Chapter 14 CELEBRATING LIFE, OTHERS, AND MYSELF A Simpler Life Another milestone was upon us, but worthy of its own chapter, as Linda and Michael pulled up alongside Freedom and we rushed out for the welcoming hugs. But quickly came inside to escape the cold wind. Michael looked great in his Texas white cowboy hat, T-shirt and jeans, enhanced by a short haircut and a big grin as he greeted his "Spiritual Mother" in the company of his natural mom. What a moment! And Van captured it on film. Then we all piled into their red SUV and Linda drove us through the night toward their home and acreage (Michael couldn't drive until he got his driver's license; nor could Adam, so Linda and Ken are their drivers). Michael told me that his Parole Officer hadn't gotten beyond the gate, when she visited on Saturday, because she discovered that they are in a different county, so God's timing had been perfect, as always, for our arrival time. We hadn't gotten very far down the farm road before we passed a dead wild pig in the road that they had seen earlier. "Michael, why don't you move that pig out of the road?" Linda urged. "Not me," Michael replied, "it might just be stunned and those wild pigs are dangerous." As we drove on, Michael spoke of war stories he'd heard about supposedly dead animals that came to and caused havoc (on the return trip, we learned that he made the right decision, because the animal was gone). In the meantime, we arrived at the road into their home, but Michael said, "Turn off on the old driveway so we can show them the lights of Pawnee." He got out and opened the gate where the cows were clustered from the cold wind, and Linda pointed out their new calf, as she drove beyond the fence and waited for Michael to close the gate and return. He spoke in awed tones, as he pointed out the smattering of lights across the darkened horizon, "I like to walk up here at night and savor this view." And as the car moved along the rutted road, he said, "It's Paradise, Man. It's Paradise!" I could see the bluebonnets, as the headlights illumined them along the side of the road and he said, "Wait until tomorrow, you'll see fields of them." Obviously his years in prison had given him an appreciation of the simpler things and the value of this quieter life, as he talked about learning to dig a well from Ken's dad, who lived on the neighboring acreage, and finding an Indian arrowhead on some other land. When we arrived at the house, greeted by Blondie, the family dog, and a new one, a beagle that Ken had found, Michael stopped on the porch and showed us the flint arrowhead that he had found, and also a piece of petrified wood, both cherished possessions. In the short time we'd had, between our RV and here, we'd seen many aspects of Michael's true nature: a happy, gentle person who loves nature and simplicity. I was glad that we'd had this time, and I looked forward to more time with him. But, for now, we would join with the rest of the family, and also friends of Linda and Ken who had spent the afternoon. Let the Good Times Roll The inside of this Oakwood mobile home is a symphony of architecture and design that adds a touch of class to the simplicity of country living with tones of blues accenting the basic white background. The home creates a comfortable setting for the unfoldment of their lives, now enhanced with the return of Linda's sons. We felt right at home as we met Barb and Jim, and then I hugged Adam, now tanned and relaxed in his free world setting. And we hugged Ken and spoke to the cat, while Linda handed us plates and pointed us toward the platter of BBQ chicken and dishes of homemade potato salad and baked beans. Real Texas hospitality that tasted real good. Michael sat at the table and chatted, while Linda joined with their friends, until they left. Then Adam sat at the table, too, and we fulfilled a dream that both had written about through the years: sitting around the table talking about good stuff. This was a picture that I asked Linda to capture on film, but the memory and joy would be forever held in my heart, and I knew why we had traveled this distance to celebrate this moment in time. Letters, phone calls and e-mail could not take the place of sitting around the table, in this homey setting, with these good friends. As we chatted, headlights appeared outside and soon JC, Ken's eighteen-year-old son, came inside. We exchanged greetings and Van asked about the baseball game that he had pitched the night before. "The bases were loaded and JC struck out the rest of the batters for that inning, winning the game," Michael proudly announced, and JC grinned. I could see that a healthy family bonding was taking place, and I knew that everything was okay with this family. Now, I could move on with my life, too, feeling a sense of completion. Yes, an era had ended, in my relationship with Michael and Adam, but a new one was beginning with my extended Texas family. An Indian Site Sunday brought forth more joy, as the skies cleared and Linda and Michael again picked us up. In the daylight, we could see the fields of bluebonnets, and when Linda stopped for Michael to open the gate, I got out and we took some pictures. We dropped Linda off, because Michael wanted to take us to some old Indian grounds, which was on private property, and it would be okay for him to drive us there. Referring to his willingness to cooperate with the law, even about driving, Michael said, "I don't want to do anything to jeopardize what I have here; Man, it's everything." Tromping through the mesquite woods and looking for arrowheads reminded Joanie of her childhood at Kah-nee-ta, where I always walked with my eyes to the ground in search of arrowheads or pretty rocks. Of course, that was much more open with only a few juniper trees or sagebrush. Here, we needed to duck to avoid the mesquite branches, which made it seem like we were entering a secret hidden treasure-trove. In truth, we were, because we found flint and petrified wood and charcoal (used for their fires) just laying on the ground. And Michael said there is, no doubt, much more, if one were to excavate. We didn't find any arrowheads, but it was a fascinating place, under the mesquite trees, and one could feel the energies of the ancient tribe who once lived here, near a spring that now formed a tank for feeding cattle. Michael brought our attention to the fact that, although the land around the area was lush and green, for some reason nothing but mesquite trees grew in the section where the tribal activities had taken place, evidenced by the charcoal and flint that had been chipped from the heated rocks. This definitely had been the center of activity. One wondered about the tribe, which eventually wandered off to Oklahoma, leaving only this silent reminder of their local existence. The tranquillity of this peaceful place was broken by the sound of gunshots and Michael feared that someone was trespassing, so we headed back to the SUV and he drove in that direction, past the site of the previous week's digging for a water well that he and Ken's dad had dug. We passed some fuchsia colored flowers, like the one's I hadn't photographed the day before, and Michael stopped so I could take a picture. I later looked in Linda's Texas Wildflowers book and learned that they are a species of mallow flower. I also learned that the delicate white flowers, which also grew here, are a species of poppy, much like thistles, and they have stickers to prove it. As we continued driving, we saw someone heading toward us with two dogs, and realized that it was Adam. He'd gotten left behind and decided that he wanted to see the Indian site, too, so he walked (he doesn't have his driver's license either), hoping to find us. He said that a neighbor had been shooting a rattlesnake, which accounted for the gunshots. We all rode back to the Indian site, while the dogs loped along behind, panting from the heat. And when we got to the tank, Blondie, the White Lab, jumped in and cooled off, while lapping water. The new Beagle chose not to join her, but he refreshed with a drink and lying down. Again, we all traipsed through the woods, this time with the dogs bounding off in all directions, to the Indian site. Adam searched for possible gems, or something of value; a characteristic of Adam that he got from his dad: it's got to have money involved. Maybe they are onto something that I heard in the words of a song, "You can't win the game, if you have a losing hand." Whew! Something to think about. It's for sure that we didn't have a losing hand this day, as we all enjoyed being together, in this sacred place, savoring the warmth of sunshine, friendship and adventure. But, eventually our stomachs told us it was time to head back to the house, and Michael said that Ken was BBQing a brisket. Heading along the driveway, I noticed a huge billow of smoke in the distance, and Michael said, "That's from Ken's BBQ." "It's sure a big fire," I replied, but took his word for it. However, when we arrived, I discovered that he was kidding. Gotta watch Michael's sense of humor. Table Time While the BBQ cooked the meat, Michael and I looked through the Texas Wildflowers book and Adam investigated some of the rocks he'd brought home. Just a great hanging-out kind of day with our extended family. Soon Linda put out another spread of beans and potato salad, this time with BBQ brisket, and we enjoyed another delicious meal. Ken's parents joined us from their neighboring acreage, and the four of them ate at the kitchen table, while Van and I joined Adam and Michael at the "kid's table," which Joanie dubbed the dining room table. Later, Michael disappeared and we discovered that he had gone to bed to sleep off his big dinner. So, I took advantage of the opportunity to handle my e-mail and then show Adam my website, including his webpage. To my amazement, he'd already mastered the computer. Why doesn't this surprise me? And his quick mind was ahead of me, as I worked my way through the sites, asking his opinion of some of the graphics and formats. He patiently stayed with me through it all, but I sensed that his interest was waning, as I said, "The only thing worse than home videos, huh?" He smiled, but he stayed with me. However, I understood that Adam's interests were in other areas, for now. Maybe, in time, after he had fulfilled some of his own ideas, he would be willing to assist with the website projects. On the other hand, Adam likes to diversify, so he might just work it all into his agenda, once he gets settled down and has his own computer. But he is a man with a plan and purpose, which is normal, especially under the circumstances of his needing to pick up the pieces of his life and rebuild. Go Through the Open Door Van and I decided to go into Kenedy for the night and park at Wal-Mart, because we would need to free the school parking lot for the morning arrivals. We had the option of staying at the Catholic church, but that didn't feel quite right, without permission, so we moved on. Our plans had been made with Linda to be at the church at 5:30 the next evening, when she returned from work, and I suggested to Van that we could then ask permission. However, when we returned, we discovered the church doors locked tight and no one around, so we parked anyway and left a note that we were visiting friends and would leave that night, which we did. I always say that when doors close, I move on and go through the open door. It seemed that doors were closing for us, and it was time to move on. With everyone working during the day and the guys not having their driving licenses it felt like an imposition to haul us out to the house, feed us and take us back to Freedom in order for Linda to get home and get enough sleep for her early rising for the next day. And the guys were anxious to get on with their activities, evidenced by their absorption with making a tattoo gun when we arrived. However, I managed to get Michael's attention long enough to take him through a tour of the website and he selected the background for his webpage; a woodsy motif. When we decided to come here, I'd said that I had no expectations, but abundant expectancy, and the visit had been perfect. I'd accomplished what I'd intended: welcoming Michael and Adam home, seeing the family all happily together, and supporting them as needed. Now, it felt time to move on, especially since Noel, Linda's son and their half-brother, would be arriving for the weekend to celebrate his mom's and Adam's birthdays on the weekend. Despite their hospitality and insistence that we remain, it seemed like overkill. Besides this, another door had opened: Dottie and Steve wanted us to visit a New Distributor in Corpus Christi and facilitate a New Distributor's Training for our Networking business. Otherwise, they would have to make the trip themselves, which would be inconvenient and costly at this time. So, it only made sense for us to support the business in this way. Also, I'd sent an e-mail to Snow, asking if she would mind me using the travel logo for just one page, with an orange background to somewhat alter it. Thus not interfering too much with her plans to use it for her new website design. I received her e-mail okay, while at Linda's, so that was another open door. And Joyce had e-mailed that she found her way to the new website and offered to help, as needed. I had to laugh, because she commented that Scott Hamilton's picture was upside down. So I e-mailed back that he was doing a flip; a good illustration for a Paradigm Shift. In any event, doors were opening and we would move forward. Empty Nest Syndrome Driving back through the night to Kenedy Wal-Mart, I felt strange: a sadness and a joy combined; an urge to hold on mingled with the need to release and let go. Writing and ministering to Adam and Michael had been a big part of my life and they had been much of the motivation for my books and courses. I suspected that I was feeling the Empty Nest Syndrome, like when kids go away to college or get married; an emptiness. I knew that they would be even more accessible via e-mail, but now their lives had so many more dimensions and I wasn't sure how much I'd be part of it. Yet, my life was moving forward too. In fact, we all three agreed that a sunset picture of me at the beach would be a good replacement for the other options for my Welcome Page, and their input felt good, removing one of the blocks to moving forward with the website and opening another door. All-in-all, I felt a sense of completion with this part of my life, and ready for the next phase; not exactly a Paradigm Shift, but more of a Reality Shift. |
