Musical Saturday Morning

In remembrance of Glen Campbell.

I was NEVER into him, he did country - not western!

But, he was talented!

Southern Road

This weekend's list:
Cumbres & Toltec Train, special excursion hunting bank robbery booty!
Kit Carson's lost camp
Zeb Pike's winter fort
Colorado's oldest church
(my metal detector is ready to sing!)
Check on museum showing my mining partner's stuff
and local choke and pukes ...

Inheritance

So, my sister called today.  She is Gwen's executor of her estate ...

Honestly, there is nothing I desire from Gwen.  I loved her - perhaps imperfectly due to my limitations, but it was with all that I had.  There is only one I have ever loved more - but sadly that is just lost in history.

I have some few memories remaining/regained of life with her across the past 42 years.  I would like just a copy of a picture taken of her when she was 17, typical southwestern Madonna pose.  But, I will have to figure out whom will get it and then see if I can talk them into copying it for me ... of course they won't.  Sigh.

But, it seems that, unknown to any of us, she had purchased a large area in the town she loved and certainly one or more of us will end up with some part of that.  Do I want to live at 10,000 feet. in an old mining town?  Hmmmmm ......

There are only three related to her, plus Somer and I.  Not that I think either of us should count in this mix.

My sister has complained about living in the mid-west for decades, I wonder if this is her out?  What about her husband?

The future suddenly looks interesting .....

FOTY

I was working on my emails over the weekend.  Yeah, anymore I do not have enough time to get to my emails daily!  Usually it is just junk mail from places I have done business with.  For instance, I a flew Alaska Airlines to Colorado Springs - so I am getting emails daily now from AA and all of their business partners!  Well, at least until I have to respond CANCEL to their garbage ....

Amongst all of the offerings I could not care less about - was one by a real name.  I looked at the real name - it meant nothing.  It was a forward from him.  Based on the titling I assumed that he was winning a reward .....  Still no idea whom this was about though .....

Rolling back the time clock -

It was a softball game for my church about 30 years ago.  I was not playing ( stupid here had separated his hips throwing 90 pound cement sacks up 19 feet onto a scaffold ... ) so, seated in the stands, tightly squeezed into a plastic shell holding my hip together, and watching the warm up.  On the field was a 12 year old I had never seen before and it seemed no one else had either.  The pastor came over and asked me to go ask him what was up.  And because I know things, I knew this was not what I needed to do.  Whom ever approached him was going to have him attached for life .....

Yup.

No complaints from me, he has been a blessing to my life and I hope I have been of value in his, across the years since.

Content-wise, the email talked about the acceptance of his nomination of me as a candidate for father of the year!

What the heck!!!!!!!!!!!!

Doubt anything will come of it though ...

Day Late

So, late Sunday night came the call I have dreaded for years:  my Stepmother had passed away.

My trip too late to cancel and even if I could, I would lose about half the moneys paid.  So, I caught the plane anyway.  But, now there was no Gwen on the other side.

Gwendolyn Ivie was a fiery little redheaded Irish woman.
I have no idea where dad stumbled across her.
I have no idea what she ever saw in him.

But we bonded quickly and I kept her across the decades after Dad had thrown her away.
Forty-three years she has been a valued member of my family

She had a hard life.

Her first husband blown into oblivion by a 1950's atomic test gone bad.
Her only child killed in an auto accident, while still a child.
Her hatred of the Church pathological, due to the treatment she received as a child at the hands of Catholic nuns and priests in school.

I had a long talk with my cousin, whom has watched after her for the past seven years.  Gwen has been so frail an ill for years, that it is with a sense of relief her suffering here on Earth is over.  But, her eternal situation I am haunted by.  I had expected just one more chance to talk with her on this.  But, as with my father and then my mining partner, that opportunity never presented itself.

In spite of this culture, remember life is short, it is only temporary and all of your pursuits that get in the way of you or others not finding God, really are only a distraction to make that separation permanent.  Beat the system - start to see with eternal eyes, not worldly eyes.

I know your prayers for those of us in our time of loss will be appreciated.
Thank you.

Off To Colorado

It is with the greatest of sadness that i began the journey back to the Wet Valley of Colorado to say goodbye to my much loved Step-mother.

She was the only sound of reason in father's life and though he and I parted ways for 35 years, she stayed in touch with me!  Yeah, she knew right from wrong but had no ability to convince him of the mess he was making of his life!  Sigh ....

Eventually,. he threw her away.
Somer and I kept her - she was precious and by then family.
You don't throw family away .....

So across the next two weeks I would ask your prayers:
her comfort
her finding the truth of God
my ability to communicate compassion
strength for me .....

I will update if I can get wifi in the Wet Mountains, they don't call it the middle of nowhere with a reason!  Yeah, no Starbucks!

Musical Saturday Morning