People and things that had an impact on me
(for most of which I'm grateful)
Here is a slide show of Maceió.
I was born in Maceió, Alagoas in Brazil.
My Mom was English and my Dad was from the USA.
They were missionaries who tried to offer hope
to people whose lives were so difficult.
Dad taught many how to grow nutritious crops to combat disease and hunger
Mom gave injections, food and medicine and taught Sunday School besides
keeping, at that time, 4 very active children in line.
We came to the US when I was only 6 1/2 years old.
It was 1963.
I remember the United States seemed like a big candy store.
Bubble gum machines! Hamburgers! Milk in bottles! Howard Johnson's Salt Water Taffy!
Desegregation was going on in the schools.
Color doesn't make much difference when you're a child.
Maybe that's what the bible meant by "the faith of a child."
I liked the new folks I met. Saw a lot of people who didn't.
Some people can be mighty ugly after they've been taught to hate.
Then my little sister was born. That was cool!
I did the boy scout thing, learned baseball, football,
basketball, rode bikes and a mini bike, etc.
Our next door neighbor died in Vietnam. Saw my first miltary funeral.
Pretty much entertained myself till high school when we moved to a large city.
The 70's! Now that was fun! fun! fun!
Southern Rock came to town and disco danced the night away!
Got my drivers license, a 64 Renault for $30.00, a sound system
my still best friends, my draft card, a diploma and 3 guitars.
Thank God for time to be happy!
Mark, Nan, Caroline, Drew, Mom, Grandma, Me, & Pop
Since my teens to my twenties consisted of music, music, music
I take you to later years when I began to know who I was.
At first I was only another member of this family.
But the last time we were all together I realized
just how different we all were.
We are all unique with different interests.
Caroline is a Nurse, Drew a real estate broker, Me a teacher,
Nan a guidance counselor for little children and Mark is a mechanic who
also runs a wildife rehabilitation and raptor center at his home.
Dad is retired from the ministry and writing a book on
the battle of Kings Mountain.
Mom volunteers with the American Cancer Society and
the North Carolina Literacy Council.
Grandma was in real estate and ran a cottage rental business
till she retired at the age of 95.
She just turned 100 years old! Isn't she incredible?
Thank God for a long life full of usefulness.
I fell in love with Kay on New Years Day in 1983
We got married on March 6, 1983
I had never really known where it had come from,
but, for the first time in my life,
the constant feeling of loneliness that I had
went away.
It had been the emotion that drove my poetry of my soul,
the inspiration of all those moody songs I wrote.
Good riddance!
Thank God for the people who love us!
Mom, Dad, brother in law Joe Saunders and Nan
in Mexico City for Pop's 74th birthday, 1996
Mexico City.
How can words express how I felt
the first morning I woke up there in 1977.
I was fascinated with archaeology and still am.
It's like mystery novel where you get to guess the ending.
99.9% of the time the best explanation for what you find
is an educated guess.
It is truly the thrill of the hunt
that makes digging through 2,000 year old graves
and garbage dumps seem interesting.
Maybe the secret to one of life's mysteries
is right in front of you if you just dig a little deeper, longer.
And Mexico City? Archaeology is all around you!
Every dream, every stone carved, every god men worshipped
are right there to see, to touch, to ponder.
They are over your head and under your feet.
In the USA, the American Revolution and the Civil War
were fought in many different places in many towns and states.
In Mexico, THE war took place right there in the city.
For two years the old and new world's greatest powers
Tried to conquer the other in the name of
their respective gods and kings.
There, in 1519-1521, was the largest massing of armies
ever seen in the western hemisphere prior to the US Civil War.
Centuries later the French, and, on three other occasions,
The Americans, would invade that same city.
And yet the city is still there with
beautiful gardens in many fine parks
bordered by amazingly decorated churches.
And far outnumbering the pickpockets and the crooked cops
are a world of friendly and humble people who still percieve
a world that is bigger that they are.
Mexico has it's problems to be sure
but standing there you get the feeling
that the problems don't matter all that much
in the grand scheme of history.
They have been through worse and it is still a wonderful place.
Thank God for the people who remind us that
we can be amazed by diversity, our differences,
instead of being irritated by it.
My uncle Van.
Sometimes in a family we have those who tell us how we "should".
Because sometimes families have rules and roles too.
You watch your step to keep from stepping on someone else
and become afraid to dare be you.
Sometimes in a family we have those who tell us how good we already are.
Because you know you're okay and they're okay too,
you can relax and have some fun being yourself.
and enjoy watching them be themselves.
Thank God for uncles and big sisters
Yes, Thank God for Ginger too!
Who no matter how long or how bad a day I have,
Is never in a bad mood.
Who always peers through the fence pickets when I pull up the drive,
and as I walk to the gate, wags her stubby tail,
jumps up and down and says, "I'm glad you're home!"
Hold the mouse over Ginger to make her talk,
then click her for the next page
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