Ale for the Soul

In June of this year, I resigned from my position at Old Grapevine Cigar Shop.  This was in direct disobedience to what I knew was God's Will for this life.  The Holy Spirit kept telling me not to leave, but I still chose to do so.  In the five months since leaving, I had an extremely difficult time finding employment.  What's strange is I have never had this much trouble finding work.  Hmm, I wonder if this was God's way of showing me His Will shall prevail?  Finally, I prayed that if God really wanted me to once again work at the cigar shop, He would need to have the manager contact me.  As soon as I said "Amen", there was a text message from the manager asking if I would fill in during the holiday season.  Wow!  Beginning on the Saturday immediately following Thanksgiving, I have been steadily working at the shop in Grapevine.  During this time, two co-workers were fired thus opening a path for me to continue employment beyond the hol...

Happy Thanksgiving!  Hopefully your holiday was filled with time spent seeing family and friends.  Relationships rekindled and strengthened, blessings recounted, memories made, and so much more.  While the rest of the world moves on to "Black Friday" shopping, my goal is to maintain a spiritual posture of thanksgiving for the many blessings Father God has provided.  The day was spent at the A.A. support group for their Noon meeting and subsequent meal.  As usual, there were quite a few people in attendance and more than enough food to go around.  I even took two containers of food to friends who quite possibly don't have anyone with which to spend the holiday.  Following this time of fellowship, I headed to Greenwood Cemetery in order to contribute to the Find A Grave website.  After a few hours spent working on taking pictures and setting up memorials, I felt fulfilled and satisfied with how the day was spent.  There was another individual o...

About a week ago, I saw a posting on the museum's website stating they would be permanently closing at the end of the year.  Wow, really?!  What came to mind first was that some Trump-deranged, left-wing, liberal lunatic finally got their way in rewriting history by deleting the ugly scars on this nation's heritage.  Of course that is not what really happened.  This particular museum has always been a stalwart in presenting the truth of history by displaying both sides of the conversation.  The good, the bad, and the ugly all belong to the forum of open discussion.  The basis behind the closure posting was strictly for financial reasons; however, there has been a recent turn of events.  On Thursday, I headed out to the Civil War Museum to pay my final respects to such a wonderful icon in American history.  After paying the entrance fee, I had to comment on my feelings about the impending closure.  The young lady behind-the-counter then gave m...

On Saturday, September 30th, I attended the annual Party on the Porch sponsored and hosted by the Amon Carter Museum.  I attended this function about twelve years ago with a friend and his family.  For whatever reason, the festivities fell off my radar till I saw a banner for it a few weeks prior.  Deciding it would be good for me to get out, even if it was alone, I requested a ticket and downloaded it to my phone.  The best part of the shin-dig was it's free of charge!  Yes, you read that correctly.  Both Party on the Porch and the Museum itself are funded by a perpetual trust established upon the death of Amon Carter himself.  (Take that, you other museums who charge an entrance fee!  Because of the lack of admission, I am able to frequent the art gallery as often as I can.)  Free parking for the event was available across the street at the surface lots of the Health Science Center.  (Another plus to showing up for the event.)  Th...

The phrase, "caught slipping", is an old one that simply means a person is left holding the bag or having something pinned on you that was completely out of your control.  A group of friends meet for dinner.  As they leave one-by-one, the last person seated at the table, very unaware of what is going on, is now stuck with the bill.  Or a group of robbers pull a heist.  As the police bust in, everyone makes a dash for it except one person who was caught offguard and doesn't know what to do.  Unsure which way to run, he is easily and quickly apprehended by authorities.  Both of these are examples of getting "caught slipping".  For the previous four months, I feel as if I've been caught not knowing where to go, what to do, or how to respond.  In June, I left a job with Ole Grapevine Cigars & Tobacco Shop thinking I had another gig lined up with JR Cigars.  Literally right before training was scheduled to begin, the company's human resource d...

Many have inquired about the meaning behind the blog's name.  A lot of thought was given to selecting a title for the site.  I wanted a name that brought a soothing and healing aspect to both myself and the many readers who visit.  For me, pouring my thoughts out on "paper" was very cathartic and liberating.  As a result, names such as Balm of Gilead, Spiritual Release, or Ultimate Trascendance were considered.  Alcohol has been known to be used for medicinal purposes.  Red wine is good for the heart.  Whiskey warms the body.  Everclear makes for a great antiseptic or to sterlize surgical instruments.  Thus Ale for the Soul was born.  Even though I was very much a lager drinker, ale had a better tone or ring to it.  Certainly I'm not advocating for inappropriate alcohol consumption as a means of escape from life's struggles, trials, or problems.  As a former alcoholic, yours truly knows that lifestyle doesn't work, or at leas...

In the time I have lived in Fort Worth, I have had no luck in making this place home.  I always think of the wonderful life I had among friends in Houston.  Places to eat, favorite hangouts, a wonderful church home, city parks, museums and theatre plays, and so much more.  Even though it seemed like I was changing places of residence every six months, I still had a couple of places of retreat to use as an oasis.  The first was Molly's Pub, an Irish bar located a block off El Camino Real in Clear Lake.  I could walk in any given time of day, and the outside world, along with its accompaying stresses and worries, would slip away.  Camaraderie, conviviality, laughter, and plain, old-fashioned fun would be the order of the day and easily found inside.  Molly's Pub was my Cheers.  Another place of oasis was found near Baybrook Mall close to the Olive Garden.  There was an undeveloped patch of land with two dead end streets that would fool people i...

A little over one week ago, I gave notice of resignation with the cigar shop where I was employed.  There was nothing wrong with working there, except the usual dysfunction of having to work for a living and in dealing with humanity at-large.  The only novelty of the situation was the fact, as a part-timer, I was working more than the manager.  Yes, you read that correctly!  Yours truly was working roughly thirty-five hours a week while the manager would only clock in for approximately twenty-five hours a week.  (He would get paid for forty, which means he was stealing from the company.)  Knowing this was a sore spot for me and the other staff members.  Nonetheless, I would carry on in the daily discharge of my duties.  At the end of the month, I will begin working-from-home for JR Cigars.  Thankfully the job is full-time, offers benefits, and has a good rate of pay.  Until the start date of June 26th, I am taking a much-needed three-wee...

More than a few years ago, there was a TV series titled Burn Notice .  If I remember correctly, the main character was a former CIA operative whose services The Company no longer needed.  As a result, he was flown to Florida, dropped off in the middle of nowhere, and was wished the best of luck in fending for himself.  That's the way I felt upon exiting incarceration after almost four years of service for the State of Texas.  (The term service being very loosely used, almost humorously.)  I was herded onto a Greyhound bus and taken to Fort Worth.  With $50 in hand and a lot of people wishing me well, I was esentially living out my own version of a burn notice.  The great State of Texas got what they wanted out of me, an innocent man who was used as an example for a tough-on-crime, election-year judge in San Antonio.  Not wanting to dwell in the past and hindering my future by doing so, I quickly set out to make the best of what may lay ahead....

Have you ever had an event take place in your life that was so profound and left such an indelible mark that you now view life through the lens of before and after?  Maybe it was getting married?  "Back when I was still single" or "Now that I'm married" are phrases often heard in this arena of life.  Another scenario is to have tragedy strike.  "I was never the same after my child was murdered!"  By comparison, some events are more difficult to deal with and life-altering than others; however, the basic point has been made: something happened that significantly propelled an individual on another track in life.  For the sake of this blog entry, I will name two life events that radically changed my life's trajectory: a four-year mandatory vacation with the State of Texas and meeting the Lord Jesus Christ.  The catalyst for the latter is the former.  The relationship with the Sovereign Creator and His Son Jesus began at an early age.  It wasn't ...

Fairly recently I noticed a hyperglycemia description on my medical profile with the doctor.  On April 19th, when I see the doctor again, I'll discuss to confirm the diagnosis, among other health issues.  This came as a surprise as not much was talked about the designation before getting listed as a health concern.  In looking up what this means, I wanted to see what the tell-tale signs were and how to address the issue.  Hyperglycemia is when there is high blood sugar due to a lack of effective or failing insulin.  (You may have heard of insulin resistance.)  Among the signs given, I was able to check off in agreement a few of the manifestations: blurred vision, skin infections, frequent trips to the bathroom, and so much more.  Knowledge is power, and a lot of the content was very revealing and now made a lot of sense.  If I was younger, I would probably blow all this off and deal with it at a later age.  Now that I am older, turning 50 in ...

Wow, almost the end of February already?!  Damn, time seems to rush by faster and faster the older I get.  Recently I had another childhood dream die a grotesque and untimely death.  An employment opportunity in my career field popped up, and almost as soon as it came along it vanished right before my eyes.  Working for Kofile Technologies as a preservation and archival clerk would have at least gotten my foot in the door of a career that has been ever so elusive and cunning.  I won't go into the details, but the company dropped the ball and the door of opportunity slammed shut right before my very eyes.  No practical experience was required as there was on-the-job training offered.  In addition, they did not require a degree.  Exactly what I was looking for dashed once again.  Hope deferred makes the heart sick.  (A personal rendition of a Biblical proverb.)  In spite of this heartbreak, I do have quite a bit to remain thankful for...

A new year is upon us, and it's almost February already.  Wow!  So far, 2023 has been a good one as I'm diligently working on my bucket list.  On New Year's Day, I participated in the First Day Hike at Cleburne State Park.  There were two different hikes slated for the day.  Both included hiking to the CCC-built dam, while the longer hike diverged to the trail running along the perimeter of the state park.  (Roughly six miles in length.  My arthritic back sure hurt the following day.)  In addition to the time spent outdoors, I finally took four days off from work in order to visit family for the holidays.  For whatever reason, the job wouldn't allow me to take off.  Out of frustration, I simply stated yours truly would be out-of-town for a few days and the shifts need to be covered.  If this constitues a resignation, so be it.  Surprisingly, I still had a job upon arrival back in Fort Worth.  Guess playing hardball pays of...