JOY & SORROW

I arrived yesterday(7/9) in Montgomery after a blistering ride from South Carolina.  While it was a thrill to be returning to the job I love, I had to make one of the toughest choices in my careeer when I decided to leave my pet behind.  He has been by my side since I got him 11 years ago & I questioned my decision until the temperature started rising.  He is a semi-long haired cat & I know now I made the right choice. I was thoroughly cooked by the time I got here so I know he would have been extremely misereable.  While knowing that I made the right choice, it doesn't take away the pain of not having him here, greeting me when I come thru the door or waking up in the morning.  I'll be happy to return home in 3 weeks so I can pick him up. :)

I tried to make it to the grocery store yesterday but they closed 10 minutes before I got there.  I had to settle for some chicken wings at a pizza place next to the grocery store.  I did make it today so now I am fully restocked with groceries.  I even found a great deal on tilapia filets! They were only a $1 so I grabbed 6 of them. I wish I had a bigger freezer & I would have cleaned them out! :)

Before I left Easley, my Mother came to see me off.  I broke a cardinal rule: Never watch a loved one drive away.  It makes you miss them so much more.

At least I'll see her again in 3 weeks, not 3 months as is usually the norm. :)

We will have two shows here tomorrow evening & then tear down & have a short jump to the next town.  By Friday, I'll be near Philly & get to see a friend again that I met thru the F/V Northwestern forums :)  I look forward to that so Week 1 should go by very quick! 

This past week passed in such a hurry that I was unable to write about the passing of two people that I know.  One had been battling cancer for the past year & for a while she looked like had beaten it but a mere 3 months ago it recurred.  The other was one of my first bosses when I joined up with the Outdoor Amusement Business.  I heard a song yesterday on my drive that made me pause to remember them.  It was Alan Jackson's song, Sissy's Song, & here is the chorus:

She flew up to Heaven on the wings of angels
By the clouds and stars and passed where no one sees
And she walks with Jesus and her loved ones waiting
And I know she's smiling saying
Don't worry 'bout me

I think that is God's way of telling me that they are safely in His care & one day we'll all meet again, never to part ways. 

Thanks to all who read my ramblings :)

Until later, God Bless, see you down the road!