Ch- ch- ch- ch- ch- changes

O Faithful Readership, such a long time we've been apart! And (as you'd expect me to say) SO much has happened.

I currently have about a dozen windows open on my desktop, which i find makes working with a dial-up connection a little bit more manageable. i go to another window while i wait for others to finish downloading, although it does make for a session that's a bit more complicated, trying to keep track of downloads, and searches, and email replies.

My sister Eileen has come and gone, and in lieu of an account of what she did while here, she has written an account of .. well, it's basically about what a great guy i am. So at the risk of seeming overly self-promotional, and because I badgered her to write SOMEthing after she left, and because i sort of implied that i would post whatever she sent without editing, here it is, in all its naked glory:


On 7/18/07, Eileen wrote:

Do you remember the anticipation of the Christmas when you still believed that Santa Claus was going to come down the chimney? Do you remember your first date, and you wanted to be sure that every thing went just right? Do you remember that big reunion you had when you were going to have the chance to see all the people you hadn't seen in years? Well, put all those memories of anticipation into one event and you will scratch the surface of what I was feeling when I went to visit Doug in May.

I teach school and the last few weeks were a real drag. The things that night-mares are made of were happening to me. The ray of sunshine was my trip to northern California. For over 25 years I have not been to the home of my brother Doug. We of course had been able to visit each other over the years, but Doug had always come to see me or the rest of the family. This trip meant a lot to me before I even left Florida. I was going to see Doug where he was. To walk in his shoes. To meet his friends. To breathe his air. The anticipation of that alone was, at times, and still is, overwhelming.

There would be so many things I could write in the form of a diary, but I would rather recount, after 5 weeks of reflection, what meant so much to me, and what has remained with me since I departed.

This may sound like a prejudiced statement, but my brother is really a great man. Look at the people he calls his friends and you will understand what I mean by this. People don't come to care and love because a person has money or good looks. Friendship is based on the intangibles: loyalty, honesty, goodness, up-rightness and other qualities. The qualities that you remember when the memory of events has long disappeared.

Being in my brother's presence again brought back a lot of memories of growing up. It created new memories, of the man he has grown into, and of the woman I have grown into. The places and the events of the trip were the necessary elements, but the power of the events lies in the essence of the person, not the presence of the surroundings.

Doug is a friend and a big brother to me. I look forward to the many more opportunities we will have in the coming years to continue to grow in our love for one another and to discover the depth of our bonds.

I want to thank everyone whom I met for your kindness and hospitality. I really felt like I was part of the family there at Heartwood. Let us remain united through my brother and your friend.

Love,
Eileen, fma
forever.shamrock@juno.com

i will be autographing print-outs of this blog's update at select bookstores and coffeeshops around the nation in the years to come. Be sure to carry yours with you if i should show up in your neighborhood unexpectedly. ;o)

i had also hope to post photos of Eileen's visit today, but i deleted all the photos from my camera before i had saved them on my computer (first time that happened!), but later today i'll see if a retrieval program i downloaded is successful. i'm hopeful, since i have purposefully avoided taking more photos since she left.

Last news for this update: i've decided that it's time to leave Heartwood. It's been 26 months, and lately there has been one disappointment after another: some community-wide, some staff-wide, and some unique to me, having to do with changes in the workplace.

i have decided to pursue teaching English overseas again, with a view toward doing massage on the side once i'm settled. i'm especially interested in positions in the Middle East, and in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Malaysia. i will of course post news about any developments as soon as things happen.

In the meantime, i would appreciate it if you would keep me in your thoughts and prayers, and assist me in the process of stepping into this next big, bright phase of my Life!

Cheers! and best wishes to you and your loved ones ...