end rant ! begin 'Havasupai' at amazon.com
Moses
It was the first new car I'd ever bought,
a 1977 Chevelle loaded with every available option. My heart beat a little
faster, just thinking of my sweet ride. I checked the rear view mirror often,
trying to catch the stares of jealous onlookers. It was a dream driving to D.C.
that summer. We stayed in Georgetown, sampling several fancy restaurants. My
wife and two young children were happy with the way I made the entire
experience flow. Self-confident and brash, I spoke to strangers as if they were
in place as props for my pleasure. For the first time in my life I felt rich.
Zipping down the crowded interstate toward
home I exceeded the speed limit without regard to consequence, knowing that I had
the cash to pay any fines incurred. The countryside slid by as I played with the
stereo, daydreaming about how cool I had made the trip. In the fast lane,
somewhere above seventy miles per hour, my reverie ended with a sudden power
loss, as if someone had turned off the key without warning. Horns blaring and
brakes screeching all around, only momentum allowed us to cross traffic to the
berm. "Gaithersburg, Exit 2 miles" read the sign in front of me.
Glancing at the wide eyes of my family I suddenly felt vulnerable, exposed. It
was Sunday afternoon in a time when churches were the only open venture.
Traffic whipped by, tires singing a
taunting song unaffected by my troubles. The children would struggle to walk
the two miles to the exit and what then? Portraying false bravado, I pulled the
release on the hood then jumped out as cars whizzed by inches from me. With no
tools or mechanical knowledge, I performed what I thought to be a convincing
fake look-see under the hood. Appearance was crucial; I looked to be in
control. Unscrewing the wing nut on top of the air cleaner, I lifted the lid.
It was something I had seen done somewhere.
My concentration was interrupted by a
rumbling sound emerging from behind the Chevelle. Slowly I peeked around the hood,
spotting a five tone relic with a Cadillac emblem on it. The ride tilted
considerably toward the driver's side as it rolled to a stop behind us. One
front fender was black, the other red, and the hood lime green. Through the
windshield I could see the sober face of a black man, head shaved and neck tattooed.
My blood ran cold as I pictured my wife and children falling mercy to this
escaped convict as my pummeled body lay bleeding on the roadside. How could
things have turned so quickly? Why had God let this happen?
Adrenaline surging, I watched as a giant
emerged from the Cadillac, three hundred pounds of brute muscle with my fate in
his powerful hands. There was nothing I could do to save us. I was frozen in
place. Slowly, deliberately, he approached me, his eyes hidden behind a pair of
shades, his face of chiseled stone. Ripped sleeves exposed tattooed arms as
large as my waist. My heart pounded faster the closer he got, fearing my impending
death.
"Looks like ya gots some troubles."
A baritone voice rumbled.
"Ah, yeah, but I got everything under
control." I squeaked.
Removing his sunglasses he raised an
eyebrow. His right cheek revealed a small dimple.
"Sure you do, Man, I never thought no
different. Now what'd it do?"
"It shut off... like a switch. It
didn't sputter or anything. Some friends will be coming by soon. Umm…, you
probably have things to do. We'll be alright."
"It shut off... like a damn switch.
Don't dat just beat all."
"Yeah..." I felt sweat run down
my side from my arm pits, my throat felt dry.
"Electronic ignition, new stuff acts
like that. It's all in yo' distributor."
Swallowing just enough saliva to wet my
vocal cords, I whispered, "Yeah, that's what I thought."
"Then why you takin' off the air
cleaner cover?"
Speechless, I stared at the air cleaner
cover in my hand. I’d been had, there
was no use making up any more crap.
"First thing I suggest is to get yo'
wife and children off dis highway. It ain't no place fo' dem to be. There's a
hotel at the next exit. I'd be glad to take 'em unlessen yo' wants to wait fo'
dem friends o' yours."
"Friends? Oh, uh yeah, well there's
no telling when they might come by."
"Den I think I should take
'em."
"Sure, you're right. I'm going with
you." My voice shook, giving away my fear.
"Of course you are." Shaking
his head he politely invited my family to get into his Cadillac, assuring my
wife that he knew of a motel at the next exit.
The Cadillac fired up and slid into
traffic. The barely muffled exhaust combined with open windows made
conversation impossible. From the front passenger's side I turned to look over
my shoulder. The three figures looked helplessly small huddled together on the
huge backseat. With each maneuver they slid on the seat, holding each other
tightly. We all managed a tight smile. Two miles later we rolled to a stop in a
cloud of exhaust in front of an elegant southern style hotel. Ignition off, we
were deafened by silence.
"I ain't never stayed here, but it's
prob'ly O.K. Check in, I'll wait here fo' ya."
"You'll wait for me?"
"We gotta car ta be fixin' ain't
we?"
"Well, O.K. I'll be right out...umm,
Thanks, thank you!"
Hustling my family into the hotel I
practically ran to the front desk with my entourage in hot pursuit. Checked in,
my family headed straight to their room while I sprinted out to the waiting
Cadillac. A little voice inside me told me it was a foolish move to come back
out to this stranger's vehicle. Three closed auto parts stores later I was
safely returned to the hotel.
"Didn't think nobody'd be open today,
it bein' the Lord's Day."
"Yeah, it stinks. I guess I'm stuck
here until tomorrow."
"That's one way to look at it. Me, I
like thinkin' people is home enjoyin' their families instead of workin'. I'll
be back ta fetch ya, eight sharp. We'll fix it in the mornin real quick."
"No way. You serious?"
"Serious as a heart attack. See ya in
da mornin."
At eight fifteen in the morning, I sat
dejectedly on a porch swing at the hotel entrance, watching a maid cleaning the
door windows. How did I get into this mess? My beautiful car was probably now
in a million pieces in some dark garage, waiting to be sold as parts. At eight
thirty, I was considering a call to my Dad to come bail us out, and a call to
the insurance agent to tell him that my car had been stolen. The hotel would
probably let me use their desk phone. As I heaved myself off the swing, a five
toned Cadillac bomb labored up the drive, blue smoke trailing. As it slowed to
a stop, I warily walked to the side door. “Ran out of gas.” Was all he said. I
just stared at him, dumbly.
“Well, ya getting’
in?”
I tentatively opened the passenger door
and plopped down. We turned out of the drive, not the same direction as
yesterday. My heart rate accelerated along with the car. No one but this big
black man knew where my wife and kids were. For a couple of miles I thought of
ways to escape. If I jumped from a moving car, would I be in good enough shape
to run? What if he has a gun? My thoughts lightened as the car swung into an
empty parking lot. A rusty sign proclaimed “Dan’s Auto Parts Store”.
Within two hours my
liberator stood at the open hood of my Chevelle, repair made. He commanded me
to give it a try. Poised in the driver's seat I turned the key. It fired to
life! The engine purred like a kitten. Leaving the engine running, I jumped
out, practically running toward him, offering my thanks. He stood impassively
wiping his hands with a grimy rag.
"Let me give you a twenty."
"I don't need or want yo'
money."
"Take it. Please. You're a good
man."
"It don't work that way. You want to
pay somethin’ back? Think 'bout this day the rest of yo' life. Help others,
even da ones dat might think ill of ya. Dat's God's way."
"What's your name?"
"They call me Moses."
"You’re a good man, Moses."
"No, not always. Today I was, but it wasn’t
always so."
"I'll do what you say, I will."
"Some days ya will. Remember, if
money can fix it, it ain’t a real problem. Take care of your distributor.”
Based on a true event.
This taken from an e-mail sent to me.
Subject: The Rain
*It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly *
*gentleman in his 80's arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. *
*He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am.*
*I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over
an hour *
*before someone would to able to see him.** *
*I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with
another patient,** **I would evaluate his wound. *
*On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the
needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound.
While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor's
appointment** ** **this morning, as he was in such a hurry.
The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat
breakfast with his wife. ***
**
*I inquired as to her health. ***
*
He told me that** **she had been there** **for a while and that she *
*was a victim of Alzheimer's Disease.
As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late.
He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not *
*recognized him in five years now.***
*
***
*
I was surprised, and asked him, *
*'And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you
are?'
He smiled as he patted my hand and said,
**'She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is.'***
*
*****
*
**I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps** **on my arm, and
thought,
'That is the kind of love I want in my life.'
True love is** **neither physical, nor romantic.
***
****
*
**True love is an** **acceptance of all that is,** **has been, will be, and
will not be.
**With all the jokes and fun that are in e-mails, *
*sometimes there is one that comes** **along that has an important
message.. *
*This one I thought I could share with you.
The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; *
*they just make** **the best of everything they have.
I hope you share this with someone you care about. I just did..***
*
***
*
**'Life isn't about how to survive the storm,
But how to dance** **in the rain.'** ***
*We are all getting Older** ***
*Tomorrow may be our turn.** *
The year was 1969---What ? Ancient history man, what does that have to do with right now ?
The film was "Easy Rider" and I watched it over and over. I bought the sound track and played it over and over. Great music !
It was about freedom and doing your on thing. It impressed on me my own need to find out what was happening in America. A friend went with me on a transcontinental odyssey (our intitial intent was to travel around the world). It was our trip man, you dig. The words at the end of the movie have haunted me all these years and if my traveling companion were alive today I think I would speak them to him.
Here's what was said by Captain America (Wyatt) to Billy.
Billy, "Yeah, we did it, man!"
Wyatt, "We did it."
Billy, "We're rich, man. We're retired in Florida now, mister."
Wyatt, "You know, Billy......we blew it."
Billy, "What?"
When I look around the country I can't help but think "we blew it." We were a generation that craved freedom in all manner and form, we didn't trust the government. Now we have more government and less freedom than at any time in our history.
"We blew it man!"
They already had their freedom---without the money, without the government, they missed the point.
Freedom is in the mind, the heart...it screams out that it does not depend on money or anyone else, it's from your very soul, man.
This all came to me while I was spading over the castle garden and watching MR Duck and his chickens eat worms.
I'll talk more about my days of wandering, the anti-war protests, the race riots, the thousand cuts that brought down the Greatest Country in the history of mankind.
here is an example of the erosion of our freedoms
To Holland though, the boat’s massive frame isn’t an eyesore — it evokes memories from an almost 60-year relationship with the boat.
It starts with a vivid image of the Shawnee docked in Tahiti in 1924.
Holland saw it in a magazine when he was 8 years old, and shortly after, his father took him to see the ship in San Francisco.
Holland was immediately taken with its shape and finely crafted details — the subtle curve of the interior staircase, the amber tone of the African mahogany, the intricate teak woodwork.
He followed the Shawnee from afar for decades. About 10 years ago, the family that owned the ship fell on hard times and was no longer able to afford to maintain it.
One day when he was sailing near Newport Beach, Holland spotted the boat looking abandoned and sagging low in the water.
Holland contacted the family and, when he learned of their predicament, immediately began plotting to save the Shawnee.
“I had to keep her afloat," Holland said. But there were two conditions.
Before accepting the project, Holland won the city’s approval to restore the boat in the yard outside his home on a residential street in Newport Beach.
Keeping the boat at home saved him the nearly $30,000 a year it would have cost to store the ship off his property.
He also decided to check his health, a decision that may have saved his life, Holland said.
The first doctor he visited diagnosed him with advanced prostate cancer and gave him 18 months to live.
But the second gave him a 90 percent chance of seeing 10 more years — just the amount of time he estimated it would take to restore the Shawnee.
Holland moved the boat into his yard in 2006. As of four months ago, Holland is experimenting with a new treatment and is doing well.
But now it’s the Shawnee whose future seems imperiled.
“Shawnee’s got the same kind of disease I have,” Holland said. “Now I’ve got to take care of her.”
Holland’s ship violates an ordinance passed in 2009 requiring homeowners to obtain permits for projects such as his and give officials an estimated completion date.
Holland says he can’t offer an exact date because of the restoration project’s complexity, and the city won’t accept his completion prediction of three to four years, Holland said.
But Holland asserts the ship, approaching its hundredth birthday, is impossible to move in its current state — he has yet to piece everything back together.
The city is unsure of the boat’s fate if Holland fails to remove it, but Holland knows he can’t destroy the boat himself.
“If they come to destroy it, I’ll have to leave town,” Holland said. “I can’t watch that happen.”
More content from msnbc.com and NBC NewsPeace, sweet peace
First I would like to welcome Latvia to our viewers.
Today was a day of healing, walking in the woods and building a bonfire. The children flew kites while the campfire blazed. Our one grandaughter decorated the pet cemetary was flowers. The love and joy of children refreshes a weary spirit. Mr. Duck brought the girls down to the playground while we all enjoyed the fire.
Aptil1 and we've already had three bonfires ! The kids have said by summers end we'll probably have a kazillion ! Even grandma, has wondered up to the fire. We've got four generations enjoying our fireside festivities... now how special is that ?
The cards and flowers we recieved were nice but the children offer the greatest comfort. The support of a giving caring family makes life worth while. We've now recieved 1100 visits from around the world and thank you all for your patience as we try to recover from our loss.
Believe in the sun even if it isn't shining,believe in God even when He is silent!
Gaining from Loss
Our family suffered the loss of two Braveknights within the last month. These tragedies brought on a time to assess what family and love means. Family has less to do with blood than it does love. Love is what a Braveknight offers to the world, unconditional love for all his brothers and sisters. The loss of the love and joy that our passing family members shared with us will never be replaced. Each Braveknight makes his own special offering of love. Yet we should not dwell on the loss but on the gift we shared while they were with us. In their honor we will brave the future without their sharing and that will sadden us beyond imagination, for sharing is the blood pumped by a loving heart.
Life is about loss but it is also about renewal. A member of the Braveknight family has delivered to us with much joy a lady fair who has offered us membership in her family. The cycle of love continues with the hope of growth. Her parents and siblings have expressed their joy in the combining of our families. It is a refreshing encounter, a family whose main focus is their love of life and of each other combined with a desire to share. Love is like that and anything else would be a contradiction, for love is all about sharing your dreams as well as your sorrows. The family of Braveknights took pause at our loss, we shared our emotions, kind words and encouragements. Our brotherhood understands that we shall all get sick and physically pass. There is no reason for arrogance, no sense in snobbery and definitely no time to waste on those to shallow to realize the foolishness of these things. When two families come together as one, each member becomes enriched with the shared experience.
We received cards, books of understanding and comforting prayer from unexpected places and those offerings will be cherished. There were those who chose silence and for them we pray that one day God will touch them with his sword of love, lighting a spark their cold heart. To those that say they do not believe in God I respond with, then you do not believe in Love, for God is very simply Love and should never be confused with religion. Last night a bright shooting star crossed the sky in a low trajectory over our property, it was our sign that our siblings had reached the other side. Life is magical and mystical, enjoy.
It may be our Celtic Heritage but we found comfort offering a bonfire and sitting beneath a starlit sky.
It may be awhile before my heart heals enough to paint or offer blogs on this site. May God bless you all.
Life is so fragile. This blog site was offered up for people to connect on a common level. It was the idea that other my want to take a page an share the joys of their creations. My works have been posted anonymously because I don't seek any recognition. What I sought has failed and so I will cease. To the many who have viewed this site I offer my thanks and hope if offered some sort of enjoyment.
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