Dad to the doctor for what I thought would be a fairly routine procedure but instead we heard the word 'cancer'. He had a bout with the dreaded disease back in 1997 and lost a lung which the doctors told him there at Chapel Hill was due to smoking for 40+ years. After removal of his lung and extensive radiation, he had recovered enough to live a pretty full life since, altho slowed by its effects.

What lies ahead we will not fully know until more tests are run on Wednesday at the new cancer facility there at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. They open this new wing today (Aug. 17th) and he will be one of the first to be touched by its wide and various arrays of medical technology! We are praying for God's intervention and mercy in this very difficult season in his life. His spirits are fairly high considering the seriousness of this and he is encouraged by all the prayers of folks whom he doesn't even know and also being able to see a couple of the doctors who treated him before!

Our God is the Great Physician and it will be Him Who will either bring healing or not, but in the end it is Heaven which we all as Believers desire in our future and I am sure that is my Dad's desire as well! He is a Believer and has been for a lot of years and has traveled a long and winding road in this thing called life. 82 years have been allowed him and he has seen many changes and wonders in those years. I'm afraid that as the older generation passes from this life to the next, many memories and secrets of survival will pass along as well. I enjoy listening as he tells of days from the Depression Era and the family's determination to make it thru to the other side even among some severe hardships. I also notice a hint of longing for those 'good old days' even tho they were as difficult as any in America's past!

I know he is not perfect, neither am I by a long shot, but getting to know him in recent years has been a good memory that I will remember all of my days. I did not spend my growing up years with him and my brothers,and I actually 'met' him for the 'first time' of my memorance when I was 17 years old. We had a shaky beginning to a relationship which was broken for another 20 years or so and have actually only in the past 5 years or so, been able to overcome some of the mistakes of the past. In fact, we still have some 'differences' of sorts between us, but I realize that he is 82 years old and not likely to change much on this side of heaven, so I take him as he is and I go on, much like people have to take me and do the same.

I, myself, am not perfect and I have many rough edges to both my character and countenance of which I am not necessarily proud nor would wish for any of my children to inherit, but I am 51 years old and not likely to change much either. I'm sure that I have some folks in my 'world' who would agree that I am a difficult one to be around and most obnoxious at times too. I could tell some stories of my '&%%#' character but I'll leave it just to say that being around me is not a like 'box of chocolates' and I give a lot of credit to Denise for loving me anyway!

I would apprecate all your prayers for him and my step-Mom, Helen. We also have a friend, Ann Simpson, who is battling breast cancer now too and I ask that you please pray for her also! The enemy of our soul, satan, is having a big time right now with the Saints of God, but his time is short and he knows it! There are those who believe that God gives us various diseases and ailments but I tend to believe that God allows these things to come upon us, to test and strengthen our faith and keep our eyes on Him.

Regardless of why this cancer has come from and its intent, it is my prayer and desire to see it extinguished and defeated. I hope too, that in the near future there will be a cure 'found' (given by God) that will forever keep families from having to deal with the horrors of this word 'cancer'!

To be continued...