Ale for the Soul

The week-long vacation has come to an end.  The time away was filled with lots of activity, including time spent with family and friends.  The previous weekend was the first time my siblings and I have met up concurrently since the passing of our father.  Then I was able to spend a week with Mom in Yoakum.  Friday was my 46th birthday, and I celebrated by smoking a cigar at Pipe World in Austin.  That was the last hurrah before making the trek to Fort Worth.  Traffic through Waco was brutal.  Part of the trouble may have been the holiday travellers; however, I believe the primary cause was due to road construction.  Even though I don't care about living in Fort Worth, I was glad to get back to a life of normalcy or routine.  Unfortunately, I need to buckle down on finding employment.  Thankfully, I have two interviews planned for this week.  Maybe something will come about as a result.  Anyway, I hope all my readers had a great holiday season.  A new year is fast approaching, and w

On Friday, December 21, I met my sister at the Ol' South Pancake House in Fort Worth.  She flew in from Hawaii in order to spend a few weeks with friends and family.  After a hearty breakfast, along with a couple of errands, we were on the road headed south to Austin.  In Waco, we made a stop at the Magnolia Market at the Silos.  Of course I know who Chip and Jo Ann Gaines are, but my sister was more enthusiasted about checking this place out than I was.  Nonetheless, I still had fun since it was time spent with family.  After checking out the market, we made a stop for gas and some shopping at Bucee's.  This particular "brand" of gasoline and convenience store is a Texas phenomoneon.  They pride themselves on the cleanest bathrooms, and, so far, I have never been disappointed.  Once in Austin, we treated ourselves to a late lunch at Trudy's on Burnet Road and then shopping at The Salvation Army Store.  By early evening, we finally called it a day by heading to ou

Almost three weeks have transpired since losing my job with Clark's.  Since then, I have been at a loss as to where to look for employment.  In the meantime, I have been enjoying the free time, but I know this must eventually come to an end.  Last week, I was able to spend a day and a half with a very dear friend.  She is still struggling, burdened with the trials and difficulties of life.  My heart is breaking, along with many tears shed, grieving for her.  She is such a dear friend, even though she isn't emotionally capable of reciprocating that friendship.  Many prayers are cast on her behalf as she walks through the valley of the shadow of death.  I'm not alone in interceding for her.  During church, I reach out to my spiritual family in requesting prayer.  As a spiritual brother, I refuse to let the enemy steal, kill, and destroy her life.  Present circumstances impede her spiritual vision, but I trust Almighty God to get her through this.  I believe she will overcome

As the Thanksgiving holiday came to an end, I sadly bade farewell to the week-long vacation enjoyed with family and friends.  Before heading back to Fort Worth, I spent about six hours in Austin.  Once eating lunch and a little bit of shopping were out of the way, I smoked two cigars at Pipe World on Anderson Lane.  Since running out of cigars on Tuesday, the two I smoked were very enjoyable.  In addition, I purchased a new Erik Nording pipe.  The original pipe I purchased about five years ago now has a stress fracture in the bowl.  It's still smokeable, but I've been wanting a new pipe for quite some time.  Eventually, I left Austin at about 3:30 p.m.  Even though I don't care for the present city of my residence, I was comforted by a return to the routine of daily life.  The time away performed wonders for my mental and emotional health.  Too much time had passed since I was last able to get away for a few days.  Now it's back to looking for employment and trying to g

Since leaving the Fort Worth area, I have been busy taking advantage of staying with my mother in Yoakum.  First on the agenda was a day spent in Victoria.  Among other things, and the cherry on the cake, so to speak, was a time of fellowship with my friend James.  We topped off our visit by smoking a cigar on his front porch.  I felt so free and unstressed by my time around the old stomping ground.  The next day, I headed to Palmetto State Park near Gonzales, Texas.  I hadn't been there since Cub Scouts well-over thirty years ago.  It was exactly as I remembered it, only better.  Overall, I only spent a few hours at the park, which included smoking a cigar, but I very much enjoyed the trip down memory lane.  If I could have foreseen how beautiful the weather would have turned out, I would have spent the first few days of my trip camping out under the stars.  Oh well, maybe next time!  Today I spent part of the morning in Cuero, Texas, cemetery-hunting.  In addition, I checked out

On Sunday morning, I packed up the truck in order to hit the road to parts hither and thither.  I really couldn't afford a week-long trip, but I felt compelled to escape exile from Fort Worth for mental health reasons.  In spite of my efforts to make the best out of my time living here, I instantly felt better as soon as the city limit signs were in my rearview mirror.  After making my usual stop at the Czech Bakery in West, I resumed driving in the direction of Cameron.  A friend pastors the Methodist Church, and I wanted to make a surprise visit.  I may have compromised my intentions when I sent a text message to my friend asking if he would be in town.  I still think he was surprised when I showed up.  The church's worship service and subsequent sermon by the pastor were both enjoyable.  After a three-hour delay, including lunch with his family, I was back on the road toward Yoakum.  I did make a few more stops in both Giddings and Schulenburg to check out and photograph a f

Once again, I find myself out of gainful employment.  At a little after Noon, the district manager showed up in order to terminate yours truly.  The reason was bogus, but to refute the charges would have been futile.  To be honest, I was relieved as I no longer had to put up with the panic attacks I would experience prior to working a scheduled shift.  The job was stressing me out with all the petty behavior.  It was obvious the store manager would either control me or push me out.  Unfortunately, I was pushed out.  I have nine more months before my legal obligation ends, and I was hoping to ride that out where I was in spite of the health and emotional costs associated.  The plan of action is to not begin looking for employment till the first of December.  In the meantime, I will enjoy my newfound freedom.  Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and I desire to spend the time with family and friends.  Another aspect of this termination I'm thankful for is the avoidance of experi

At Your name The mountains shake and crumble At Your name The oceans roar and tumble At Your name Angels will bow The earth will rejoice Your people cry out Lord of all the earth We shout Your name, shout Your name Filling up the skies With endless praise, endless praise Yahweh, Yahweh We love to shout Your name, oh Lord At Your name The morning breaks in glory At Your name Creation sings Your story At Your name Angels will bow The earth will rejoice Your people cry out Lord of all the earth We shout Your name, shout Your name Filling up the skies With endless praise, endless praise Yahweh, Yahweh We love to shout Your name, oh Lord There is no one like our God We will praise you, praise you There is no one like our God We will sing, we will sing There is no one like our God We will praise you, praise you There is no one like our God We will sing, we will sing There is no one like our God We will praise you, praise you Jesus you are God We will sing Lord of all the earth

Without skipping a beat, I was back in Texas on Thursday and reported to work on Friday.  There wasn't any rest for the weary.  Vacation is supposed to be a time of rest and relaxation, but it felt as if I had worked the entire time.  As a result, I was both mentally and physically tired from all my travels.  Yesterday (Monday), I had a much-needed day off from any social and contractual obligations.  Of course I had a few chores to take care of and errands to run, but I had the entire day at my leisure.  In the midst of all the running around with laundry, donating blood, and what-not, I did manage to meet my maternal aunt for coffee at a local shop near Texas Christian University.  By the end of the day, I was exhausted all over again.  Thankfully I have another day off to look forward to on Friday.  Other than laundry, I have no plans to ever leave the apartment that day.  Ha ha!  Hopefully I can fully recover from my vacation in the near future.  Until then, I better take care

When my sister dropped me off at the Honolulu airport, I was very anxious to get back.  I wasn't necessarily missing Fort Worth, but I did very much want a return to normalcy and routine.  Both flights ran smoothly and without so much as a bump.  Thankfully, I was able to sleep for most of the way back.  Once I landed in Dallas, it was a mad dash to find the Tex Rail train back to Fort Worth.  Not knowing how often the train was scheduled to run, I didn't want to have to wait in the event I barely missed it.  In spite of my best efforts, I still ended up having to wait about twenty minutes.  As soon as I disembarked in downtown Fort Worth, I caught the Hemphill bus back to the apartment.  Whew!  Not sure if I've ever been happier to return to my personal man-cave.  Of course I had a lot to do in order to catch up from being gone for seven days.  As the day began to wind down to a soft ending, I was able to truly relax by watching TV and smoking both of my pipes.  Vaca

Tomorrow evening is my scheduled flight back to the Dallas/Fort Worth area.  This means my Hawaiian vacation is quickly winding down.  Even though I really couldn't afford the trip out here, I tried to effectively play the part of tourist by taking in as many sights and sounds as I could.  In addition, a special effort was made to visit with the locals: whether walking the beach of Waikiki, at a restaurant, or sitting in the mall while waiting for my sister to finish work for the day.  A few highlights of the trip include: the coffee shops I visited, attending a local A.A. group and subsequent lunch with the members, the worship service of the church my sister attends, walking along Waikiki Beach, the Pearl Harbor Memorial, and so much more.  This minimal activity totally blew my budget and will take me months to recover from the financial drain, more like hemorrhage, but it was well-worth the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit Hawaii.  I think a better time could have b

After a few days in to my vacation, the time away has been good.  The culture here is vastly different from Texas and the rest of the mainland; however, it's a refreshing break from the rat race of life.  Even though the culture shock has jolted me out of the hum-drum, monotonous routine of work and home, I couldn't live out here.  First, it's expensive!  Just in the first four days of the trip, I have already spent several hundred dollars...money I don't really have.  To guard against succumbing to a negative mindset about the trip, I quickly count my blessings at a plane ticket generously paid for by my older sister.  I rarely get to see her, except maybe once a year or every other year.  She has been a great host as we have donned the hats of tourists to enjoy what Hawaii has to offer.  Yesterday we endeavored to see Pearl Harbor.  Neither one of us have ever been out here.  Then we saw a movie and capped off the evening with a steak dinner.  Today (Saturday) w

Last night I arrived in Honolulu at roughly 5:45 p.m. Hawaiian Standard Time, 10:45 p.m. in Texas.  I was exhausted from all the flying.  On the first leg of the trip, I was fortunate enough to have all three seats to myself.  This means I happily sat by the window to gaze at the ground below.  Even though the next flight was more packed than the first, I was blessed to sit by a missionary couple from Uganda.  We fellowshipped for almost the entire duration of the trip.  This time I had the luxury of an aisle seat.  (The boarding pass stated the middle seat, but the wife wanted to sit by her husband.)  After a very long day, my sister picked me up at the airport.  We chatted for a bit on the ride back to her condominium and a quick walk of her dog, Shadrack.  At 7:30 p.m., I finally gave up and went to bed.  Whew, I was tired!  After a very rejuvenating night's sleep, I woke up a new man ready to take on the world.  Kathy, my sister, dropped me off in downtown on her way to w

For a few years, my sister has been asking me to come visit her in Hawaii.  As with most things in life, the issue was either a lack of time or money.  (Mostly a lack of money.)  Even if I had the resources for the costly flight, I sure didn't need to spend it on a luxury item such as this.  Whenever I would shop for plane tickets, the minimum price always seemed to hover around the $7-800 price range.  Somehow, she found tickets through a third-party vendor for $300 plus tax.  What a deal!  Of course it's economy class, but that is more than okay.  It's like getting a basic hotel versus a fancy one...all I'm doing is sleeping there.  In the case of the flight, I not concerned about flying "coach" if it will get me from here to there in one piece.  In spite of having the tickets paid for, I'm still out about a week's worth of work at Clark's.  Plus, I'll have to really watch what I spend as I don't really have the financial reserves to a

My brother and I share a birthday.  Yesterday he turned 32 years old, and I celebrated 13 years of sobriety from alcohol.  I suppose the latter could be viewed more as an anniversary than a birthday; however, cause for celebration is in order.  The longer I stay sober, the less excited I get about this particular milestone.  Maybe it's because sobriety has become such a way of life, I no longer think about it any differently.  As I write this, the realization sinks in I now have less than a year remaining on my legal requirements.  That is definitely reason to get excited, especially about the prospects for the future.  On Sunday, August 25th, I will celebrate sobriety at the Southwest Group's birthday night festivities.  At that time, I will pick up my thirteen-year chip, give a short commentary, and proceed to start on the next year's sobriety.  Thank you, Jesus, for setting me free from alcohol!

During the first few days and weeks of January 2019, I began regularly attending the Southwest Group of Alcoholics Anonymous after a nearly four-year hiatus.  At that time, I met a wonderful young lady who was newly sober amidst some very trying times involving a legal issue.  As time wore on, we gradually became friends getting to know one another rather well.  Even though she was in the midst of dissolving her second marriage, I knew she exemplified the type of woman I could marry.  She added so much to my life through relational blessings.  Most of all, she pointed me to Jesus every day.  As a result, I have a rekindled relationship with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  What's so amazing is this saving relationship is not  for her but because of her.  Unfortunately, in the seven short months we have known each other, the friendship has waned and flat-lined.  Even though this wasn't caused by any lack of diligence on my part, I believe that was the sheer nature of the frie

Two weeks ago I interviewed with Clark's of England, a shoe store in Southlake, for a part-time position.  After a face-to-face interview with the store manager, along with a phone interview with the district manager, I was offered employment contingent upon passing the background check.  In asking for my authorization to run the necessary paperwork, the district manager asked if there was anything he needed to know about.  I promptly responded in the negative.  If the company was incurring the expense of a background check, let the results speak for themselves.  In waiting for the paperwork to process, I sought Almighty God in prayer asking for His favor and mercy in allowing everything to come back clean and clear.  A week later, I was given the green light to begin work.  What a miracle!  So far, I have worked two shifts and am already learning quite a bit.  I am considered a "Team Lead" with management responsibilities.  In fact, both the store and district managers w

A little over one week ago, I gave up the job with Retail Merchandising Solutions, Inc. (RMSI).  The job was exactly that...a job, and a dead-end one at that.  Having had experience with this type of work, I didn't figure there would be much difficulty with the actual performance and discharge of my duties and obligations.  What I didn't factor in to the equation was how bad the back issue would play in to the overall scheme of things.  Many nights I would lie in bed trying to figure out what part of my body hurt worse, my back or knees?  More than anything else, I didn't want to further exacerbate the problem, possibly crippling myself for the sake of pursuing a paycheck.  As a result, I'm now back on the hunt for gainful employment.  This time I will make deliberate effort to find something that is more in line with my innate skills, abilities, and talents.  Thankfully I've already had three interviews this previous week, but they all came to naught due to a past

As long as I've lived here, I had yet to step foot in the Fort Worth Nature Center.  It is located northwest of town, and a quick twenty minute drive from the apartment.  This morning I had a wild hair to check it out.  Had I given it some more thought and planning, I should have loaded up the bicycle and a backpack full of water.  Oh well, maybe next time I will know better.  In the end, I spent about two hours checking out the visitor's center and a few of the trails.  Two of the trails were closed due to flooding, but the remaining trails gave enough exercise to consume most of my time.  The entrance fee is $5, and is well-worth the investment of time, money, and effort.  I will definitely make a return trip in the future.  While there, I spoke with a few of the employees who were out maintaining the grounds.  They were very friendly and offered information concerning the preserve.  No bicycles are allowed on the trails, nor is camping offered; however, don't let this ke

Since Christmas of 2018, any form of traveling has been negated by time, money, and/or inclement weather.  Finally, after almost six months of itching to get out of town, I was finally able to do so last Tuesday.  The company I work for tends to give large blocks of time off for any federally recognized holiday, Memorial Day being one of them.  As a result, I was off and running as soon as I clocked out from work; in fact, I couldn't get out of town fast enough.  Ha ha!  I landed in Yoakum, Texas by almost seven o'clock that evening.  On the following day, Mom and I made a trip to Victoria for some shopping and food.  Our overall visit was short, but we did have some quality time together.  By 10:15 Thursday morning, I was on the road again...this time to San Antonio.  Traveling to this metropolis brought some closure to a life experience I had years ago in 2006, which was the last time I was there.  (Ended up with some legal trouble and a mandatory four-year vacation.)  In add

I raise a hallelujah, in the presence of my enemies I raise a hallelujah, louder than the unbelief I raise a hallelujah, my weapon is a melody I raise a hallelujah, heaven comes to fight for me I'm gonna sing, in the middle of the storm Louder and louder, you're gonna hear my praises roar Up from the ashes, hope will arise Death is defeated, the King is alive! I raise a hallelujah, with everything inside of me I raise a hallelujah, I will watch the darkness flee I raise a hallelujah, in the middle of the mystery I raise a hallelujah, fear you lost your hold on me! I'm gonna sing, in the middle of the storm Louder and louder, you're gonna hear my praises roar Up from the ashes, hope will arise Death is defeated, the King is alive! Sing a little louder (In the presence of my enemies) Sing a little louder (Louder than the unbelief) Sing a little louder (My weapon is a melody) Sing a little louder (Heaven comes to fight for me) Sing a little louder (In the prese

God is my ultimate Provider and the Lover of my soul.  He never ceases to bless my life with rich abundance.  After a week's "vacation" in between jobs, I started a new form of employment last Monday.  It is with Retail Merchandising Solutions, Inc., or R.M.S.I. for short.  A few years ago, I worked for TNG, one of their sister companies.  On occasion I would cross-over to help with the store resets for R.M.S.I.  Now I'm fully employed with the company.  The schedule is Monday through Friday starting at five o'clock in the morning.  The shift is over when the work is accomplished.  This could mean 10 a.m., 1 p.m., or who knows when.  In addition to the great schedule, I am also making $12.75 per hour, much more than the previous few jobs I had been working.  From what I understand, I will become eligible for benefits after thirty days.  I am blessed beyond measure!  The first week was tough, both physically and mentally, as I had to get up to speed on this line of

At about 10:45 a.m., I was summarily fired from my employment with Johnston & Murphy.  Another job lost again.  Regardless of how justified I feel in how I behaved, I'm not completely innocent in what transpired.  There is always the part I play in anything that happens in life...I must take responsibility for my own actions.  The primary frustration was with the offer of full-time status the company presented.  As long as the process took, the perception seemed as if the company was taking their sweet time.  In other words, they were dragging their feet on the issue with no intentions to deliver the goods promised.  Stuff like this shouldn't be that difficult.  Personally, I would rather the powers that be simply tell me to go take a hike instead of playing me for a fool.  Of course there were other factors in play, but that was the linchpin to the whole ordeal.  I was devastated!  This job was one in which I saw a potential career.  Even the manager stated my job performa

Not a day goes by that I don't miss Houston.  In fact, there are often instances in which something will remind me of my former life in that great metropolis.  Below are the top ten things I miss in, around, or about Houston.  Some are restaurants, others are parks, and there are a few items that don't fall neatly in to any category.  Enjoy! 1.)  Molly's Pub (Clear Lake) 2.)  TGIFriday's (Almeda Mall location) 3.)  Salad Express 4.)  Sagemont Church 5.)  Brasil's Coffee House (Montrose) 6.)  Shakespeare in the Park (Miller Outdoor Theater in Hermann Park) 7.)  Personal meditation spot (behind Baybrook Mall) 8.)  Friends 9.)  "Horshack" Park (think Welcome Back, Kotter ) 10.) Diedrich's Coffee

March has been a good month, even though I haven't had much to report.  On the 20th, Spring arrived with all its beauty.  It was a much-needed breath of fresh air.  Winter was another mild one, but I was still happy to have the cold weather behind me.  The D/FW area hasn't experienced any ice or snow since the first few years I lived here; however, Mother Nature liked to keep us guessing with roller coaster temperatures: beautiful mild weather one day to cold, windy ones the next.  Work with Johnston & Murphy continues to progress.  The company is dragging its feet on officially labeling me with full-time status.  In the meantime, the good news is I'm at least working full-time hours.  Hopefully I can get the appropriate paperwork filled out and submitted in order to qualify for insurance and other benefits.  Baseball is also in full bloom after two weeks of Spring Training games.  The pre-season games were good, but not as exciting as the regular season.  Most games ha

Upon losing the job at Paladin Cigars, I was at a loss for how to proceed with looking for work.  I consider myself largely unskilled and lacking in formal education.  In addition, I have a black mark on my record which makes passing a background check a crap-shoot.  With those three strikes against me, I nevertheless had to make some kind of strategy in looking for income.  About the only goal I had was to place three applications a day to some sort of retailer for whom I felt qualified to work.  In the end, I only spent about two weeks out-of-work as I began working for Johnston & Murphy (J&M).  After three interviews in rapid succession, my first day of work was on Sunday, February 10th.  Even though I was elated and extremely thankful for the gainful employment, I was still waiting for the other shoe to drop.  This almost seemed too good to be true.  There was good reason to know I wasn't out of the woods just yet.  The manager wanted me to begin work before the remaini

Located near the intersection of Interstate 45 South and Beltway 8 in Houston, Texas, Sagemont Church has been an oasis of hope to many who live in this part of town.  Upon moving to Houston in November of 1994, I experienced Sagemont Church for the very first time.  Not much time had to pass before realizing this would be my spiritual home.  Even now, decades later and hundreds of miles away, I still consider this church as my place of refuge and rest.  Some of my fondest memories were made here.  As part of the singles group, we would often meet for dinner after the Wednesday evening service.  Another memory is of my friend, Charles McKinney.  I would always sit behind him during the worship service.  Often he would slip me a piece of candy or simply tap me on the leg as a sign of friendship.  The good times weren't always about what I would gain from attending this church.  During a particular season of life I did volunteer in the bookstore.  In addition to this very public role

Thank you very much madam speaker, vice president, members of Congress, the first lady of the United States. And my fellow Americans. We meet tonight at a moment of unlimited potential, as we begin a new Congress, I stand here ready to work with you to achieve historic breakthroughs for all Americans. Millions of our fellow citizens are watching us, gathered in this great chamber, hoping we will govern not as two parties, but as one nation. The agenda I will lay out this evening is not a Republican agenda or Democrat agenda, it is the agenda of the American people. Many of us have campaigned on the same core promises, to defend American jobs and demand fair trade for American workers, to rebuild and revitalize our nation’s infrastructure, to reduce the price of health care and prescription drugs, to create an immigration system that is safe, lawful, modern and secure, and to pursue a foreign policy that puts America’s interests first. There is a new opportunity in American polit