Seven Years Ago...

Although I’ve converted my files so my books are available in both print and e-book editions, I’m concerned about the dangers of e-books.

You see, yesterday I picked up four garbage cans full of fallen branches from our yard and afterwards I took a bath; and while laying in the bathtub reading a murder mystery, I fell asleep.

That got me thinking…

What I wonder is—if you fall asleep in the tub while reading an e-book, will you get electrocuted?

Steve Jobs did not address that possibility when he unveiled his new Ipad reader the other day; and the folks selling Kindles don’t talk about it either. Are they hiding something?

I prefer real books with ink and paper myself, but then, I’m old fashioned.

Besides picking up sticks yesterday, I also worked preparing more of my friend Barbara White’s old diaries for transcription. Her Along The Way series of books is also available at www.bluefishbooks.info. Last year she entrusted me with the 14 spiral-bound notebooks containing her prayer diaries and I’m transcribing and editing them for future publication.

I see one of my rolls as a writer is to preserve old diaries which might otherwise get lost and I’ve devoted a lot of energy to that end.

Here is a scanned page (click to enlarge) from Barbara’s entry for December 19, 2002:

That page caught my attention because it mentions Ginny and me. It got me wondering what my own diary for the same date might say.

So I dug back in the closet to pull down my own diary from seven years ago and here is what I found:

Wednesday, December 18, 2002

A few minutes ago, about 8:30 a.m., my brother David called on his cell phone saying he’s driving up to Shand’s Gainesville for his lung transplant as soon as he arrives. Months ago I agreed that if he survives the operation I will go to Gainesville, take the training and be his caregiver for a week or ten days.

So much for the Christmas plans Gin & I made last night.

We’ll see what happens.

Anytime the phone rings, Ginny and I both say, “Oh goody, there’s somebody with plans for our life”….

However, in spite of all my bitching, on some level I want to be 100% at the disposal of Jesus Christ. And if He has holiday plans for me different from my own, I don’t like it but I intend to follow Him to the best of my ability. I won’t win any points for being a cheerful giver, but I will try to fit into His plans. Damn it.

It would be nice if I could pray like Tomas A’Kempis in Of The Imitation Of Christ for real:

"O Lord, Thou knowest what is best for us, let this or that be done as Thou pleaseth. Give what Thou wilt, and how much Thou wilt, and when Thou wilt. Deal with me as Thou thinkest good, and as best pleaseth Thee, and is most for Thy honor. Set me where Thou wilt, and deal with me in all things just as Thou wilt. I am in Thy hand: turn me round, and turn me back again, as Thou shalt please. Behold, I am Thy servant, prepared for all things; for I desire not to live unto myself, but unto Thee; and O that I could do it worthily and perfectly!

Amen to that, Brother Tom.

Barbara White took me to lunch at Silver Star. She says she feels she has a discerning spirit which indicates that I am in danger of burn out or some kind of health problem. While we were there, Barbara felt that Peggy, the young waitress who has served us for years, was in pain; when she and Peggy talked, it turns out that Peggy has a large tumor which requires an operation scheduled for next month.

While I was out, a library in New England called Eve (our daughter who was home from college camped in our tv room during the holidays) for an hour-long job interview by phone. She feel good about it. She sounded so professional on the phone; I’m very proud of her.

Eve, Ginny and I went grocery shopping at Publix; while they were in the store, I sat out on a bench smoking my pipe. It was the most peaceful experience I’ve had in weeks..

When we got back, there was still no word from or about David. Not knowing whether or not I’ll be here for Christmas, I took a present over to Chris for the new child she and Rex are taking in.

Being mean and cruel I chased Eve out of her room so Ginny and I could watch West Wing tonight. I also asked her to make arrangements to stay with Jennifer this weekend if possible so Ginny and I could have some time together; recently I’ve wondered if our sex life is over altogether.

Thursday, December 19, 2002, Jennifer’s Birthday

Again today I went over my Will of God ms. (Yes, this is the same manuscript I’m still working on here in 2010, I’m a slow writer) It feels good to be nosing around serious work again.

Eve rode downtown with Ginny to go to the credit union so I had a few hours alone in the house.

At 6 a.m. this morning Barbara called Ginny. Yesterday, she, Barbara, felt a premonition of some sort that I am in some kind of undefined danger, physically, mentally, spiritually, or all three and she wanted to talk with Gin about it. I don’t know what to make of this. Gin doesn’t either.

Still no word about what happened or is happening with David. (He survived the transplant and in 2010 is still doing fine).

At her office Christmas party today Ginny won the prize for decorating the best office door. She used the text of the editorial Yes, Virginia, There Is A Santa Clause as a center piece then surrounded it with various pictures of Santa from all sorts of countries and cultures all over the world.

Here’s the selection I offered for her door: