Friday, June 19, 2009

Happy Father's Day

As I prepare to celebrate my 16th Father's Day as a dad and my 19th Father's Day without a dad, I came across this note. I had found this article taped inside one of my dad's bibles when we were going through his belongings shortly after his death in April of 1991. Boy, does that seem like a long time ago?

Here is the article.

BEYOND DEATH
"But we know that we shall see Him" (1 John 3:2)

A sick man turned to his doctor who was leaving the room after paying a visit, and said, "Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side."

Very quietly the doctor said, "I do not know."

"You don't know? You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side!"

The doctor was holding the handle of the door, on the other side of which came sounds of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with eager show of gladness.

Turning to the patient, the doctor, said, "Did you notice that dog? He had never been in this room before. He did not know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door was opened he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing. I know my Master is there, and that is enough. And when the door opens, I shall pass through with no fear, but with gladness."

--Unknown


As I read this note, I realized, the legacy my dad left me was not wealth or possessions, but a solid and everlasting faith in that which is truly important. My prayer is that my legacy to my children is equally as solid and everlasting.

If you still have your dad with you, I hope you can spend some time with him on Sunday. If he's passed from this life, I hope you take time to honor him in some small way by treasuring the legacy he left for you.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Ed's Elder Escort Service - The Final Day

Given the severe storms in the Dallas-Ft.Worth area last night, I wasn't sure I would be able to fly home today.

Slept in this morning. Didn't get up until 9 a.m. Helped Jane get Francie ready and then she and I played Scrabble. She beat me both games.

About 1:00, my nephew, Tony, drove me to the Johnstown airport. At that time, the flight was on schedule to Dulles as was my flight from Dulles to DFW. Our short flight from Johnstown was on time and uneventful. By the time I landed at Dulles, my flight to DFW had already been delayed 30 minutes. We had to wait for the flight in from DFW which had left over an hour late. We finally boarded about an hour late and headed home.

Although the flight was a bit rough early on, the rest of the flight was smooth and we arrived about 8:30, an hour later than the scheduled arrival time.

When I left this afternoon, both Jane and Francie thanked me for taking them to Texas and they said they enjoyed it. That made everything worthwhile.

I think I'll retire from my Elder Escort Service.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Ed's Elderly Escort Service - The Final Day

Arrived Portage, PA 6:55 p.m. 24 hours and 47 minutes in the van and 1,480 miles after we left my home in Texas Monday morning. Jane and Francie are now safely back home. All in all, a good trip.

Today, we left Winchester, KY about 8:45 a.m. after eating breakfast in the lobby of the Hampton Inn. We drove through eastern Kentucky and into West Virginia. We stopped in Charleston where I visited with some folks I used to work with at Verizon. I had not seen them for about three years. It was great to see them again.

We stopped in Frametown, WV for lunch. The restaurant was about a mile off the interstate and it was called Granny's Diner. It was right on the Elk River. We ate outside. The meal was wonderful. I had butterscotch meringue pie. My mother used to bake these pies and I probably had not had one in over 30 years. It was delicious.

We continued through West Virginia hitting off and on rain showers. We made one more stop in Morgantown, about 110 miles from Portage and then continued home. When we arrived it was 64 degrees. A far cry from the 90+ degree weather we were having in Texas.

While the trip had some challenges, it was well worth it. I think both Jane and Francie enjoyed the trip and especially the opportunity to get to Texas. After arriving at my in-laws, one of my nephews, a brother-in-law and a sister-in-law stopped by. We went to a local bar in Portage called Chuggy's. It was a lot of fun catching up with them. Although my nephew is now 21, he was on call for his job and could not drink. I gave him $5 to have a drink on me later this weekend. I've known him for 18+ years and it's hard to believe the little red-headed boy I met on my first trip to Portage to meet my future in-laws in now much taller than me and a wonderful young man.

If the flights go as scheduled tomorrow, I will leave Johnstown, PA tomorrow afternoon, connect through Dulles and be home tomorrow night.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Ed's Elder Escort Service - Part 2 - Day 2

Another day on the road. We left the hotel about 8 a.m. this morning and went to a Waffle House for breakfast. It was about 9:15 when we finally got on the road. We took a different route and wandered through parts of northwestern Mississippi. It is actually quite pretty.

We made it to Whitehouse, TN just north of Nashville for lunch. We ate at a Cracker Barrel. It was what you'd expect at a Cracker Barrel. We continued north into Kentucky. We lost an hour when we crossed back into eastern time zone. Since we got a bit of a late start and with the time change, we didn't make it to the Bourbon Trail until the tours had ended for the day. We'll save the distillery tours for another trip.

We continued through most of Kentucky and stopped at a Hampton Inn in Winchester, KY about 20 miles east of Lexington. We ate at the Cantuckee Diner for dinner. I had a fried bologna sandwich. It was truly a great dining experience. You'd expect Guy Fieri of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives to visit it.

We have 428 miles to Portage. We should be there tomorrow evening. The trip is going well and it is much quicker now that we have the chair for Francie. He doesn't always like using it, but it is a lot easier on him and a lot quicker.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Ed's Elder Escort Service - Part 2

Today we left our home in Texas about 8:45 a.m. We had a nice visit with my mother-in-law and her husband. Our goal was to be in Tunica, MS tonight. I had a free night at Harrah's and the other room was only $40. Since Tunica is only 20 miles south of Memphis, for the cheap hotel rooms, it was worth driving the extra 40 miles.

We made good time throughout the day. We had purchased a transfer wheel chair for Francis. It was much easier and quicker taking him to the rest stops and restaurants in the chair today.

We arrived at Harrah's about 6:15 this evening to find that the hotel and all of the properties had lost commercial power. Harrah's, of course, had full back-up power for the casino, but the hotels were on stand by generators with limited power.

We decided to find someplace to eat. We found a small restaurant called Happy Daze Pizza Cafe. They had much more than pizza on the menu. It had cooled down and Franice wanted to sit outside. The waitress was awesome. She made the meal so enjoyable and everyone got in a better mood after the disappointment at the hotel.

When we returned to the hotel about 8:45, the power was restored. We got into our rooms and I helped Jane get Francie ready for bed. Then, she and I went to the casino for a little while. I turned $20 into $82 and she turned $40 into $38. Not too bad of a night for us.

We will head out in the morning and hope to reach Lexington, Kentucky tomorrow evening.