…just a dream…

Walking down the railroad tracks towards the little town, he could hear the laughing, the cheers and the music. The closer he got, he realized that the voices he heard were of a foreign language and the music was different from what he had heard in the past. There was a smell in the air, a stench and it reminded him of war, of the bodies being burned by the bombing and gun blasts. It was all a fog to him, a blur and he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was in a dream. With the pain that ached through his body, he knew he was not dreaming, but the why, what, and where was keeping him dazed and confused. Coming up close to the noise, he crotched down, trying to stay out of the light and not be seen by the village folks there. He gained his focus but could not see past the crowd who had a circle formed around a huge fire. The blaze grew higher and higher, with every chant that they screamed. As he glanced back down the tracks in the direction that he came, he saw three figures and saw the flaming torches that they were carrying. He couldn’t make out what they were saying, but he knew that they were angry by the their tone. He dropped to his knees and crawled into the brush. Out of the light of the fire, the night was dark. He felt safe once he was hid. It had started to rain and soon the crowd moved under a lean to type shed. Metal drums were set on fire to provide heat and light for the people. Dozing off to sleep, exhausted and tired, he began to dream. The sun was coming up and he was sitting in a small boat fishing. The rain falling steadily he rowed the boat under a tree branch to avoid the heavy drops. He cast out several times unsure of himself, he doubted that he’d even catch anything. His hunger pains growing worse, he had to find something to eat, anything. He decided to try a different fishing spot and as soon as he lay down his rod, he thought he had gotten a nibble. Picking up fishing line, he seen that it was caught on a limb hanging over the boat, disappointed. The light from the men walking woke him and he seen that they looked middle eastern. The man in the middle was holding the burning torch and the man on the right held a chicken by its legs. The man on the left was carrying a small pot. It had all been a dream. He was awaken by his hunger pains.

I’m Working…

My mind never ceases, its continuously thinking and over-thinking. More than my share of what-ifs and why nots. My days start officially at 5am, but unofficially around 230am. That is when my sleeping pill wears off enough that my mind switches to second gear. First gear is not bad, depending on what I have to snack on before bed or how late I have supper. Red sauce/marinara is a favorite of mine, but the dreams it gives me puts my mind in over-drive. I do eat a lot of sweets, well kinda sorta. It rotates between sweet and salty until I pass out before 9pm, but can be as early as 8. And when I say my day starts, I mean 7 days a week, 365 days a year, weekends and holidays. I stopped sleeping late (past 6) years ago. I do have an alarm set for 530am, but it never goes off, my feet normally hit the floor at 5. Coffee is on, Ginger (our outside cat) is fed, daily bible devotion (the daily bread app), meditation, and prayer. I do scan Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Maybe check a few accounts on apps, and a little news to see just how stupid this old world has become, then no later than 6, I am readying for work and out the door, soon after. My job is close by, maybe 15-20 miles away, but not a bad ride, and its through the country, and I do so enjoy that every day. Going and coming, the sunrises and sunsets. Farms, farmhouses and barns. The open farmland. Its a highlight of my days. I am a truck driver for the most part, driving 150ish miles a day, give or take a few miles. Mostly in and around middle Tennessee. The company that I work for is considered a commercial landscape supply company, so I pretty much do work outdoors and I do get my hands dirty. I really enjoy this a lot, its been a blessing and I do look forward to going to work.

So, we are now in a new year 2021, and this year I hit 59 years old. My thoughts towards slowing down and retirement are a regular part of my planning now. I can not be still now, I start and end everyday now at 100 mph, and I can’t imagine slowing down to anything slower than maybe 55 haha. Meaning that ill never get to a point that I’m not doing something. That is where the thoughts of being a writer had started. I am not comfortable enough yet to have a regular blog. I think that I am lacking focus on what would I blog about, a main niche. I have so many likes, areas of interest. Maybe this will be the year in which I find the subject where I can start a blog and or DIY journal for publication.

For now my goal/resolution for this grand new year is to make time to write everyday. Today is 1/2/21, so I can honestly say that I have written every day this year. If by chance you are reading this, I am learning and would appreciate any and all pointers and opinions.

Happy New Year 2021

I am very thankful for this new year and the opportunities that it brings to us. It truly is a blessing that with each and every day we can start over, to correct our mistakes, to ask for forgiveness and when we know better to do better. The same holds with each new year, a lot of folks make resolutions, they set goals, and make plans for the new year. Sometimes they stick with it and are a success with their plans and then sometimes, for whatever reason, it does not work out the way its planned. But thankfully we can always start over. I cannot count how many times that I had planned to stop smoking, over and over I failed to this terrible addiction, until one day almost 6 years ago, i smoked my last cigarette and i quit. Our resolutions may be health related, to lose weight, maybe to eat better, or exercise more often. Perhaps its to give up a bad habit, or to start a good habit. Maybe we want to improve ourselves with continuing our education, to better ourselves at our present occupation or even to start our own business. There are plenty of success stories out here, we first need to know what we want. Then just do it and take one day at a time. My dream and desire is to write, to be a writer and be good at it. And like a lot of others, I attempt it over and over. And with this new year, Ive weighed out my mistakes, and what I need to do to continue down this road. I do read others work and advice, it seems most say the same thing, to be a better writer you should read more and write more. So ive started. My first book to read for this year is What Unites Us by Dan Rather. Social media is also suggested, to write and post your work, it seems to be a great way of developing the writing habit. I started with Instagram, I do enjoy taking pictures and have been blessed with ‘an eye’ for taking great pictures. And I post regularly there and sometimes write and use hashtags along with the pictures. I am not one to hurt anyone’s feelings, on purpose anyway. So a lot of times I write and then delete, for that reason. Then it seems like Instagram and Facebook go hand in hand with each other, so I started a new FB and started posting pictures and a scripture every morning. I am thankful for this, because it has allowed me the freedom to post what I believe in. There is power in the word of God, whether you believe that or not, I do. After beginning my latest writing course, it was suggested to start a twitter account, a tweet cant be lengthy, not sure of the word count, but its not many. So I don’t feel like I have to write a book to get my point across, and it’s a simple way to express my feelings when im out and about. There is no edit button, so you just tweet or delete. I have enjoyed this, just like Instagram and FB, and im sure it has helped me in someway of developing my writing skill.

When I woke this morning to a new year, something had to change. Why go through another year just like the last one, we have to change to grow. So its time for a change. I am no longer going to regularly post a picture and scripture on Facebook. If you are interested in the pictures I take, get yourself an Instagram account and follow me there. If it’s the scripture you are interested in and you don’t already read the bible on a regular basis I can recommend Our Daily Bread, and it comes with a very awesome app for your phone. Or use google search for a bible study program, or a daily scripture, they are a lot of great ones out there, be prayerful in deciding which one to follow. I am a firm believer in leading by example. Part of my writing is worrying about what others think, instead of being honest with myself, I edit out my feelings. That’s another change, I am about to make. Romans 16: 17-18. What I will not do is point my finger and lay blame. Finger pointing has been happening since Adam and Eve. And/or tell someone they are wrong in their opinion, we all have opinions. We are all adults, old enough to know better. Right is right and wrong is wrong, period. The division in this world is terrible. We no longer have empathy for others. Greed has taken over. The hate and racism that is in our country and shared daily on social media is ridiculous. We preach one thing yet we live another. What happened to love thy neighbor? What happened to sharing and caring? Thankfully we have president elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, to lead our country, prayerfully to a better place, than where we are presently. God does answer prayers. For this i am thankful. It truly is another great day in the morning…

Unbelievable…

The car came out of nowhere, I was about a mile from the Kentucky Tennessee state line, heading south. I could see the swerving headlights coming up fast behind me, just all over the road. It slowed alittle as they went around me, a man driving, a woman in the passenger seat, one woman in the back and a car seat. They were playing cards on the console. WTF. As fast as they came up behind me, in a blink of my eyes they sped off and disappeared into the Tennessee full moon light. It takes all types to make this world go round. Y’all stay safe out there.

…it’s been awhile, but I’m back…happy thanksgiving

I was born in July 1962. For some that may seem like a long time ago, and for some it may seem almost like yesterday. Im sure that its tough for our younger generation to get a grip on the way things were during the 60s and 70s. There was no such thing a cable tv, we only have three channels available, and sometimes we could tune in and get public broadcasting if we moved the rabbit ears around. Rabbit ears were the antenna that set on top of the tv, used to tune in a clearer channel and/or picture. We didn’t have cell phones, our phone was on the kitchen wall, and I remember my grandparents phone being on a table in the dining room, but near the kitchen. Even the shows we watched have changed or went away. Now if you’re lucky enough you can still catch them all on netflix. Such as Andy Griffith, Gunsmoke, Alfred Hitchcock, Dick Van Dyke, the Honeymooners, and many more, i could list forever. Several of my favorites were located near alittle town called Hooterville. Green Acres and Pettycoat Junction, both shows were wonderfully funny and the characters were interchanged and used on both sets from time to time. Passing by Druckers store on Green Acres and Pettycoat Junction was a railroad and it was engineered by Charley Pratt and Floyd Smoot. In my 58 plus years I believe Ive seen just about every episode of both shows.

The last time I wrote and posted here, I had to dig deep into my computer pics, but I found a picture that I had taken a few years back while we were still in St Petersburg Florida. The picture is of Mr Ira L Goding praying, he was originally from Chelmsford, Massachusetts. But had retired and was placed into an assisted senior home in downtown St Pete. Id like to tell you alittle about ‘Mr Ira’. He was born in the year 1913, born and raised around Chelmsford. His first paying job was at the Chelmsford Ginger Ale Company sweeping floors. It had burnt and rebuilt and was bought later by what is now the Canada Dry Ginger Ale Company. He worked his way up through the ranks of production, bottler, and when he left the company he was first shift supervisor over operations.

In the middle of Chelmsford was a four way intersection, with no redlight yet or stop sign. You had to chance it and sometimes traffic just piled up for hours, because no one would budge. The town named that intersection ‘chicken corner’, because it looked liked the drivers were playing chicken.

On the east side of that same intersection is the railroad track. Just like on Green Acres and Pettycoat Junction. The train still runs today, now joining New York, Massachusetts, Delaware and Maine. And is now owned and operated by Pan Am Railway.
Thats where we find ‘Mr Ira’. He watched the train every day for 28 years, while working at the ale factory. Listening to the whistle blow as it came through Chelmsford. Ira decided he wanted to be a train engineer. He quit his job at the ginger ale company and starting at the bottom again, as a rail switcher, then yard security, Ira was able to work his way up to chief engineer. Well there were only two engineer positions, for two shifts. So when he wasnt operating the engine Ira was in the caboose, riding along, reading, sleeping and watching the farms and factories from the caboose window. He continued this routine for 30 years before his retirement.

I met Mr Ira in St Petersburg Florida at the Princess Martha Assisted Living, he was 102. I was on the kitchen staff there. He had never married and his family had all passed away. The Pan Am Railway had paid for his living arrangements at the senior home in advance. His favorite way to respond to just about any question and he always said it with a smile was “right around the corner”…he took care of himself, dressed himself, and ate all his meals in the dining room, and always bowed his head and gave thanks before each meal. He was always positive regardless. And always had a kind demeanor.

Now this could be a story he fed me just because he was old, and I would listen or possibly I made it all up, you decide. Every assisted living Ive worked in, Ive always had a favorite, and yes it’s always sad when they do pass. Ira L Goding was my favorite here, I will remember him and this story until the day that i too shall pass away. Rest in peace Mr Ira.

…today’s timeline…

All my days start right around 2am. By 230 I’m on the road and heading to Nashville Tn. It’s just under an hour ride that I spend with a cup of coffee and Jesus, it’s a full 45 minutes of praise and worship, and a lot of prayer. I’m sure those that can see me in their headlights think I’ve lost my mind. It’s a time that I do enjoy a lot. I check in at our shop and see what vehicles need to be returned and what needs to be picked up for repairs. Today was on the slow side, but I started with one to be picked up in Franklin. Still pouring down rain, it’s about 30 minutes to Liberty Pike, so off I went. Back to the shop after Franklin, an hour later. A little paperwork and a few calls, now I’m off the Hendersonville, for another pickup. Got there and it wouldn’t start so the cables went on for a jump, and it took a little time to get it going, but all good. Now heading back to the big city, and the rain has slacked off. Back at the shop, I’ve got two to deliver to Brentwood, so away I go again, not a bad run as long as it’s early. Dropped the first one off and i get a call to pick up in Columbia Tn, another hour south. On a positive note by the time I get back to Nashville the morning rush traffic has leveled out so life is grand. I drop that one and grab the other Brentwood run, back to the shop from the last run right at 1130. Total out the days runs, document and check assignments for Thursday. Off the clock at noon, and headed back home, now just a light drizzling rain. Today was a total of 309 miles, a steady day, in the steady rain. I prefer it to be busy, so time goes by quick. Every day I go somewhere different, so it doesn’t get boring. I’ve been around Nashville enough to know how to avoid certain high traffic areas, to make my days better. I get home, right at 1pm and for this day I give thanks. Another great day in the morning.

I’ve decided to jump into the real blogging world this weekend and get the paid WordPress, I’ve got Thursday (dream job) and Friday (favorite childhood book) to blog like this. I’ve no idea how this transition will go, but I’ll do my best.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

…my favorites…

My favorite quote:

“whatever it takes”

My favorite bible verse:

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

We may not understand God’s plan for our lives, but trust in Him. Everything in our lives happens for His glory.

…reality…

If I would hit the lottery, it would be a miracle because I no longer buy lottery tickets. I used to, when we lived in Florida I played Fantasy 5 weekly religiously for about 9 years. I did win a few hundred dollars a couple of times, but the money I wasted on it doesn’t compare. Since we have moved back to Tennessee I no longer play the lottery, and I haven’t in a while but every now and then I’ll buy a scratch off ticket, just for fun. At times I’ve thought about what I’d do with the winnings if I was to ever win the lottery, and I’m sure when I was playing I had the winnings all divided up, so much for this and so much for that, who I’d share it with, our children, family, friends and grandkids. But this is now, and if I was to win, I’d do something for the homeless, maybe a housing project, renovated housing for those without. I’d give to charities like the children’s hospital, for cancer research, I’d give to the humane society, ASPCA, animal control, I hate seeing those commercials showing the poor dogs and cats. But ill never win the lottery, all I can do is give what I can now and pray for those given charge of these groups.

What I’ve come to realize is that I have something better than the lottery. But first let me tell you how I want to live the rest of my life. First I want to stop having to drive to Nashville 5 days a week and working for someone else. Spending 8 to 10 hours there, coming home in the afternoon to a few hours of rest and maybe working outdoors in the yard, then getting ready for the next day and doing it all again, over and over. I do enjoy getting up early I don’t think that will ever change, having coffee, prayer and meditation, watching a little news maybe, then working on my blog and my social media pages. Spending a few hours on the computer, then getting out in the garden and green house, working in our yard and enjoying the fresh air. Coming in for a light lunch around 1ish, maybe a little more writing and then spending the remaining time in and around the house. Life is too short, it’s time to live my life for me. There is a way to blog/write for an income and also a writing program with amazon to write and publish short books (KDP) both fiction and non-fiction, easy enough. Just do it. I’m just getting started. Having the dream and desire to write and succeed is my winning lottery. For this I’m very thankful. Baby steps, one day at a time. I won’t quit.

Delight yourself in the Lord; and He shall give you the desires of thine heart. Psalm 37:4

Silence is golden…

It’s kind of like knowing where you want to go. And knowing the route to take to get you there. And even to the point that you’ve started the journey. All you have to do now is take that daily step. It’s not going to happen overnight, but it will happen and you will get there. The same goes for this blogging. Writing has got to be a constant. Yesterday was a long day at work for me, and late getting home, so I postponed my daily 30 day challenge writing until this morning. This has got to be a daily ritual. Regardless. This is something that I want.

The weather fooled us again, what was predicted and what we got was close to a 20 degree difference. Then add the clouds and rain, all plans were changed. I’m not complaining, I’m thankful, because everything happens for a reason. I have my excuse to stay inside and write. We do not always know why this or why that. It’s not about knowing why, it’s understanding that God is in charge, and everything happens for His glory. Being thankful isn’t always easy. Especially when what happens feels bad to us. He is looking after us the same way a parent should look after a child. Sometimes it is ‘tough love’. Gratitude attitude.

Yes, sometimes I get anxious, but there is pretty much always a learning curve. I think about waiting for spring, about being able to get out and plant a small garden, to work in the yard, just being outdoors. And then I am reminded that to everything there is a season. There is a reason. Try to get and or stay prayerful. Maybe you don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, start one. Talk to Him the same way you would talk to anyone else. Tell him what bothers you, what changes you’d like to make. Tell him your wants and desires. Talk to him about what you like and dislike, tell Him what you’re thankful for. Again it needs to be daily, a constant. Just take baby steps, take some time alone and spend time with your maker and creator. Maybe I am preaching to myself. Thankful.

The topic for yesterdays writing, the one I skipped over, was ‘a proud moment’. If I had to pick just one, I’d have to say I am most proud of my son. I’m a worrier, not because I am in constant fear, it’s just me, it’s my mind that never stops. I know that the good Lord watches over us all and He’s got the whole world in His hands. I remind myself of His goodness, of how He has delivered me, how He turned my life around. I tell myself about all the times I’ve feared the worst and even praying, and then with answered prayers He makes me realize that it’s not about me, it’s all about his grace and mercy. It’s about having faith in our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. I have always worried about my son, just as any parent does. And the older we get, I have to remind myself that he is grown now and is living his own life. He is now 33, working on 34 and he is still my little boy. But I am so very proud of him. And thankful. My side of the family is not close, it’s always good to hear from family, but it’s the calls and texts that we don’t get that is to be thankful for, that silence to me is golden. So, my proud moment is that of my son. For this I am thankful.

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father…So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Matthew 10:29-31

two thirds to go…

Day number 10 of the 30 day blogging challenge. Until today all the topics/subjects assigned have been workable. Today’s topic is ‘first celebrity crush’, and I’m drawing a blank. I can’t say I’ve ever had a celebrity crush, I have many actors and actresses that I admire, but I can’t single one out and say I’ve ever had a crush on them. I’m not what you might call a movie goer, I do have a few television shows that I enjoy, we usually watch a series from start to finish, and then search for another great show. We like law and order criminal type television. For now we are watching The Sopranos (1999), Suits, The Mentalist (2008), Blacklist, and Manifest, so you see what we watch doesn’t have to be new, just new to us. We rotate the shows, and maybe catch a Amazon Prime Video movie on the weekend. My favorite movie of all time, is Cool Hand Luke with Paul Newman, an oldie but goodie. I’ve probably watched it a thousand times. It never gets boring.

Tomorrow’s subject is ‘most proud moment’. And TGIF, I’m more than ready for a nice weekend, trying to get our greenhouse back together again. Stay safe and prayerful.

And Jesus looking upon them said, with men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible. Mark 10:27