December 30, 2005

NEW ORLEANS - WOMB OR TOMB???

A friend forwarded to me a copy of a letter that addresses the rebuilding of New Orleans much more eloquently than I ever could. I post it with the author’s permission.

December 28, 2005
New Orleans - Womb or Tomb?


Dorinda C. Bordlee, Esq.
Bioethics Defense Fund

bdfund.org



A watery tomb or the warm waters of the womb? Welcome to the mystery of New Orleans.

How will this mystery be solved? Some say the old grand dame is dead or dying. Some say she is being reborn. Could it be that both events are happening at the same time?

Many arguments are being made about why New Orleans matters - attempts to justify the billions that it will take to rebuild our levees and our lives.

As a New Orleans native, I've made these arguments myself to well-meaning people that questioned me in my place of displacement. Like so many, I argue that we must rebuild because we are a port city . . . because of the oil and gas industry. But the truth is that the port could operate without an entire City around it, and so could the oil industry.

As a matter of fact, the country could relocate the film industry if Los Angeles was shaken off her foundations, and we could do without most major United States cities should calamity befall them.

So the arguments we make to the rest of the country based on the usefulness of New Orleans are missing an important ingredient.

Maybe we should rebuild New Orleans simply because we love her. She is home to hundreds of thousands of hard-working American citizens. She has a history and she has a future if her levees are properly rebuilt. We should be there for New Orleans because we are called to care for one another in the tough times. That's reason enough, isn't it?

But the utilitarian mindset - that someone is valued only to the extent that they are useful to someone else - is not limited to Katrina politics. It pervades the mindset of those who see human lives themselves as valuable only if they are useful - those who seek to use human embryos as spare parts for embryonic stem cell research, those who seek to use fetal parts from aborted babies, those who seek to euthanize the disabled because they are of no use to anyone.

And if we can apply the utilitarian mindset to human lives so easily, it's no wonder that we do the same to a beloved American city like New Orleans.

Though we natives often personify New Orleans, I realize that the geographic location is not a person, nor is a place entitled to be treated only as an ends not a means as we should treat all human beings. But New Orleans is properly personified because she is a community of people whose lives have been intertwined for generations. New Orleans is distinctive because her people live life to the full - we live to eat, instead of eating to live; we work hard and play hard; we cry with our neighbors' during losses, and we dance at jazz funerals. We live a culture of life.

Maybe New Orleans is better viewed as the womb itself - and her citizens are like vulnerable unborn children who need the protection of state of the art levees. We've taken a hit that has humbled us all. So when we ask for national help, we do not demand it from a sense of haughty pride. We are simply asking for help from those who we hope love us enough to help us protect ourselves and our families.

As an attorney who advocates for the sanctity of every human life, this author is inspired by Mother Teresa's reminder that our main purpose in this life is to learn how to love and be loved.

I think I knew how to love pretty well, but it took Katrina to teach so many of us to learn how to be loved by those who took us into their homes and their schools expecting nothing in return.

My family witnessed extraordinary selfless love in Phoenix, Arizona.
One gentlemen gave us the use of his car for two months, two schools took us in with waived tuition, families rallied to bring us meals at the home of my law partner who took us in where we lived with 10 people under one roof. The school families even sent us gas cards at a time when gas was over three dollars a gallon! That's love, and my family and I learned the great virtue of humility by finding ourselves suddenly on the receiving end. We were of no use to these generous people. They helped us simply out of love and concern.

We're back home now experiencing the surreal in-between of an expectant mother of a high-risk pregnancy. New Orleans experienced a watery tomb, but now she awaits rebirth in an expectant womb. Let's choose life for the new New Orleans. Just because we love her.

Dorinda C. Bordlee is Executive Director of the Bioethics Defense Fund, a public interest law firm that advocates for human rights from beginning to end. She can be contacted at dbordlee@BDFund.org.

December 29, 2005

One Time, When I Was At Band Camp...

It’s Thursday, my first day back at work this week and already I’m sick of being here. Everyone (almost) is on holiday vacation and the place is pretty empty and quiet. I wish I were still in New Orleans with the rest of the family.

We arrived at our hotel at 8 PM last night, greeted by the sight of several buses in the parking lot. Another was in the back, and another arrived while we were unpacking our car. All were full of high school kids and chaperones, band geeks (self described by two young ladies riding up and down the elevators this morning) here for the Liberty Bowl. That ought to make the next couple of days pretty interesting. I guess we’ll be using the stairs a lot!

Although considerably cooler than in New Orleans, it wasn’t a chaps morning this morning. It was about 40 degrees, and actually pretty pleasant. There’s about a 15 degree difference between Memphis and New Orleans.

Thinking back on our recent visit, images of blue roofs and boarded up business establishments come to mind. It’s amazing how many businesses on the West Bank are still closed and may not reopen, although damage was, in many cases, negligible. Apparently many of the West Bank businesses’ employees lived in flood ravaged areas and are now living elsewhere, leaving the business community without a good personnel base. Driving down Manhattan Blvd was a strange mixture of new construction and closed businesses.

On our way out of the city we stopped at a MacDonald’s for lunch. While waiting in line for over 30 minutes, I observed that many of the people in line were Hispanic and apparently didn’t speak English. This should present an interesting cultural phenomenon. It appears that many migrant workers have come to Louisiana to capitalize on all the construction that is going on, and many of these workers are Hispanic who speak little or no English. The local restaurants that have bilingual employees are probably few and far between, creating a sticky cultural gap. Perhaps some of these fast food restaurants that are offering higher salaries and bonuses to get workers should target bilingual people as potential employees, and give bonuses to them for having additional qualifications. Just a thought.

I saw a bumper sticker this morning that said, of all things, “Hang up and drive!”. Now, why didn’t I think of that? I could’ve made a fortune manufacturing HUAD bumper stickers. Then I could have branched out into HUAD magnetic car ribbons, and then to HUAD rubber wrist bands! I was probably too busy talking on my cell phone to think of it. Oh, well. Another missed opportunity.

It seems that if I happen to be in New Orleans next Wednesday, January 4th, between 0730 and 1600 (that’s 7:30am and 4pm, or for all you ex-marines out there, the big hand is on… oh, never mind) I will be allowed back into our building to retrieve any personal items that may have been left behind before the storm. Gee, I wonder if anyone would mind if I took Tuesday off to drive back to NOLA, went to the work site to retrieve stuff on Wednesday, and then took Thursday off to drive back to Memphis. Sounds like a “ROAD TRIP!!!” to me.

I’m off to justify my existence to Uncle Sam. Take care and God bless. Happy New Year.

December 27, 2005

Tasting New Orleans Once Again!

We finally got to experience New Orleans today. We went to New Orleans Food and Spirits for lunch, and waited for a table. Then we had crawfish and corn soup (deeee-li-shus!!), Linda had gumbo as well, my son-in-law and I had the "Big Easy Steak Burger" (definitely in the top 5 best hamburgers in the city, pre-Katina even) and Linda had a shrimp po-boy with way too much mayo. She needed a shovel to remove it, and ended up not eating the bread anyway.

After lunch we went to Best Buy, and drove around the parking lot for awhile looking for a place to park. Then we went inside and looked for stuff that was sold out. At least I was able to get some screen cleaner and a holder for my cell phone.

Tonight we're at our daughter's house. Son-in-law made the best guacamole ever, refried black beans, homemade salsa and ground meat filling for tacos, tostadas, and burritos. I am so stuffed!! His culinary skills are awesome!

H2 made it to Houston along with H1 and his wife. For the uninitiated, #1 son is H1, and #2 son is H2 (#2 son spends so much time with brother and his wife that we started joking about her having 2 husbands, hence h1 and h2). H2 reported heavy traffic with several accidents along the way, so it took them awhile to get there. I hope the trip to Memphis tomorrow is trouble free.

We're bringing our grandson with us tomorrow. I hope he enjoys the trip and will have a good time. I guess as long as he has his PSP with him (Play Station Personal) he will be entertained.

We return to Memphis with wonderful memories of a very happy holiday! Everyone, I think, had a good time. We have much to be thankful for, not the least of which is family. It is truly heartwarming to see all the kids getting along so well. And this year we have the added pleasure of sharing Christmas with # 3 son's fiancé .

It is surprising to see how much Algiers is still full of trash and debris, yet Magazine Street has been cleaned up and spruced up and stores and restaurants are open for business. It seems like the city is not as focused on helping it's citizens back on their feet as it is bringing back businesses.

As we look forward to the new year, we keep you all in our prayers. May you receive the blessings of God in abundance, and share His love with everyone you meet in the following year.

December 26, 2005

Happy Feast of St. Stephen!! Tonight the diaconate community of the Archdiocese of New Orleans gathers at St. Stephen's Church for Mass. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone. This will be the first gathering since Katrina, so I'm hoping for a good turnout.

You know how sometimes you just need to pamper yourself? Well, I decided it was my time, so I took out the foot bath/massager that was given to us last Christmas. I've spent an entire year thinking about trying it out, and finally today I did. Note to self: When the instructions say "bath oil" it does NOT mean liquid soap!! My second attempt proved a little more successful and a little less sudsy! Very nice experience. I think I'll be bringing it up to Memphis.

The kids headed back to Houston today, and H2 went with them. He's going to spend a week visiting. I hope they have a safe trip and a pleasant visit. I know #2 son really misses #1 son and daughter-in-law since they've moved. Then it's up to Memphis for him to pick up his bedroom suite. Hopefully we'll also have a nice visit.

This coming weekend we look forward to a visit from our daughter as she comes to Memphis to retrieve our grandson. We're going to try to pack about 2 weeks worth of shopping and dining into 2 days for her!! I know she's looking forward to a taste of a "normal" life.

Speaking of normal, it has once again been an interesting visit to NOLA. There are trailers everywhere, and signs of more to come. Where ever there seems to be a bit of space, plumbing is being laid to support a trailer community. Of course it's necessary if people are to return and start rebuilding their lives, but it sure is an eye opener to actually see it in progress. And there are still US Army and Nat'l Guard units encamped around the area as well.

Other reminders of the past several months remain. While visiting with our daughter we noticed a couple of boxes of MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) and Miller Brewing Co. bottled water. We probably should have had the MREs for Christmas dinner. Although I personally have not had any, I hear that they are actually pretty good, a far cry from the old "C-Rats" that I have eaten.

I guess we'll be catching up on the local news when we get back to Memphis. Although we've cancelled the newspaper 3 times since Katrina, it is delivered faithfully every day, so we're greated with a stack of them whenever we return home. I wish they had been that consistent in their delivery before the storm.

The telephone company isn't doing much better. After our phone line was cut to make way for electric company trucks, it has been disconnected ever since. This is since September 8th. Since then we've cancelled our landline service, but we're still getting our phone bills like clockwork.

Well, that's news from NOLA for now. Take care and God bless you. Happy New Year!!

December 25, 2005

MIDNIGHT APPROACHES AND...

I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!! I hope the rest of this holiday season is a blessed one as we progress through the twelve days of Christmas to January 6th, the Feast of the Epiphany.

Our family Christmas was truly wonderful. All the kids went to Mass yesterday, most to 5PM and one to midnight. The church was decorated beautifully and the services were magnificent. What a glorious way to celebrate the coming of the Savior of the world!! Today we gathered together at our daughter and son-in-law's house for presents and dinner. Everyone was happy, healthy and well-fed. Our son-in-law is an amazing cook, and today was no exception! Our daughter-in-law was a wealth of entertaining information, helping to spice up the day's conversation. What a blast!

A special thank you to everyone for their thoughts and prayers throughout the past several months and through this Christmas season. We sincerely love you all and wish you all the best in the coming year. Take care and God bless you!! - Dean

December 24, 2005

Jennifer Garner is HOT!!

I just want to say that Jennifer Garner is HOT!  Of course, I say that in the most deaconly way possible…  Anyway, the kids just gave me my belated birthday present from them: the first two seasons of Alias on DVD!  Woo-hoo!!  Who needs Kiefer Sutherland and “24” when you’ve got Jennifer Garner and “Alias”?

Today is Christmas Eve, 2005.  Not to get on a rant again, BUT…  it is NOT “Holiday Eve” people, so get with it!  We wish you all the joys of the Christmas season.  May your Christmas be a blessed one, with Our Lord in the center of the celebration.  When you sit down for dinner with family and friends this Christmas, remember to give thanks to God for all that He has given you…  life, health, family, friends… the things that really matter, not things that can be washed away in moments by the forces of nature.

All the kids are back together in New Orleans for Christmas.  Now if I can just corral them all into going to church.  That alone will bring joy to my heart.  

Gotta go try to find food for Linda and I.  Once again, Merry Christmas and, oh, while your at it, Happy New Year, too!

December 23, 2005

Way Down Yonder in New Orleans..

We're back in New Orleans! Yeah!! The drive was pleasant once we actually got on the road. The day started off by being awoken by Maynard at 4:20am because he needed to go out. So I got up, took him for a walk while Linda fixed his breakfast. When I got back to bed I was unable to go back to sleep, so I just lay there aggravated for what seemed like hours until I did drift off, only to first have the power go out just long enough to shut down my CPAP and wake me up gasping for air, then within 5 minutes the fire alarms went off. Linda called the front desk, who assured us that there was a fire and we needed to get out, so we grabbed the birds and the dog and went out to the parking lot to join the other guests there.

Several people had pets, so we stood with them and chatted. Turns out one family from Virginia was on their way to Texas. The wife is from Endicott, NY!! Small world! After about 1/2 hour of standing in the cold, we decided to load up the kids and pets and go to breakfast. I was in flip flops with no socks, and the other Mom was in her pj's. We had a nice time visiting with Olvy, Fran, Carmen and Elena. Carmen plays hockey and Elena is a gymnast. Very nice people. I hope our paths cross again sometime.

After breakfast we returned to the hotel, loaded up the car and hit the road. Our drive was nice and uneventful, but the folks heading North on I-55 had a heck of a time. It looked like a pickup pulling a mobile home had jacknifed on the highway. The trailer had turned around and was completely blocking both lanes of traffic as well as the shoulder. Cars were backed up in a dead stop, people were out standing in the neutral ground (median for those not from NOLA) and the highway had been shut down at the previous exit, about 5 or 6 miles further down the road, so traffic there was also backed up and stopped. Didn't look like anyone was hurt, thank God!

We just got a Christmas card from our daughter's friend from High School. Every year they send a card with pictures of their two adorable little boys. This year was no different, except there was an adorable little girl in the middle! That comes as a complete surprise. We had no idea she was even pregnant!! Congrats to them, and Merry Christmas, too!

Once we arrived in NOLA, we dropped off the pets and met Mick and Bev at a restaurant to catch up. They looked great, as always, and we had a really nice dinner and conversation. Can't wait to see them again on Monday, the feast of St. Stephen, patron saint of deacons. Every year the deacons from the Archdiocese of New Orleans gather for Mass and social at St. Stephen's Catholic Church on Napolean Avenue, and thankfully this year will be no different! Despite Katrina the deacons will gather once again to celebrate as a community. God is GOOD.

Life is still obviously not back to normal here on the West(Best)bank of New Orleans. One thing I've noticed is there seems to be a kind of "frontier" mentality where people act as if the laws are more suggestions than anything else, and common courtesy, which was in short supply among drivers before the storm anyway, seems to be missing as well. Hopefully this will change as more people return home.

Update on Kenny and Ellie... They have chosen July 1, 2006 for their wedding, to be held at Holy Name of Mary Church. And, I just might be the person who performs the nuptuals portion of the Mass. How COOL is that???

The Houston portion of our family should be coming in tomorrow. We're really looking forward to getting the whole family together again, and it's especially wonderful at Christmas. Pray for a safe trip for them.

A wish I have this season for everyone is that we can share the gift of love that God has given us. There is no better time than now to decide to mend fences, renew old friendships, make new friends, and care for those around us, especially those who can't care for themselves. Some suggestions... pick up the phone and make that call that should have been made eons ago! Let people in your life know how much you love them, before it's too late and all that is left are regrets. Invite a friend or neighbor to join you this year at your Christmas services. Call or visit a homeless shelter or soup kitchen and ask how best you can contribute to the welfare of their clients this Christmas season. As we celebrate God's gift of love through the birth of His Son, let's share that gift with everyone we can! God's blessings be on all of you!! - Dean

December 20, 2005

More Memphis Motel Musings

OK, kiddos. Enough with the "56" jokes. I get it already. I'm older than dirt. Fine, deal with it!

We went to our Chinese restaurant last night. We were planning to surprise our waiter with a small token of our appreciation, some New Orleans style gifts. We enjoyed a nice dinner, with him as our waiter. He managed to bring me a second glass of plum wine without my asking, and later brought one for Linda, also. Then, just as we suspected, he brought a large fried ice cream dessert. That is when we gave him his gift. He was very surprised, but seemed pleased. When we told him that we planned to bring our daughter and family in for dinner when they came to visit, he mentioned that he is leaving on January 2nd to move to Atlanta. We wished him well and assured him that we would miss him.

Looking back on the evening, what's up with that anyway? How come HE gets to leave Memphis before we do? Bummer!

Tonight was Corky's night. I ordered their BBQ pork and spaghetti plate. And guess what?!? It came with cole slaw!!! Yep, just like when I was growing up home in upstate NY. Linda never understands how cole slaw and spaghetti go together, but our waitress, who happened to be from Chi-town, said that she grew up with spaghetti and slaw, too! I have been VALIDATED! YES!!! (much pumping of hands here.)

I don't know if we're in desperate need of a sanity check or what. Every day I look at our car, then I look around the apartment at the bags and boxes that need to go back to NOLA with us. Then I mentally add in the luggage, pet supplies, Christmas dinner stuff we're purchasing here, then I look at the car again. It keeps getting smaller and smaller! And if that weren't crazy enough, tonight we bought a complete bedroom set. A queen size sleigh style bed, with dresser, chest, night table and mirror. Now we have to pick it up, store it, and finally get it back to NOLA for one of our sons. Let's see now, where was that sanity checker???

I've gotta tell you. Maynard is really a good dog! I've gotten pretty complacent lately, and I tend to take him out for his constitutional walks without putting him on the leash. Today as we were walking across the parking lot toward the grass, I realized that he had taken a quick turn and was headed off in a different direction. Looking over I saw someone else also walking his dog, but on a leash. I shouted, "Maynard!! No! Stop! Sit!" and by golly if he didn't stop and sit!
He sat there until I caught up and put on his leash. Then he got to "say hello" to Coco, the all white bulldog and something mix. Yep, he's a good dog.

Linda and I are really looking forward to next weekend. I'll be serving at the Saturday 5PM Christmas Vigil Mass, and also at the Midnight Mass, which is always beautiful. I'm hoping that all my children will join us at one or the other of services.

It will be great to be back at Holy Name of Mary parish, at least for a couple of days. I do miss everyone there. If you ever get to New Orleans, come on down to HNM for church. We'll be glad to have you.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!! - Dean

December 19, 2005

It's Christmas... CHRISTmas... CHRISTMAS!!!

Christmas is only a few days away.  That’s right, CHRISTmas!!  And so I wish you all a very Merry CHRISTMAS!!  Not “happy holidays”, but CHRISTMAS!!!  I resist the attempt by a morally corrupt, secular (sick-ular?) society of politically correct, holiday usurping, self-centered, my-way-or-the-highway, left-wing, pantywaisted denizens of this world who want to take a Christian celebration and turn it into a non-sectarian, almighty $$-driven (look at the crowds in the stores day in and day out for weeks) excuse for a day off from work.  Given more time I’d tell you what I REALLY think!

As they say, “Jesus IS the reason for the season.”  Like it or not, there wouldn’t be “happy holidays” were it not for Christ.  

A hand down, please, as I step off my soapbox.  At least for the time being.

Tonight we went to Tunica, in Mississippi, to the Gold Strike casino.  We met our good friends and fellow deacon Richard and his lovely wife, June.  They are from my diaconate formation class, the Class of ’99.  This weekend was June’s birthday, so Richard brought her up from Slidell for a few days R&R.  Taking advantage of their proximity, they invited us to meet them for dinner and a show at the casino.  As luck would have it, we weren’t able to get tickets to the show, but we went anyway to have dinner.  It was fabulous, in the grand tradition of casino restaurants.  We all had the prime rib special, and even had desserts (mine was “double dutch chocolate” cake.  M-m-m-m-m!!!).  It was SO good to see them again, and we talked and talked for so long that they ended up missing the show.  While I feel badly that they didn’t make the show, Linda and I truly enjoyed our time with them.  Thank you, Rich and June!!

Richard mentioned something his pastor had said during his sermon this weekend.  He said that while you see the signs, as I mentioned above, that “Jesus is the reason for the season”, actually we, you and I, are the reason for the season, and Jesus is God’s gift to us.  I like that thought.  We should be grateful for the gift, and we should try to keep in mind that all the gift giving that we do for family and friends is nothing when compared to that greatest gift that we have received from a loving Father in heaven.

Holy Name of Mary had their annual Christmas program tonight.  It’s the first one we’ve ever missed in 20 years of having family members participate.  I wish we could have been there.  It was our granddaughter’s first as a participant (she’s in Pre-K), and we hear that she enjoyed the whole experience immensely.

The news just announced that it’s 25 degrees in Memphis.  I get the chills just thinking about it.  Today’s high was only 37!  Still it was a sunny and beautiful winter day.  I hope the sunshine continues through the weekend, but the forecast isn’t cooperating.  Rain, though, no snow predicted.

As I watch the dog sleep and the birds complain about the lights still being on, I realize that it’s time to call it a day.  Merry Christmas and may God bless you with life, love and laughter this Christmas season.  Our love and prayers to all of you! - Dean

December 17, 2005

He asked her, and she said....


For those who don't know, Kenny and Ellie are ENGAGED!!! And we are thrilled!!!

Happy Birthday to ME!!!

Fifty-six years old yesterday (fitty-six if you’s from the lower Nine’t Ward). It’s been a pretty good ride so far. I’ve seen and done a lot more than some, less than others. All in all though, it’s been a good life, I think. This was going to be a bit of a trip down Memory Lane, but once I got started I decided there just wasn’t enough room on this blog for everything I remember, even if I limited it to just the good things.

Instead, I think I’ll make a list of things I wish my kids could remember.

I wish my kids remembered sledding down the mountainside in winter, and having horse chestnut fights on that same mountainside in the summer.
I wish my kids remembered ice skating on ponds and flooded tennis courts, and flopping down into snow banks with your friends.
I wish my kids remembered hay rides, and toboggans, and hot chocolate and popcorn in front of the fire.
I wish my kids remembered watching their grandfather marching down Main Street with the other legionnaires in the Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day and 4th of July parades.
I wish my kids remembered playing hide and seek in the fields of corn, and the sickly sweet smell of silage as they helped feed the cows in winter.
I wish my kids remembered walking into Grandma’s house and being hit by the wonderful smells of dinner cooking on the wood burning stove.
I wish my kids remembered Memorial Day weekend, when all the parks and pools opened, and going to the lake and jumping into the water because it was too cold to ease into.

Hmmm… Maybe this is a trip down Memory Lane after all!

Got calls with birthday wishes from all the kids. Of notable mention are the singing of Happy Birthday left on my voicemail, daughter-in-law’s, “Happy Birthday, Dad. So, how old are you now? 72?” and not to be outdone, H2’s, “So, you’re what? 56? I guess you’ll be dead soon then, huh? Don't forget to pay off the mortgage, ok?” Let’s see now, where WAS that Christmas list again????

Sometimes it’s a bitch being loved, you know?

Anyway, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a GOOD NIGHT!!!! - Dean

December 14, 2005

It's raining, it's pouring, the old man... Oh, never mind. Actually it's drizzling and chilly out but not cold. A very fine mist of a drizzle, like it wants to snow, but it can't because it just isn't yet cold enough. This would be a great evening to cuddle in front of a nice fire, with a glass of wine, and a good book or movie. Did I mention how comfortable Maynard has gotten? I got up this AM at 4:15 for a nature call and found him crashed on the couch. He didn't even move as I crossed from the bedroom into the bathroom. This evening as we returned from supper we were greated by a dog without a collar on. Lo and behold, it was laying in the middle of the bed. Can you say, "Spoiled?" Sure... sure... I KNEW you could! There are almost no Louisiana license plates left in the hotel parking lot. I noticed that most have gone since the first of the month. I guess with the threat of the FEMA money running out people have begun to move on. It would be nice if we could, as well. Linda still has no idea what is happening with her job. Last month her command participated in a survey conducted by Senator Vitter's office. The results split the command at almost 50/50 as to who wanted to go back to New Orleans and who wanted to remain in Millington. Yesterday he (Vitter) was supposedly speaking with someone from the Chief of Naval Operations office about whether EPMAC (Linda's command) would return or not. So far no word. Today (Tuesday) I finally broke down and wrote a letter to Senator Vitter asking him to at least try to get some sort of communication established where Linda works. The big guns where I work have been very good about keeping us informed of any developments and situations that might impact our return. Since September they've tried to project our return and kept us informed in the process. Not so with Linda. Very frustrating, indeed.

It's now Thursday and I still haven't posted this blog entry. I didn't think anyone would notice until I received this comment to my last post: "You know, I could have sworn that this was an active blog. Hmmm, must have been thinking of somewhere else. hehe". That comment comes from my daughter-in-law, who NEVER (yeah, right!!) let's a day go by without posting on her own blog, Taunt Society (Warning!!: NOT for the faint of heart! Read at your own risk.).

So, anyway, I'm going to take her lead and try and finish this up (at work) and get this posted.

Tomorrow is the 56th anniversary of the day I took my first breath of air on my own. Perhaps I will have more to report then.

Christmas is close, and our thoughts and prayers are with you all… family, friends, fellow evacuees still displaced. May the joys of Christmas bring peace and contentment to the hearts and minds of all of us this season. God bless!! - Dean

December 11, 2005

Weekend Ramblings

We had a lovely evening Friday. Fr. Kirk, the pastor of Church of the Holy Spirit had invited Linda and I to join him, Fr. Matthew, deacons Ned, Richard, Bill, Werner and their wives Barbara, Barbara, Chris, and Provie, respectively, for an evening of prayer, dinner, and socializing. It was nice to be included in their annual clergy gathering. The event was held at the home of Richard and Barbara. We sat around and chatted and drank some wine while waiting for everyone to arrive. Then we prayed together the evening prayers of the Church. A scrumptious dinner followed, consisting of baked salmon, grilled steaks, potatoes (both irish and sweet), a carrot souffle, a salad of greens, fruits and nuts, cake for dessert and more wine. Everything was absolutely delicious! Even the salmon (for those who don't know, I am NOT particularly fond of fish)!

To show our gratitude, Linda had prepared some small New Orleans style gifts for each couple and the pastors. The colorful bags (two purple, two green, two gold... go figure!) were filled with cajun hot peanuts, pralines, a fleur de lis keychain, and topped off with Mardi Gras beads. Everyone seemed delighted, and the women immediately put on the beads.

Saturday was another good day. After sleeping in a little late, we went to Applebee's restaurant for a salad lunch, then on to the mall. It took forever to find a parking spot, but we did. Then into the mall we went. We shopped until I dropped (Linda could have gone on and on and on). When we finally finished, it was time for dinner, so off to Outback which, by the way, is right next door to the Applebee's where we ate lunch. We had to reminisce a bit about the kids, since we've shared so many family get togethers at the Outback restaurant in New Orleans.

Gerald rode his Kawasaki home to NOLA yesterday. Today he returns and tomorrow will drive back with all his "stuff". The Navy command that we work for has rented eight trailers to put onsite at our Lakefront location for about 75 people to work from, starting tomorrow (Monday). We are going to miss Gerald. He and I worked next to each other in Millington. He was great company and joined Linda and me frequently when we went out to eat.

Actually I, too, am on the list of people returning to NOLA to work. I've asked to be allowed to stay through the first of the year in order to keep some obligations we have already made outside of work. I may ask to remain longer, as the team of contractors I work with are not returning any time soon, and Linda's command has made no commitment to return, either. If I do come home in January, I guess Maynard will come with me while the birds remain with Linda in Memphis. What to do, what to do!?!? It would be nice to be back in my own house, but lonely without Linda. It will be like when I was in the Navy and gone to sea, but in reverse.

We are hoping that our daughter and son-in-law will come up for a short visit New Year's weekend. Our daughter is excited about the possibility of "going to any restaurant I want and choosing from a menu that isn't a photocopy of a list of limited items, and not having to wait in line an hour and a half to get a table". She's also looking to go to a real shopping mall for a change! It will be a whirlwind weekend!

We're looking forward to seeing family again at Christmas. It's only been a week, and it seems like we haven't seen them in ages.

We're bad. After that wonderful Friday evening, we went to a different church today. We went to St. Francis of Assisi. What a beautiful church! Bright and airy, and they have KNEELERS!! Yeah!!!

Gerald is back! He's sitting on our sofa even as I type. He says he froze his @$$ off riding to NOLA yesterday. He's driving his car back tomorrow. Things will be different without him here.

OK. I've bored you enough for one weekend. Take care. God bless you. Happy Advent.

Dean

December 8, 2005

Bedknobs and Bumper Stickers

Were you ever out driving and a bumper sticker catches your eye that really grabs you?  I saw one today that did just that.  Perhaps you’ve seen those bumper stickers that say “Visualize world peace”?  Then that gave way to “Visualize whirled peas”.  Today as we were coming home we saw one that tickled both Linda and I.  It said, “Forget world peace, visualize using your turn signal”.  Now THAT’s a concept!!

While blogging I’m watching CSI:Crime Scene Investigation.  Does that qualify as multi-tasking?

On a more somber note, today there was a murder in New Orleans, on our street, across from our house.  For several years there has been a gay couple living there.  They’ve long been suspected of robberies and drug use.  Apparently one of them was stabbed in a lung last night and the other is being charged with 1st degree murder.  It would be so easy to lose sight of who they were and focus on what they were, extracting some measure of satisfaction from the way they have ended up.  I find myself thinking more about them as human beings, however flawed, children of God.  No matter what they may have done in the past, no matter how much of a pain in the butt they were to us as neighbors, no one deserves to die so violently.  And the one who stands accused is well known to have suffered all forms of abuse at the hands of another when he was younger.

I’m not making excuses, I’m just trying to understand something that is impossible for me to understand, because I can’t imagine ever doing drugs or trying to hurt another human being.

Our hearts go out to the parents of the accused.  Through thick and thin they have stood  by him and tried to help him.  We’ve known his parents for many years.  They were, at one time, landlords for “little grandma”.  Nice people, hard working, kind, and generous.  As hard as it is to imagine committing a crime such as this, it is equally hard to imagine the pain the parents are now experiencing.

Please join me in prayer for the repose of the soul of the deceased, and for the parents and their son.  Please also pray for the family of the deceased man.  A season of Joy has become for all those involved a season of Sadness.  May God be with them.

- Dean

When You Wish Upon A Star


Christmas wish lists are beginning to surface in our household. Since the kids kept picking at me I succumbed and ginned up a short list of STUFF that I wouldn’t mind possessing, but if I didn’t get any of those things, I would still be happy, because I have the things most important to me already. I have a loving wife, children and grandchildren that I’m very proud of, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, nephews and nieces, cousins (including the in-laws!!) each of whom holds a special place in my life and in my heart. I have dear, dear friends who brighten up my world when we’re together, and leave me with memories to cherish when we’re apart.

With that being said, I’d like to share with you my Christmas wishes:

I wish that Jesus Christ were more the center of my life and my being than He is today.

I wish that I could be more attuned to others’ needs. With that, I wish that I were more inclined to be a “good neighbor” to those less fortunate than me. (And less fortunate doesn’t necessarily mean having less money!)

I wish that more people could see that what we are, what we have, who we know, is all a gift from God, and that being faithful to Him and living our lives with love for one another is small recompense for those gifts.

I wish that Christmas were not so commercialized.

I wish that one day would go by without any deaths by violence…Then one week… one month… one year…

I wish that my entire extended family knows how very much I love them and cherish them in my life.

I wish that each and every one of you gets everything you wish for.

Most of all, I wish each and every one of you true happiness. I wish you the complete and utter joy of knowing and reveling in the love that God and Jesus Christ have to offer.

May God bless you with a Christmas season that is full of joy and laughter and the pleasure of unconditional giving, with no thought of getting anything in return. The warm glow that you feel inside is God’s way of saying, “You done good!”

Merry Christmas! - Dean

December 6, 2005

Tuesday, December 6th

Colder, colder, colder still! Forecast for Wednesday night into Thursday is freezing rain or even, (dare I say it?), SNOW!!! We’re talking about some real possibilities here, folks. Snowballs, snow angels, snowmen (snowpersons for all you PC folks). Too bad the grandkids won’t be here to enjoy.

However, it looks like Grandson is going to return with us from NOLA at Christmas and stay until New Year’s, so there’s still a shot at him getting to frolic in some real snow. We’re going to try to get tickets to the Liberty Bowl and go watch some football together!

As I sit here typing this I’m munching on cracklins. What a delicious Southern treat! Fried pigskins. You know THAT’s got to be healthy. Uh-huh!

Just so you know, our friend Gerald spent two nights in the hospital, but as it turned out, everything came out ok (groan!!). I mean, when he speaks I can’t tell him he’s full of cr_p anymore (ouch!!). It’s good to have the old Gerald back.
The days until Christmas are flying by! Get your Christmas shopping done early so that you’ll have some time to reflect on the true meaning of the holiday. Think about the greatest gift of all, Jesus Christ, Son of God, who’s suffering, death and resurrection has won for us the hope of eternal salvation! May you all enjoy the Peace of Christmas! - Dean

December 4, 2005

Baby, It's Cold Outside!!

We're living in the SOUTH!! Hey, Mother Nature, the SOUTH!@!@! We left NOLA at 4PM to 80 degree temps. We arrived in Memphis at 9:45PM to 32 degrees! What is UP with that? When we finally had stopped to grab a bite to eat we had to quickly get our coats from the trunk. Jeez!

You know, I have a theory about what really happened to New Orleans. We were all prepared for the devastation of a Cat 5 hurricane, so on Monday when Katrina had passed with minimal damage we all heaved a collective sigh of relief. Now that's a lot of people exhaling hot air at the same time. Hot air rises, so all this expelled hot air rose quickly, dragging cold air down into the area. The more condensed cold air created a vacuum which pulled against the levees, weakening them to the point that they failed. That's my theory and I'm sticking to it!

The TV just gave the weather forecast. Low tonight 27, high tomorrow 43. The low tomorrow will be 26, high on Tuesday 43 again. All our kin up North are probably laughing their collective butts off at us, and would be down here with shorts and tee shirts in a heart beat. I guess Linda and I have lived too long in the (deep) South and our blood has thinned.

Next weekend is son Numero Uno's birthday. We want to wish him a Happy birthday and wish we could be in NOLA to celebrate with him and all the rest of the kids.

Time to hit the sack under piles of blankets! Y'all take care and God bless. - Dean

December 3, 2005

HIPPO BIRDY 2 U

Happy birthday to you. Happy BIRTHday TO You. Happy BIRTHDAY DEAR Linda... HAPPY BIRTHday TO YOU!!

Yep, it's that time of year again. Linda is once again two years my senior (at least for 13 days).

The ride on Thursday was great! We made it to New Orleans in less than 6 hours again. Listened to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone on the way. Got in fairly early and had an outstanding supper of homemade tacos and tostadas at our daughter's house. Her husband is an incredible cook, and he enjoys doing it. His guacamole dip is, as they say, "to die for"!!

Friday we went to the Covington Craft Fair, in Covington, LA., on the North Shore. It was good to see that almost all the vendors were there, and the crowds were excellent, in spite of Katrina. We went with our daughter and her husband, and our good friends Mickey and Beverly and had a really nice time. We started the morning off with hot chocolate and funnel cakes for breakfast. Funnel cakes with cinnamon and chocolate syrup are killer!! After wandering up and down the aisles and in and out of tents we stopped for lunch. Polish sausage on a bun with onions, and fresh fried potatoe chips. Delicious. Finally, around 2PM we wrapped up our day by buying our annual fudge and kettle corn. Then a trip home across the Causeway and the day was done. Almost.

Hearing that China Doll restaurant had reopened, we met again, this time Mick and Bev, and our daughter and grandkids for Chinese. The limited menu still had enough options for everyone to find something they liked. We shared all the dishes among us and had a great time. The dinner was followed by our traditional "after dinner coffee" with Mick and Bev at a newly opened coffee shop on Manhattan Blvd called Tapioca and Coffee (something like that) where we burned a table or two between us.

Saturday dawned warm and bright. Mickey D's provided breakfast, we showed one of our apartments to a potential renter who decided against it (too bad, she was HOT!!) and struggled with the remains of our metal garage trying to finish dismantling it to have it hauled away. Hopefully number 2 son will be able to get it finished next weekend.

We leave again for Memphis tomorrow afternoon. A cold week is predicted. Poor Maynard. He really hates that crispy, crunchy frosted grass in the mornings.

As we begin the second week of Advent, may you continue to look forward to the coming of our Lord with love, faith, and hope. God bless. - Dean

November 30, 2005

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jog!!

We're going back tomorrow!

The trip from New Orleans to Memphis on Sunday was quite nice. We drove up in a 2006 Ford 500 that belongs to my daughter and her husband, but that we intend to buy from them. It is pretty snazzy… leather seats, dual heating controls (passenger/driver) 6-CD in-dash changer, wood paneling trim, automatic rearview mirror. It’s a fairly fuel efficient six-cylinder so we made it from NOLA to Memphis on one tank of gas, stopping only once for a snack and to let Maynard to his thing(s). We made it in just under 6 hours, a record for us.

Monday was a pretty rough day. Being here rather than in NOLA means that a lot of the things I’m responsible for seeing through are dependent on actions of others located here who don’t have the same sense of urgency that we who are assigned to the project have. So while we have to worry about schedule slips and such, people we have to coordinate with don’t share our concerns.

Also, Linda has now moved to “EP-MART” (EPMAC has relocated to an abandoned K-Mart building that was rewired for computers when the Army Corps of Engineers was renovating their spaces and had leased the old K-Mart in the interim. The problem here is that EPMAC, like all other Navy commands is obliged to use the NAVY and Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI) equipment and network. The new building is not connected to NMCI, and the work arounds to get the NMCI computers connected aren’t working smoothly. Anyway, Linda’s computer has been “on again, off again” so her level of job satisfaction has been leaving something to be desired.

Then, to top it off, we had to leave work early that afternoon. It seems that our friend Gerald, who has been sick for a week now, had gone to the doctor. He was diagnosed as having a severe bowel obstruction and was told to get to an emergency room for surgery. Needless to say, he was NOT very happy. So we went to the hospital to keep him company while he was in the ER. As of this morning (Wednesday) they had given him an enema which was successful in getting him going again, but they kept him for some additional tests to try and see what caused the obstruction. We’re hoping he’ll be released this morning, or at least some time today. He’s in better spirits, which is good. Please keep him in your prayers. You may remember that he had his car broken into only a couple of weeks ago.

To help ease the pain, we went again to Wang’s Chinese Restaurant Monday evening. Dinner was excellent, enhanced by plum wine (2 for me, 1 for Linda) and topped off with yet another surprise dessert of fried bananas! Armand, the young man who prepares these desserts for us always stops by our table to ask how we’re doing and when we’ll be going home. He’s very nice and apparently quite a good cook, as he prepares the special desserts himself. We’re definitely going to miss him and his desserts when we finally return home for good.

Tomorrow we head back to New Orleans (Y-e-s-s-s!!!) to attend the Covington Craft Fair on Friday. Then Saturday is Linda’s birthday, so hopefully we can do some sort of family thing to celebrate. She’s been so great through all this! She really deserves a happy birthday.

Ok. Enough said. I have to get back to work. Happy holidays to all. – Dean

November 26, 2005

Down To The Wire

Well, the time to deliver my first homily is only a few hours away. I've been working on it off and on for 2 days. I hope it turns out ok. Sometimes I get a good feeling about it and sometimes not. So far I don't lean either way for this one.

We had Friday night out with our daughter and her children at Semolina's restaurant. Our good friends Mick and Bev joined us with their delightful grandson, Anthony. The Houston Herricks were there along with Number 2 Son. It was a pretty good time for all, I think. The food was good and the company better.

Yesterday afternoon Linda and I went for a ride through some of the devastated areas of New Orleans. It was kind of eerie to drive up and down streets with cars parked in the driveways as if people were home, yet all the houses were empty, many gutted, no sign of lights or life, and cars all covered with mud and floodwater residue. Even after three months have gone by, so little headway has been made. Where does a person begin? Who's going to be the first on the block to try to rebuild, only to end up living amidst a community of ghostly vestiges of the homes that used to be?

And where do you live in the interim? As more and more businesses open, the reality of the loss of citizenry is painfully obvious as store hours are limited, restaurant menues are limited, and fast food places are often drive-thru only.

I guess I'm coming to grips with my survivor's guilt. I was thinking about my friends and coworkers who lost their homes. Many have reported that they've received insurance checks, paid off mortgages, and moved on with their lives. Good for them! But people like us, who have homes that are liveable, are still paying our house notes, mostly ignored by the insurance companies, and have had to follow our jobs to other states, so we can't even live in the homes we're paying for!

As not normal as life in New Orleans is, I'd still rather be here, living in my own home, with my children and grandchildren nearby, than to be in Tennessee. I miss my family, and I miss my home parish, Holy Name of Mary. There's no beginning to return to any semblance of normalcy for us until we are back in our own homes once again.

Keep up the prayers, my friends. Life is changed, but still good. God has blessed us with the love of family and friends. May we continue to share that love as He intended, generously and without strings. God be with you as your journey through life continues! - Dean

November 24, 2005

Thanksgiving Day

The morning has dawned bright and cool. Temperatures are in the low 50's, but quite comfortable after the low 40's of Tennessee. The sun is shining and for once we didn't have to get up at o-dark-thirty to start cooking the traditional bird. At our daughter's suggestion we opted to purchase a turkey already cooked. It had better be pretty darned tasty, 'cause she informed us over the phone as we were driving in that it was costing us $220!! I almost turned the car around right there!

Kind of interesting morning, so far, depending on your perspective, I guess. Since I left my bathrobe in Memphis, I was wandering around the house in just my "tighty whities" (actually loosey blackies) letting Maynard out and fixing him his breakfast when out from the back bedroom comes my daughter-in-law! Oops! That's an image that will probably live in the horrific recesses of her brain forever. Sorry about that!

The birds wasted no time getting back into their routine of chirping and shrieking as soon as the sun came up. Sigh, no rest for the weary! The only thing that will shut Gumbo up is if someone is actually present in the living room with him. And, I can pretty much guarantee you that there's not much in the way of entertainment on the tube at 6:30AM, at least for a TV connoisseur such as myself.

On the bright side, the whole family will be gathered together today. It will be great to see all the kids again. It's been way too long since we've seen Ian and B'Bee. Now if I could just find something for breakfast... but the cupboards are bare. I wonder if the little coffee shop is open this morning. They serve breakfast if you can wait through the crowd of FEMA workers, insurance adjustors, and now probably contractor workers as well.

Pretty soon we'll start preparing the side items to go with that crown jewel of a turkey. Corn, sweet potatoes, baked white potatoes, candied yams, peas, yum! Crap, I'm making myself even hungrier and there's still nothing to eat in the house, unless I eat what we brought for the dinner.

OK. Time to go out on the prowl. My growling stomach is drowning out the TV (not that that's a bad thing!). Happy Turkey Day, y'all! - Dean

November 23, 2005

Thanksgiving Eve

We're BACK!! We drove in from Memphis to have Thanksgiving with the kids. It's a bittersweet experience. More bitter than sweet, I'm afraid. The kids did a wonderful job of cleaning up the house before we got here, and we're grateful for that.

Still, it's difficult to stave off the depression as I look around the properties. The destroyed garage is still there, the ruined freezer is still there. Pave stones from our hard fought for front patio are in disarray. Fences are leaning precariously. So much to be done, but we can't do it from Tennessee!

Thanksgiving has always been held at our home, although for the last several years Christmas has moved to our daughter's home. This year Thanksgiving, too, moves to her house. And, knowing that we will be leaving to go back to Memphis Sunday afternoon is a constant cloud over us. Some of my coworkers are driving in every weekend. I don't know how they do it.

On a brighter note, Maynard, Gumbo, Evil Greenbird (Precious) and Craig-er all look happy to be back in their homes. They've been remarkably adaptive to the cramped situation in the hotel, so it's nice to bring them home for some space on occasion.

Fr. John is putting me to work! Not only am I preaching at all Masses this weekend, but I'm also doing a graveside service on Friday. It's time I got back into the swing of things. Driving in today I was thinking about preaching this weekend and realized that it's been four months since my last homily! I hope I'm not too out of practice.

My Houston son is driving in tonight. He's not due in until after midnight. I need him to help me connect to the internet here at the house. He set up a secure wireless network and I'm not able to connect, so I'm mooching off a neighbor's unsecured wireless to post my blog tonight.

I guess I should back up and read my pre-Thanksgiving blog to remind myself how much I have to be thankful for, and stop these negative feelings that I'm having. Things could be so much worse than they are.

In 21 minutes it'll be Thanksgiving. I hope you all enjoy good health, happiness and the joy of family. Try not to eat too much (yeah, right). May God continue to bless you.

Dean

November 19, 2005

Pre-Thanksgiving Weekend Reflection

It's the Saturday before Thanksgiving and so I'm thinking it is a good time to stop and review the past year and reflect on how God has been active in our lives and what it is we have to be thankful for.

I guess first and foremost I'm thankful for a loving and forgiving God that has showered me with countless blessings throughout my life. First among those blessings is my wonderful wife, who stands by me through thick and thin, and who was a pillar of love and strength to my children growing up while I spent so much time away. I'm thankful for my children, who have grown up to be bright, caring, responsible adults. I'm thankful for the spouses and special friends of my kids, for how they've accepted us as family and for their loving our children. I'm thankful for two (yes, only two) beautiful grandchildren. I'm especially thankful for the fact that my kids like one another and do things together and share time and talent with each other.

I'm thankful for my brother and sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins and their families (and Linda's too), who manage to love and support my family and me, inspite of me! I pray that God will bless them in abundance as He has always done me. I also thank God for parents who raised me and my brother and sisters with love.

I'm thankful for good health, continued employment, and for minimal damage to our property after Hurricane Katrina. I still grieve for those who lost loved ones and homes and possessions. My continued prayer for them is that they find peace and hope in God's love.

I'm greatful for the opportunity to serve God's children as a deacon in the Catholic church. I'm thankful for Fr. John Arnone who is, without a doubt, the best pastor and friend a person could ask for. It is a privilege and honor to be assigned to his parish as deacon. I thank God for His gift to me of the diaconate community in New Orleans, a wonderful group of folks, full of God's love and servants to His people.

I'm thankful for Archbishop James Odongo of Tororo, Uganda, a wise and holy man. I'm thankful for Fr. Deogratias Ekisa, Fr. Godfrey Okello, Fr. Daniel Ochom, Frs. Andrew and Athanasius and all the priests and religious that bring the Word to the people of Tororo.

I thank God for the welcoming warmth of the pastor and parishioners of the Church of the Holy Spirit in Memphis. It is a pleasure to be a part of their community, if only for a short (hopefully) time.

And, I thank God for Mickey and Beverly. I'm sure that they are God's reward to me for accepting his invitation to become a deacon in His Church. I am eternally grateful for their love, inspiration, and fellowship and friendship.

Looking back, I don't know how I've ever had time to be angry or upset or lonely when I can see how greatly blessed my life has been. I look forward to seeing New Orleans rise up out of the ashes and become once again a great city, a better city, with its roots firmly planted in the knowledge and care of a generous and loving God.

I end this litany of thanksgiving with a prayer that through the grace of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we may all learn to live, and to love as He did, being faithful to His (and our) Father in heaven.

I remain yours faithfully in Christ, husband, father, uncle, brother, friend, lover, deacon,

Dean

November 17, 2005

Brother, it's COLD outside!!

31°! It was 31° this morning! It's supposed to be 28° tomorrow morning! What's up with that? I thought I was in the South. The grass was CRUNCHY this morning when I walked the dog. He looked like a little ballerina dog as he tiptoed around, trying to get as little of his paws as possible on the ground.

I don't want to say that we're in the bible belt, but all three local channels are broadcasting the funeral of a Southern Baptist pastor who died recently. I mean, yeah, his church had 29,000 members, but still... This on the heels of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) holy convocation of some 50,000 people this past week!

One week until Thanksgiving! I can't wait. It's been way too long since we've seen everyone. I think the boys are getting used to us being gone, because we used to get phonecalls every couple of days, but lately that has stopped. I hope they don't get too comfortable, because we are planning to return eventually!

Katrina claims have topped $23 Billion (yup, with a "B"). Wow! Wish they'd send some of that my way. Let's hope that we don't get hit with a disaster of such proportion any time in the near future.

Do you watch CSI:NY? I was watching it for a bit last night. The cops were interviewing possible witnesses to a homicide at 3AM. The actors got some of the attitude right, but no New York accents. They really ought to try harder. Part of the charm of NY is the accents of the people. Plus, a good New york accent is very similar to some areas of New Orleans. So, we can be homesick in NY or NO!

Watching the leaves change and going to work with crisp air and frost on the ground brings back memories of growing up in Upstate NY. Raking leaves into huge piles just so we could jump in them, crawl through them and throw handfuls of leaves at one another. What fun we had. Then came winter, and a beautiful white blanket of snow covering the world outside, and sledding, tobogganing, hay rides, popcorn and hot chocolate in front of a fire, snow angels and snowball fights. Good times that living in the South as my kids grew up meant they never got to experience those things. If we get any decent snow in Memphis this year, I hope they'll come up, especially the grandkids.

Of course I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the other memories that go with those listed above: bagging the leaves, shoveling snow, especially after it's been packed down so hard that you have to chip it with the shovel edge to get it up, the pain in ears and fingers and toes as they begin to thaw after going ice skating on the pond, or at the skating rink (which was a tennis court in the summer). And how about the dingy gray snow and slush after the exhaust from all the cars, trucks and buses has settled, and the salt on the roads has melted the snow. Not to mention getting cars stuck, or sliding off the road or into another car.

We wish you all a happy Thanksgiving. Take care and God bless! - Dean

November 14, 2005

Monday, November 14th

Rain. Drizzly, damp rain. And tornado watches. 50% chance of rain today yielded wet streets for the drive in, but dry the rest of the day. Tomorrow is supposed to be 90% chance, with strong thunderstorms. Then the temperature plummets to possibly 31° by Wednesday morning! This could prove to be a very interesting winter.

We've been craving some spicy chicken and biscuits for awhile now, and today we scratched that itch. We found a Popeye's restaurant close to the base and went there for lunch. M-m-m-m, good!! A taste of home. Just what the doctor ordered.

We're having our Thanksgiving lunch tomorrow at work. The group from NOLA chipped in to buy some cajun food from a new local restaurant opened by displaced Boudreaux's. I hope their food lives up to their name. Another taste of home. 2nd dose. I like this doctor!

Linda is sitting on the couch counting quarters. Is that exciting, or what? We never got around to doing laundry this weekend, so tonight we have to do at least one load, hence the counting of quarters. Hey, we could start a band. We could call it Counting Quarters! Or, Two Bits. Or, 4 MakeA Dollar. Or... but, I digress. Are we bored? Counting change is almost entertainment.

The boys may remember how Maynard used to play "rake". Well, now he plays "leash", and he plays it pretty good. It's just like rake, and he leaps into the air and grabs the leash in his mouth and then it's an all out tug-of-war. Then it's back to the room where we both sit and pant. Are we bored?

Actually we're not all that bored. Tonight is Surface, Las Vegas (Nikki Cox, Woo-Woo!!!) and Medium (doo-DOO-doo-doo). And, Gerald is here using the desktop to check his email. And, Big and Rich is coming to a casino here on January 7th. In case you don't know, they're the "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" guys. We saw them at Steel Pony last year.

OK. Enough rambling for one night. Take care. God bless.

November 13, 2005

Sunday, November 13th


Let me tell you, you haven't lived until you've gotten up at 5AM, left the hotel at 6:15 and driven to a parking lot where you boarded a bus with 37 women, two children and you, and drove for 3 1/2 hours to the Tennessee state fairgrounds in Nashville to attend a merchant fair (kind of like a craft fair, but less crafty). The only other guy was the driver. Six hours later you reboard the bus and head back to Memphis, with a stop along the way for dinner at a Cracker Barrel restaurant, returning to the hotel at 10:30PM. Just to make the woman you love happy.

Next comes the Covington Craft Fair. I guess I'll be going to that one, too, if it's still on. It's an annual craft show at the fair grounds in Covington, LA on the North shore of Lake Pontchartrain. It's held the first weekend in December every year, so we kind of go for Linda's birthday. I know she wants to go this year, and our daughter is looking forward to going also.

Our friend Gerald was supposed to go home to NOLA for the wedding of the daughter of a friend. Well around 3AM he loaded up his car with all his belongings, including his computer and dirty laundry and went back to his room to rest for a few minutes. He fell asleep and when he got up he discovered that his car, along with two others had been broken into and everything had been taken, including the laundry! He didn't make it back to NOLA this weekend.

Spoke with Fr. John today. He wanted to know when I'll be back, for good. I had to disappoint him and say we still don't know, although March is the target still. I did promise to do the preaching Thanksgiving weekend before returning back to Memphis. One more reason to want to get back home is the Holy Name of Mary family. Linda and I would like to be there to help them rebuild.

Weather the last couple of days has been really nice again. Lows in upper 50s and the highs in mid to upper 70s. Sunny. The next couple of days predict 40 - 50% chance of rain. Still it's nice weather is anyone is inclined to visit. Hint.. Hint.. Hint. I mean, it's not like we don't have enough rooms for anyone and everyone. We're living in a HOTEL for heaven's sake.

We went to a place called Cozymel's for dinner today. It's a Mexican chain restaurant. Large portions, pretty good menu, but bottom line... the margaritas were Excellente!! If we'd been in NOLA we would most certainly have gotten two more in a go-cup! Here, we had to satisfy ourselves with the one with dinner. Heavy sigh.

That's one thing you may not realize has become such a part of life. The go-cup. Wandering from place to place with whatever beverage of choice in hand. That's definitely not normal here. We had ordered a bottle of wine with dinner at an Olive Garden one day. When we couldn't finish it, we had to ask the waiter what to do with it. He said we could take it with us as long as the restaurant re-corked it and put it into a closed box which they had for such "emergencies". So that's what we did. Not exactly the Big Easy.

As I sign off tonight, I wish you all the best. Take care and God bless!

Dean

November 10, 2005

Thursday, November 10th

Three days off! And in the nick of time, if you ask me!! And I plan to put these three days to good use, let me tell you. Tomorrow I'm gonna sleep as late as Maynard will let me. Then maybe breakfast at Blue Plate Cafe. Probably do some laundry and maybe watch another few episodes of '24' season one. Speaking of, it seems that the person who loaned season one to Linda went out and bought seasons two and three as well, and is just waiting to loan them, too. I can feel my behind getting bigger and bigger by the minute... episode.

Saturday we're going to the Christmas Village in Nashville. It's a fund raising event organized by Pi Beta Phi sorority alumnae to benefit some of their philanthropies. Should be a nice day. We bought tickets through the Navy MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation) to ride to Nashville in a bus (we have to be at Millington Naval Station at the ungodly hour of 7AM. &AM on a SATURDAY MORNING!! Arghhhhhh!!) Anyway, three and a half hours to Nashville, shop til one of us drops (me, most likely) then ride back with a dutch treat dinner stop on the way back. I can't help thinking of Roy Scheider's line in jaws, "You're gonna need a bigger boat!", cause we're gonna need a bigger room.

I got a call from Number 1 Son. He was out at lunch and saw a Houston MC cop on a Valkyrie. Way cool!! I tried to find a picture but the closest I could come is Dallas. So here it is:
Is that not COOL??? What an awesome looking bike!

Cold front has come through again, and the leaves just keep on turning! The colors are getting brighter and more beautiful each day. Autumn is a great time of year. The air smells so good, crisp and clean in the mornings and heavy with the smell of the leaves piling up on the side of the road in the afternoons. Beautiful! Breathtaking, even!

Gotta talk more to the kids. I need an update as to how life in New Orleans is progressing. Co-workers here are starting to get letters about bulldozing their homes, so I guess the cleanup continues. At my workplace in NOLA, it seems that we have contract disputes and health safety issues that have hampered the cleanup of our buildings. Our leaders still talk about returning in March (a phased return), but that date sure seems "iffy" to me considering how far they've gotten so far. I still think June or later is more likely.

It looks like we'll be able to get together with Mick and Bev over the Thanksgiving weekend. Yeah!!!! That'll be great! Also, another deacon couple friends of ours is coming to Tunica (near Memphis) to celebrate a birthday and have asked to get together with us, so we are looking forward to that in December.

And finally, the pastor of Holy Spirit church here called and invited Linda and I to a clergy social on December 9th. It's really thoughtful of him to think of us and we're anxiously waiting for that. It will be really nice to meet with the priests and 4 deacon couples of the parish in a social setting.

It's time to wrap up, so happy Veteran's Day. We wish you joy and happiness and the graces that only God can provide in your lives. Take care and God bless you! - Dean

November 8, 2005

Autumn In Memphis

Boy, it was beautiful going to work today. I had not felt well when I woke up, so I took some headache medicine and stayed in bed an extra hour. When I finally drove in, the sun was shining, the temp was around 70. There's a road that connects the back gate and front gate of the Naval station. Part of the road is through a wooded area and today it was like a yellow, orange and red snowfall as leaves drifted down around me from the trees on either side of the road. It was awesome! I don't realize how much I miss the seasons until I get to experience them again.

Filled up with gas again today. $2.11/gallon. Once again I feel like I got a bargain! I think maybe I should go out and buy a real gas guzzler so as to take advantage of this good fortune.

Number 2 son made it home from Houston. We're always relieved when the kids arrive safe and sound from traveling. Hopefully we'll be the next to make a trip to get together with everyone.

Rumor has it that heads are rolling because the Times-Picayune got hold of a story that the NSIPS program, originally in production at SPAWAR Systems Center New Orleans is planning on remaining in Millington. Apparently there is some congessional interest over this. I wonder how they'd like to know that it appears that the CO of EPMAC, where Linda works, wants to stay here as well, rather than return to New Orleans for the two years they had left before BRAC takes effect!! That's leaving a lot of people in a bind because the CO is showing no empathy whatsoever for those who have lives to rebuild in NOLA. The civilian employees are also being penalized by being forced to take their "use or lose" leave. This means that those displaced must take vacation, like it or not, and while they are in a leave (vacation) status they lose the per diem they are given for being displaced. Excess use or lose can be carried over into the next year if the command disapproves the leave request, which would seem to be the compassionate and caring thing to do.

It's sad to hear how people are just walking away from their homes, leaving them boarded up with their destroyed possessions piled up inside. I can't imagine what it would feel like to have to make such a decision. My heart goes out to all who are faced with such a devastating choice.

Went to Back Yard Burgers again tonight so that we could grab a quick take out and get back in time for NCIS. Linda got the Hawaiin chicken sandwich. After eating she declared that BYB is her new favorite restaurant, so it must have been good!

Wishing everyone God's blessings. - Dean

November 7, 2005

TWIN CITIES UPDATE

Have you ever been down on Bourbon St. and noticed the Hustler Club, one of Larry Flynt's enterprises? Well, it seems that he wants to open a Hustler's version of Hooters here in Memphis, down on Beale St.. His own description as stated on national television is a restaurant with "a little less hooter and a little more beaver". Man, if it weren't for LOW class, that guy wouldn't have any!!

E-X-C-E-L-L-E-N-T!


Just got back from Back Yard Burgers and, as the title says, it was excellent! The burgers looked and tasted as if they had just come off the grill. And to top it all off, they had COBBLER for dessert!! And, not just ANY cobbler, but, BLACKBERRY COBBLER!!! YEAH!!! Ok, so they only had one left and I let my lover-ly bride have it, but the apple was great, too. And ice cream. And now I'm happy. For awhile. Maybe.

Did I tell you that being in Memphis is s-o-o-o much like being in New Orleans, it's almost scary? I mean, we've got Bourbon St., they've got Beale St.. We've got jazz, they've got blues. They've got the King (Elvis), we've got queens coming out of the woodwork. We're millions of dollars in debt, they're millions of dollars in debt. We've got the Hornets, they've got the Grizzlies. The list goes on and on.

With friends like Linda works with, who needs enemies? Last Friday I described our recent addiction to this season's TV fare. So what does L bring home from work? Episode 1 of the TV show '24'. Six dvd's, 20 hours. And if you watch it, you're hooked! So now, along with all the TV that I'm already watching I now have 4 more dvd's of '24' to watch. Yep, four. We watched the first two yesterday. Did you ever get aggravated when you watch a show all season and the cliff hanger at the end leaves you wanting more...NOW?!?!? Well, try a cliff hanger every episode!

Guess what? B'Bee got a new hair cut. It's short and I hear that it's cute. Haven't seen it yet, though. Something else to look forward to at Thanksgiving. As if turkey and G'Pa Smith's sausage dressing isn't enough? Now I think I'm gonna bust if we don't get home soon!

Middle son went to Houston for the weekend. I'm sure they had a good time. I just spoke to him. He was stuck in traffic around Baton Rouge for two hours. I guess those displaced by Katrina are still there in big numbers. And I hear things are no better in New Orleans. The Wal-Mart parking lot on the West bank is filled, completely filled.

NOLA's loss, our gain, at least for now. A new restaurant has opened. Boudreaux's Cajun Restaurant. Apparently they evacuated and have decided to stay in Memphis. I'm looking forward to checking them out soon. A little taste of home would be really nice about now.

OK. Surface is on, sea monsters big and small, so I've got to go. Hard to focus between the PC and the TV. Until next time, take care and God bless! - Dean

November 5, 2005

What's Up With That?


Yesterday I filled up at the base gas station. Gas was $2.19/gal for regular. Tonight as Linda and I were out driving around it struck me. I actually felt like I was getting a DEAL for paying ONLY $2.19! Gas prices have become outrageous in the past year. While claims of Katrina and Rita interfering with the refineries may have some merit, I have to wonder if that is really true when one considers the profits posted by the oil companies during the first quarter of last year. Talk about greed on a global scale!

294% profit?!? 165%? 125%? And poor Conoco-Phillips at only 44%. With profits like that I have to wonder why the prices at the pump have to fluctuate so often and so dramatically unless there is some profit margin control that is really running prices.

OK. It's Sunday afternoon and I'm pretty bored I think. I'm watching Cat Woman on HBO. It's as bad as all the reviews said it was. I wonder if we're getting too much reality these days so we're turning to fantasy for escape. Batman, Spiderman, Cat Woman, DOOM, Aeon Flux. Movies taken from cartoons, comics and video games. I guess too much reality isn't what I mean, but rather reality is that the world has too much war, disaster, pain and suffering and television brings it directly into our living rooms, into our lives. So we escape in whatever way we can, at least for a few hours at a time.

We're starting to make plans for our trip home for Thanksgiving. We're really getting excited about seeing everyone again. I can't wait for it to be home for good once again! As nice as the parish is here at Holy Spirit, we really miss Holy Name of Mary and Fr. John. It'll be great going to Mass there again, too.

Maintaining some semblance of normalcy, Linda went to a craft fair at the church yesterday and got a couple of nice Christmas items. Next Saturday is another fair called Christmas Village, in Nashville which I think we plan to attend. And we will be coming in for the Covington Craft Fair in December if it is still on. When the going gets tough, the tough go SHOPPING!

Take care, and God bless!

Dean

November 4, 2005

Friday, November 4th

We went out for dinner tonight with the group from work. They're turning into a surrogate for our Friday nights out with our daughter and the kids. We went to Corky's for BBQ. Not the one by our hotel, but another one in Germantown. Dinner was very good and the company was nice. Still, I miss those dinners with family.

Our grandson gets an "atta boy"! He saved our cats from being catnapped. Thanks, little Bubba! We love those cats and would really have missed them. Keep up the good work!

Last Wednesday we took our friend Gerald to dinner at Holy Spirit church. It was, as usual, really good. We had country fried steak, I think. I always get it confused with chicken fried steak. I think chicken fried has batter, but country fried doesn't. We also had country fried potatoes, mixed veggies, dinner rolls, and lime and orange sherbet for dessert.

Now on to an evening of Ghost Whisperer (light, but interesting. Doesn't anyone around her think its odd that she's always talking to herself?), Threshold, and Numbers. I've always been a TV junkie for certain shows on what ever nights I wasn't involved with diaconate or school, but here I've found programs I enjoy every night! Can you say "Couch Potato"? Sure, I knew you could! Maybe tomorrow Linda and I will walk to the mall behind us for lunch or dinner again.

Actually, since we have an exercise room here at the hotel, I think I may try watching at least one show each evening while walking on the treadmill. Maybe walk through commercials to begin, then walk through the show between commercials, then walk through the whole show, including commercials. I may as well put my obsession with mindless drivel to good use!

Before signing off, let me wish everyone the best that life has to offer, good friends, family, love, faith, and hope in life eternal. God bless you!

Dean

November 1, 2005

All Saints Day, 2005

Happy Feast of All Saints! I hope All Hallow's Eve was a pleasant experience for you all, especially those with ToT (Trick or Treat) aged kids. I'm looking forward to hearing how it went in Algiers. Ariel, the mermaid princess bride must have been cute! Can hardly wait for pictures of that.

Our Halloween was quiet and nice. Linda had talked to her sister in NY for hours Sunday night, and one of the things they talked about was how we should get out of the room and go walking to get the old endorfins going. So, taking her advice to heart, we decided to go mall walking. We walked from our hotel to the chinese restaurant in the little mall behind us. We had a very nice dinner, with our now customary glasses of plum wine, but didn't get our usual waiter. Still, when dinner was over he came to our table with a fried ice cream dessert, as promised at our last dinner there. It was DELICIOUS!!

The following link is to a pretty good article about life in Algiers today. Makes us really wish we were back home with the kids. Looks like we may be sitting on some prime real estate! Hopefully Algiers will gain a little more recognition that it's had in the past. We've been kind of the red-headed step-cousin of East Bank New Orleans. Perhaps that will change, and for the better if you ask me. Anyway, here's the link:
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-4/113083051713840.xml

Our Houston son started work today! Yeah!! As mentioned before his job is to take stuff Hewlett-Packard makes and break it. They gave him something to work on while he was learning his way around. It took him 2 minutes to break it! I think he's going to enjoy this job.

Our middle son, who works at the Navy Exchange in New Orleans, in loss prevention (security), caught a shoplifter today. Good work!

For all you computer saavy folks out there, the Navy has consolidated its IT under the Navy and Marine Corps Internet (NMCI). This has some benefits, like, I can log onto any NMCI workstation anywhere and get my email, and work on stuff I've saved on network drives, etc. But, it also has some drawbacks. Apparently there was a security problem that has caused the powers that be to decree that all stateside NMCI users will change their login passwords. The change must be witnessed by a "trusted agent" at each command. As it turns out, I am the trusted agent for our command's persons in Millington. All the people are divided alphabetically by first name into one-hour increments. Then, each increment is given a password which, when entered at the appropriate time, forces a password reset. So, my days are being spent going from desk to desk providing the passwords and witnessing password resets. What fun!! Especially when the person is not there, or the password doesn't work, or the new password they choose isn't accepted by the NMCI workstation. I've definitely had some hair pulling moments the last two days, with at least two more to go. Gotta love NMCI.

Did I mention what a pretty dog Maynard is? He really is a good looking boxer. Good choice DeeJ! Now if we could just keep him off the bed when we're at work...

Any reviews yet for "Prime"? Any other movies? Let us know if you've seen anything lately that you'd recommend to others, or would not, for that matter. We could turn this into a movie critic blog and gain national attention with our sharp criticisms and biting satirical reviews. Or not.

Take care everyone. Life is short, the length of it is a mystery, so live and love to the fullest extent possible! God bless you all with continued good health and happiness.

Dean

October 30, 2005

Sunday, October 30th


It's Sunday evening. Been a pretty busy weekend. Yesterday we slept in for a bit, then went to a nice little restaurant called the Blue Plate Cafe. A homey interior and great menu, with breakfast available from opening to closing. Breakfast came with delightfully hot and fluffy biscuits and "sawmill" gravy. It was so good, in fact, that we returned this morning, bringing our friend and co-worker Gerald with us. BTW, that's not me in front, nor is it my wheels, either. Sigh!

Yesterday evening we went to see "The Legend of Zorro". We enjoyed it very much. There was lots of action and humor, and of course Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones (Douglas) were easy on the eyes as well. Still looking forward to seeing "Prime".

This afternoon we went to the Pyramid in downtown Memphis. We went to see the traveling Guggenheim exhibit called The Art of the Motorcycle. It was very interesting and had a lot of interesting motorcycles on display. Today was the last day. From here it goes to Orlando, Florida. I recommend it highly for anyone interested in motorcycles and their history. It was amazing to see what technology was developed as far back as the early 1900's, and how fast motorcycles were able to go back then.

Took Gerald to the Church of the Holy Spirit for Mass at 5PM on Saturday. I think he enjoyed it. Their choir was in attendance, and, as usual they were outstanding. They really enhance the liturgical celebration.

The weather has warmed up again, and the weekend was absolutely beautiful, weatherwise. I hope it holds a few more days. We'd like to go to the zoo next weekend. With the temps in the upper 60's, low 70's, the animals should be peppy, not lethargic, so they'll be more interesting to see.

So, that's the plan so far for next weekend. Until then it's work, work, work. Trying to catch up for the time lost moving everyone and all our equipment from NOLA to Millington. Hopefully we can stay on track and get our system deployed so our return to NOLA (whenever that may be) isn't delayed.

Looking forward to going home for Thanksgiving.

Take care, and God bless!!

Dean

October 28, 2005

Friday, October 28th



TGIF! I thought it would never get here! And not a moment too soon! Another exciting Friday in front of the tube, which isn't so bad because we like the three prime time shows: Ghost Whisperer, Threshold, and NUMB3RS. But, alas, repeat city! Damn those pesky World Series games, especially those that don't get played.

Only two more days until "The Art of the Motorcycle" leaves the Pyramid. It is based on a Guggenheim show. Traces the history of motorcycles and looks pretty interesting. It's going to Orlando next year. We may try to go tomorrow.

"Prime" opens today. Looks like it might be a cute movie (chick flick?). Uma Thurman and Meryl Streep. Streep is a great actress, and Thurman has her moments. It looks like it has possibilities. If anyone goes to see it, let us know what you think of it.

Went to Outback (No Rules, Just Right!!) for dinner with people from work. Is this turning into a Friday night out event? It can't make up for Friday night dinners with our daughter and her family. I really miss those.

My oldest son, the one in Houston, got a job interview today, and has a second one tomorrow. The job sounds fantastic. It would be working for HP, trying to break their new stuff, and putting repaired items through their paces to make sure they were repaired properly. He's really excited and hopes to get the job, so if you would like to offer up a prayer for him it would be appreciated.

We're really going to miss being home for Halloween this year. No one to go trick-or-treating with here in Memphis. I don't think kids are going door to door in our hotel.

The clocks go back an hour this weekend! It's about time. I can never seem to adjust to "springing forward" in April. I'm always looking forward to falling back and gaining that hour back. It reminds me of when I was on the Moose (USS Moosbrugger (DD980)) on the way from Charleston, SC to the Med. Every other day we crossed into a new time zone, so every other day one one watch section got an hour off their watch. Was it my watch section? Not a chance!! So, do you think the guys who got short watches on the way over would get the long watches on the way back? Oh, no. Not while I was onboard. I'm the guy who had the duty the night before we left the States, AND the night we returned. The story of my life!!

Time to call it a night. Take care and God bless!

October 26, 2005

Wednesday, October 26th

Looks like some good TV coming... Xena, (Vampire) Warrior Princess. Lucy Lawless is starring in a made for TV movie about vampire bats. Here's a synopsis from IMDB: "A voracious-insect specialist (Lucy Lawless), now a college professor in search of a simpler life, who gets caught up in the investigation of a student who is found dead with his body completely depleted of blood and realizes that the killers are actually vampire bats that have mutated due to a tainted water supply."

If you ever want to feel truly small and insignificant in the generalscheme of things, try the Astronomy Picture of the Day. The awesomely beautiful pictures of galaxies located millions of light years away will boggle the mind that tries to grasp the size and scope of our universe. At least, it boggles mine. For those interested, the link is http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html.

Temperatures are in the mid-30s in the morning. B-r-r-r-r. I've been living in the South way too long for this. Fortunately we bought some insulated jackets just before the dip in the temps. I hope it's only temporary. It seems a bit early in the year for such cold weather. Thank heavens we didn't evacuate to upstate New York. I heard on the news that they had snow from this cold front.

Speaking of New York, we can never go home without feeling intense pangs of homesickness. Some people don't realize just how beautiful the state really is. Still, whenever we think about the winters, it becomes a nice place to visit, but wouldn't want to live there. Maybe we should have a summer home in NY, and winter home in NOLA.

Memphis. Almost feels like we're still at home in New Orleans. The city is facing a huge budget deficit, the police are being arrested for criminal activity, it ranks at the top of the list in crime. No wonder we're almost comfortable here.

Stress is insidious. We don't necessarily see it, but its effects are starting to show. Short tempers, recurring illnesses, lack of focus are all symptoms that are beginning to show in our family. We need to somehow band together and support one another, even from a distance, and even when (or especially when) we think the others have lost it, or don't deserve our support. We have to remember that the bottom line is, we're family, and families stick together.

Prayer request for today is for our family. May God bless us with faith, hope, and especially love for one another through thick and thin.

You are all in our prayers here in Memphis. We wish the best God can give for you and your families.

Dean