Stories from the Mission... bit 14

   FOUND OUT THIS MORNING THAT STRONG COFFEE DOES NOT HELP YOU IN BEING HUMBLE. LOL, I haven't had any caffeine in quite a while as it costs money, so this morning I asked Scott for some of his. Well, I may have gotten a  few people mad at me since. maybe I should run my engine stock. I was thinking about apologizing to them later on, but then it occurred to me that maybe it didn't happen and by me asking them, I'd make it a reality. It's a shame that often when you admit to a failing, people jump on you instead of praising you in your growth. No wonder so few seek forgiveness.
   8/5/11
   I've been getting to know a lot of the guys here now. I just talked with Cleveland about cars, Ralph always has something profound to say, I had a short conversation with Ciantee about suicide, tired out a lower bunk and had a talk with the new guys, Phil and Curtis. Then I told Chris, a guy who started the same day as me, that I wasn't going to move to a lower bunk. Everyone, no matter what, starts on an upper bunk, then after a month you can move to a lower one. I like how I have mine set up, it has a good view and I like my neighbors. The lower bunks have less light, less air and you have to look at mens butts in underwear, LOL.
   I got two compliments today; Mike, who used to have a hotrodded Cutlass, said he saw me sweeping the yellow brick road and said, "Man, you where intent, you didn't miss a single dust bunny!" Then, later on, Fadi Yassime stopped me on the stairs and said,"You better not let me down!" I was like, Eh? What? He came back with, "I have money on you coming to work in the mail room,  we need a good guy like you down there!" He is a graduate and has a Blackberry and he told me he spent an hour look at my artwork and likes it.
   Just came from the 6:00 Friday class and got to see one of the best Preaching tag teams ever, the Hammer and Nail. They come from pastor Greens church and are fun to experience.Loud and Fast, jumping form book to book, verse to verse, amazing animation and memory! At one point he was describing hell with a great gnashing of teeth, tilting his head to one side, flashing the clenched pearly whites and making an anguished sound for a long time. It was such an unusaly loud noise that Pastor Phil stuck his head in to see what was going on, heh.
8/6/11
   Took a walk today and it started raining, but being warm, it didn't bother me much. It reminded me of Florida and the time I spent with my parents down there. It got me to thinking of some lyrics...
I spread
my arms
a mile
wide
and pray
the Lord
to come
inside.
There must be a reason
Gods hands are everywhere
and some day we'll see
the meanings clear
there must be a reason
Might be a test, might be a trial
it'll bring out our best
We'll see in a while.
To help us grow, to help us shine
soon we'll know, and we'll be fine.
there must be a reason.

8/7/11
  My Dad was in the Navy back in WW2, he was on a ship that transported aviation fuel into Midway. He told me how when they went to Midway, they had all kinds of air support and stuff, but once they had unloaded, they weren't that important and where on their own. Seems he got some shrapnel in his side, got a purple heart and got sent back state side. After he had been back for a while, he got a letter in the mail. MY Dad had been drafted, back into the war... again! My Dad didn't try to run away, he did what he had to do. While in boot came, the drill sergeant  got mad at him early on, saying that he acted like he knew it all. My Dad told him flat out, he had been through it already. Well, once they had confirmed his story, they made my Dad a drill sergeant. My dad has always been my hero, and doing what had to be done is something I've always tried to live up to.
   What led me to being here at the mission isn't nearly as noble. I worked myself into a hospital and basically quit playing the game society said we had to. Over the next 9 months, I tossed any mail that wasn't money into a pile next to the door without opening it. I never went back to my job to get my tools and box and spent over 15 hours a day on my computer doing artwork and trying to sell it on Facebook. I had lots of people saying they would buy some of it, but they never kept the promise. I Covered my windows so no one could tell if I was home, I had become a modern day hermit in the middle of happy suburbia. physically, I had withered away as I never moved more than my hands on the mouse and keyboard. My laptop was straight in front of me and I had positioned the TV so it was visible right over that. Being that my head never had to turn, my neck muscles atrophied... when in a car on that rare occasion, I had a hard time turning my neck to talk with the driver. When I get carried away with a vision, it can be severe.