Dec. 14, 2002 - 21:13 MST

THE WONDERING JEW

And Touch Someone

Tonight is another mile post for me, the guy who figured a month is about all I could find to write in a diary. This is the 1100th entry. Not to say that I said much that was important -- to anyone but me. I did however find some very fine friends on the web -- in the net -- cyberamically, whatever. Then too I gained a bit of understanding of the differences that exist between folks and that it is okay. My belief is stronger than ever thinking that if it were possible to get rid of, put on a desert island all radical, bigoted people, those who think their way is the only way and will persecute any who don't think that way -- then maybe we could take a deep breath, get settled down and concentrate on living. Dreams, of course, but aren't they beautiful ones ?

This is the time of year that in the exchange of Christmas cards between my relatives and me, and also between old friends and me notes at the bottom or on the side put me back into the world of THEN. I scrawl on cards and with delight read what someone has scrawled on their card to me.

Some thirty or more years ago Heather and I managed a 26 unit apartment complex. There were two couples living there, both younger than Heather and I but with the general outlook on life that we had. We have all been apart for years, but at Christmas our exchange takes us right back to Long Ago. One we got from one of the person's in the group, harked back to that time when we all lived in the same place. She mentioned the Christmas that Heather and I gave each other a car tire for Christmas. Boy did that ever take me back. I was working a full time job in Denver (we were living in a town a few miles out) and trying to do my side of apartment managing. Between the two jobs we were just keeping up and had no leeway. We had one daughter at home so Heather couldn't go out and work. We managed to get her Christmas assured and finally figured out that what we each wanted were good tires to replace two bad tires on our car. It was too iffy to even go to the store on those old baldies. One of the best Christmases that Heather and I ever had up to that point. Even old Betsy was tickled when newly shod.

Naturally that was not the only memory that came back. One of the men was cheating on his wife, they had two kids. She kicked him out and divorced him. Finally moving away, to all intents and purposes lost to all of us. The other couple who had two little boys and once encouraged us to go to their church for a revival. I got lost early on when the revivalist preached on Revelations. I have heard so very many cut and dried sermons on what is going to happen, to who, where, when -- that I truly feel that things will be revealed to us at the proper time and that no man can put the situation in a box and hang it on the wall.

The husband was a truck driver and they moved from town to town but we kept in touch with each other. Their boys grew up, one of them went into the service, we saw the couple now and then when they were in Denver for something and a time or two we dropped into see them. Once when they lived in Aztec, New Mexico on our way back from Santa Fe.

Somehow the lone woman who had married and had more kids ran onto our friends and reestablished communications. A sad thing, the two new children were prey to a disease that is essentially terminal, one has died and the other not doing too well.

Last year Heather, the other two women and I were able to spend the afternoon together, had a nice lunch and caught up on history.

More memories, the guy on the third level who built a fifty gallon fish tank out of single strength window glass, which of course fractured from the weight of the water, took me a long time after that dried out to paint the stains out down to and including the first level. The winter that a heavy snowstorm came in from the west and loaded the balconies on both buildings, which I had to clear before I went to work on my other job. The night that water pipes froze up, calling in the plumber who eventually called in a welder. the welder made a hook up with the piping and by daylight there was water running in the apartmenst again. Then I went in and worked a shift in Denver. Daughter was going to Junior High School and made friends there who still keep in touch with her.

Things weren't always sour, we had some good times there albiet inexpensive. Picnics etc., visiting friends and folks in Denver.

Then today I got a call from my cousin who wanted to know how come his Christmas card came back to him "address non-existent," or some such thing. Finally discovered that he had used the wrong zip code. But some fond memories were exchanged between us as well.

Cardinal Law resigned and the Pope accedpted his resignation. Trent Lott resign his leadership position ? He will nott ! He seems to be attempting to obfuscate his self erected smoke screen and blathering about what he said ain't what he meant. Pretty soon he will fire up that think tank of his and try to tell us that all that was taken out of context, he was only funning.

Some number of years ago our administration broke up AT&T thinking Monopoly. AT&T now essentially is long lines (long distance). They are trying to get into local service but Qwest has been fighting that tooth and nail. Now Qwest is trying to get into the long distance service. The manufacturing arm of AT&T once known as Western Electric went through several name changes and bit by piece sold itself to smaller entities. So now, Qwest wants to go into long distance service and prevent AT&T from going into local business. If that sort of stuff happens, will the government break them apart again ? Who's going to be fair to who, how ?

Kissinger will not chair the 9-11 investigation, he refuses to give the names of the clients he lobbies for (consulting I think he calls it). Maybe we are far better off. Wonder how many countries who are enemies of ours are under his advice wing ?

So, I got the paper in, and read it, talked with friends and relatives too, some I called and some who called me. My thoughts for today, "You never know the possible results when you Reach Out And Touch . . . . . . . . . .

Blog