He said: "The ships came in close to the shore and then turned away. If it was dark, they would throw the dead bodies overboard and they would watch them vanish in the moonlight. Many died in the crossing. There was contagion. Some died quickly from loss of fluids. The children were taken first always. It was because they were too young to fight the fevers. Those with no living parents went quickly. They had bet every thing they had on the crossing. It was a long crossing, but there was promise on the other side if they could only make it there in good stead. But the crossing was not kind, so many did not survive. The crossing was a gamble. It was a gamble for life. Not everyone could win the gamble. The ships came in close, then turned away." Stumble It!
Friday, December 30, 2011
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
She said: "It is hard to seek the truth. It is even harder to know the truth, but the truth is what will sustain you as you grow. The truth is powerful. You must be careful if you are to know the truth. There are those who will not want you to know the truth. There are those who will try to stop you from finding it. You must be brave and you must be strong to know the truth and to live by what it will teach you. Do not be afraid, children. Do not falter in your search. Know that you will never be alone if you are seeking the truth. The truth will free you. The truth will make you strong. You must be strong to find it. And you must be even stronger to keep it. This is my gift to you. Go into the world and tell them what you know. Go into the world after you have found the truth." Stumble It!
Thursday, December 22, 2011
He said: "OK. It goes like this. Roger, listen up. This is a killer. OK. So these guys, kinda like up, are all at their Alzhimer's weekly group. And, you know, they're hanging out, and afterward they go over to Jerry's house, and they start hanging out at each other's house every week, to, you know have a brew or two, and shoot the shit but not one of them know why. Get it? They are hanging out at each other's houses and they don't know why. What? You don't get it? Let me start again..." Stumble It!
Monday, December 19, 2011
He said: "Sometimes I'll think I see him in the room. Then I remember that he's dead. He was my best friend for 20 or so years. I think about him from time to time. I'll wonder how he's doing. I'll want to call him to talk about a film that I just saw, or about a new song I just heard, but then I'll feel sad because I know that he wont answer the phone. I kind of forget from time to time that he's been gone now for over 20 years. It just don't feel right that he's not alive like everyone else. I know I shouldn't feel the way I do sometime. I know that I'm being selfish. He had the best exit of anyone I have ever known. He went out to dinner with his friend. Then he came home and sat down at the piano and died. Just like that. No hospital, no doctors, no tubes up your nose, none of that heroic restarting the heart. No long, painful recovery. He just came home and died. I still miss him though. Especially when I know that he won't answer my call." Stumble It!
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
She said: "The dog waited on the lawn near the cross walk, it's ears alert, waiting for the boy to come home from school. This was his job. It was a job that he took very seriously because the boy was his love. He loved the boy and the boy loved him. It was a universe that was in balance with itself. When the school bus came, the dog could hardly contain his emotions. He waited until the boy could be seen coming down the steps of the school bus. When he was on the ground the dog would run to him, running around him, inspecting him to see all that there was to see of the boy who was his charge. This, then, was a state of grace. This was a world in balance. This is how it was meant to be." Stumble It!
Wednesday, December 07, 2011
He said: "The docs called it cancer. They said was was pretty advanced. They wanted to know know why I didn't come in quicker. Well, I've got things to do, that's why. I run a business. The business don't run by itself. Someone has gotta be there, or nothing get's done. That's why I didn't come in earlier. I came when I could. I came when the pain didn't respond to the booze. I came when I'd had enough pain. I guess I didn't want to know. I guess that since it was invisible, it would stay that way. Well, I learned a lesson. I know something now that I didn't know before. I learned that I could take it and I learned that something that is invisible can become real. Something that is invisible can become very, very real." Stumble It!
Thursday, December 01, 2011
She said: "It really looked like that. I can't really hardly believe it myself. I have to admit that I was surprised. Of course, it was a day filled with surprises. What I remember is that I got on the plane to Jackson and there was trouble on the plane and we were supposed to land somewhere else. But, of course, we didn't. The plane went down and we crashed. Everyone on board was killed. I saw them all die, and they saw me die. The amazing thing is that I didn't really "feel" anything. You know how like in real life everything is real fast? Well, when you die everything slows way down. So, anyway, I remember seeing the ground below me, slowly coming up to meet me, and the closer it got, the slower everything went. I understood that I was dead. And I understood that I was going to go one of the two ways that we were taught about in Sunday school. Of course, I never believed all that Heaven/Hell stuff. Imagine my surprise when I found out that's the way it really is! Anyway, for reasons that still escape me, I was falling toward the pearly gates, and you won't believe this. I sure didn't. The sign in front of Heaven (are you sitting down?) says "Entrance". Who would have ever guessed that?" Stumble It!