Well, this is my first post in a few days, I have been busy with the sorts of things that everyone deals with, you know, housework, yard work and regular "pay me every two weeks " work. I have also attended the funeral of my cousin Jim, who died while waiting for a liver transplant. We were SO sure that a liver would be available, I couldn't quite grasp what was happening when Steven told me that Jim had died.

It's been a year of ups and downs so far. I went to Paris, my father died, my brother in law died, we went to Las Vegas, we had a big family reunion (Steven's side) and then Jim died. At Jim's funeral, one of the songs that played was Louis Armstrong's "It's a Wonderful World." I am not so sure about that anymore. Don't get me wrong, I'm not falling into a depression or even a small funk, and I feel like I am one of the luckiest people that I know, but I'm not so sure about the state of our world.

I don't want to be a hypocrite, because I DO spend money sometimes in a foolish way, when I know that there are people elsewhere who's lives could be changed dramatically if I gave them the money that I spent on something that I could live without, but on the other hand...I have worked all my life and I think I have the right to treat myself now and then. I'm not really sure what sort of point I am trying to make, it's become an odd world that we live in, that's for sure.
's