You Have To Make Time

     It's been about 11 months since I posted anything on here, not because I haven't had anything to say but because in all the hustle and bustle I forgot about this blog. I know I'm a horrible person who should be drawn and quartered, but let me explain.  Since the new Sheriff and Warden have taken over my responsibilities have grown.  We are trying to bring the jail into the 21st century, it's a daily battle though. It's like the jail itself is a living breathing entity resisting any change. A real uphill battle all the way, but one we will win! Especially since the Sheriff got us approved to build us a new jail, which we should be in by this time next year!!!!
   
     Second, we are currently buying our first home.  After 2 years of phone calls and negotiating we finally moved into the house we've always wanted.  My oldest daughter graduated, my middle daughter ran away! I don't know I give up trying to figure out the female hormone.   And this past weekend I made a trip back home to Texas, to bury a Brother/Best friend.

     I guess that's what got me thinking about this blog again.  It had been a number of years since I saw my buddy Mitch, I have spoken with him on the phone and we always would finish up with "Man we need to get back together and party again"!  Always one of us would have an excuse as to why we couldn't do it right then, money, work, kids, school, you name it we said it.  Then one day I get a call from an old friend, giving me the dreadful news.  I immediately call the third musketeer in California and pass the dreadful news on the him. Everyone thought he would take it better coming from me since we were all so close.  Well lets just say he didn't take it any better and it sucked on a vast majority of levels having to tell one of my best friends that another of our best friends has passed on!

    So, early Thursday myself and the wife struck out for Texas to go to the memorial service and viewing.
The trip was pretty uneventful until we got just about 10 minutes of our destination. The closer we got the more real it was finally appearing to me, my buddy's gone.....FOREVER!  We make it to our hotel and check in, then set out on the tasks of showering and trying to look presentable after our trip. I called my friends to let them know we made it and are in town, and we decide to go eat supper before we go to the funeral home.  After supper we finally decide to stop putting off the inevitable and go pay our respects to Mitch and his family. We park and as I'm walking up I see many faces from my past the all look at me like they've seen a ghost, and it's me.  Then I get the feeling of it's been 25 plus years since you've set foot in this town and you think these people are just gonna welcome you with open arms?  My wife who is always super-intuitive feels my trepidation and gently squeezes my hand reassuringly, as if to say "I'm with you, you need this and so help me god if one person here so much as looks at you cross I'll rip their face off"!

     With her there and hand in hand we walk in and sign the visitors book and as I'm getting ready to go view the body I freeze!  I can't go up to that casket and look at the vessel my friend was in.  So I turn around and go back outside and find the group we use to hang out with when we were kids.  Hugs go around for all the tears and "oh how I've missed you, what have you been doing"?  All this time in the back of my mind is I have got to go up to that casket and see my friend.  After what seemed like an eternity of standing outside I finally decide to buck up and put on my big boy undies on and go see my friend. After making the decision I think to myself and kinda smile that if Mitch were here now he'd call me a big puss and probably punch me in the arm for crying over him.  I found his mother and hugged her hard enough to make up for the last 25 years away and introduce her to my wife.  Then it's time, I approach the casket and look at the body of my friend.  Then I know he is truly gone, he didn't look like he was asleep, he didn't look like he was peaceful or any of the other garbage people say at funerals.  The body looked hollow and empty, and I got angry not at my friend or his family or even the mortician that prepared the body.  I got angry with me for having waited that long to make the time to go back and see him and the fact that it took a funeral to get me there!

     We exited the funeral home and went back out to our group, and decide that tonight we celebrate Mitch.
so that's exactly what we did, we drank and sang and told stories and remembered not painfully but thankfully.  Thankful to have known him and that he touched our lives.  Thankful that we will always carry those memories with us that we made with him, and knowing that even if we share those memories with others they are still ours and belong to nobody but us!!!  That night we drank too much, sang to loud, partied to the wee hours of the morning and dared anyone to tell us anything about how we did it!  Then we went home for the night, feeling no pain. I'm not referring to the fact we were highly intoxicated, I'm referring to the fact that fellowship and remembrance eased the pain if only for the night.

   The next morning my wife and I get up, very slowly due to the horrible hang overs we both have and prepare for the rest of the day.  We shower dress and check out of the hotel, then go get us something to eat before we go to the service.  As I arrived at the service I see the amount of vehicles in the parking lot and the number of people trying to squeeze into the funeral home, and I realized Mitch didn't just touch our small group deeply.  He had a profound impact of hundreds of people that all showed up to pay their final respects.  As we entered the service it was standing room only everywhere you looked.  The pastor spoke from the heart and brought tears when he spoke of Mitch and the love he had for his friends and family.  At the conclusion of the service I was not only proud to have known Mitch, but also a little jealous of him.  Right now he is sitting up in heaven looking down on us and I know I have one more angel watching out for me.

      I can honestly say that when I go I hope I leave such a good impression and profound impact on all the lives that I have came in contact with.  I don't want anyone wondering how I felt for them or what I'd do for them.  In closing I want to leave you with one of my favorite quotes I think it sums up Mitch's life and how we should try to live ours, "People are often unreasonable and self centered.  Forgive them anyway.  If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives.  Be kind anyway.  If you are honest, people may cheat you.  Be kind anyway.  If you find happiness, people may be jealous.  Be happy anyway.  The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.  Do good anyway.  Give the world the best you have and it ma never be enough.  Give your best anyway.  For you see, in the end, it's between you and God.  It was never between you and them anyway." Mother Teresa.  You see if you do all these things, you will leave that impression that Mitch left. So I guess what I'm trying to say with all of this is make time for the people that have meaning in your life, tomorrow is not a guarantee.  Goodbye Mitchell Harvey West, I love you and will see you again one day. 

    

     

Boy has it been a while!!!

Well here it is almost time to start gearing up for Kilted to Kick Cancer once again. This year I have decided to be more diligent about writing on my blog and posting pictures of me kilted! Last year was kinda tricky for me with all the flack I caught from the powers that be at my job, but come July 1 as they say in retail we will be "under new management" LOL!!! So here goes guys and gals please put out the word and keep stopping by for more words of wisdom from you friendly neighborhood HIL

Boy, am I glad to be back!

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen, I know it's been awhile since y'all heard from me but, I've been busy i swear. First off the shoulder surgery went off without a hitch, and I'm almost 100% thank y'all for your thoughts and prayers. Second I got my job back at the Sheriffs Office, been super busy and loving it. third my brother finally got moved down here so that is another worry off of me. So now that I'm back up and running from a broker screen in my laptop I hope to be able to talk to all 5 of my readers again, LOL until next time, your buddy HIL

I'm really not a complainer!!!

 Ya know anyone who actually reads this blog of mine can tell ya I'm not a complainer. All 5 or so people who have kept up with me knows I have to have my shoulder rebuilt, and they also know I lost my job. They also know that if it wasn't for my beautiful wife, her job, and insurance along with my friends and good Ol' AD coupled with my faith I'd be in real trouble. Here's the thing I don't understand, why does a person pay insurance premiums if before he even has the surgery that he needs(so he can go back to work) he has to pay the doctor in full and no work has been done yet?

 For 2 days now I have been on the phone trying to work out the details of the upcoming surgery on the 28th and not once did anyone mention this to me. Then today my wife gets a phone call saying that we need to pay our part of the surgeons fee in full before the surgery can take place! So after my wife calling the Dr.s office back they have graciously decided that if we give them half the doctor has agreed to perform the surgery. It took her telling these people that I had just lost my job and bringing up the fact that Christmas is just around the corner. While all this was going on I took my wife's advice and prayed fro guidance, about 5 minutes later my brother called ma and asked what was wrong, so I told him and like so many times before he was the voice of reason that I prayed for. Then to top everything off and lady that goes to our church stopped by and dropped off a complete Thanksgiving meal. Now don't get me wrong, I am not going to shove my religion down your throats but I am here to tell you that my God answers prayers.

  So this being the season, I would ask my readers that if you have any instances where your prayers have been answered I would love to hear about them, PLEASE! I am a God fearing man and know if we ask He will provide, so please let's have them!!! Until next time spread the love because we know theres not enough of it out there and keep it between the ditches!!! HIL

The show is over

Well guys and gals, thought I'd drop by and let everyone know yesterday was my last day of service for the Local Sheriff's Department! I was called in and let go because of "budget cuts". After almost a year back and numerous disagreements with the wife about going on nights, I got the letter saying my services were no longer needed. I was mad at first but now I'm just hurt, but never fear after my shoulder surgery at the end of the month I have some leads on a job.
 It does suck that it happened especially right here at Christmas, but never fear ol' HIL has a plan. LOL!
I have filed for my unemployment and have talked to the new Sheriff. He said he would be glad to have me back when he takes office in July. So out with the old and in with the new! Plus AD said if I needed any references or letters of recommendations he would be glad to help out. So my plan for tomorrow is go enjoy a good long round of recoil therapy and relax. We will be ok! The Lord will not put on me more than I can bare and if He brings me to it, He will bring me through it. So until next time spread the love and keep it between the ditches! HIL

It's really 0213

Well people here I sit in my recliner typing a blog to y'all when I should really have my butt in bed, But here's the thing. I work nights, I hate working nights, I'm stuck working nights for the foreseeable future. So with that being said my wife only gets like 2 maybe 3 nights of sleeping next to me a week! She hates it I hate it, but hey what can you do? Tonight is different though I went to see my sleep apnea Dr. today, (Y'all would die he looks and sounds just like the older Indian man in the 40 year old virgin!). And please no hate mail because I used the word Indian, the guy is from India and will tell you himself he scratched his wife's dot off to see what he won. He is fricking hilarious, so again I say no hate mail please.
    So anyway now that we have that said and taken care of, I got a new CPAP today along with all the trimmings. New head gear, new mask, new hose, I mean everything and really want to try it out. Guess what? I AM WIDE AWAKE AND HAVE NO IDEA WHY OR WHAT TO DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I took some pain meds for my shoulder, took a hot shower, heck I even read AmboDrivers latest post, but nooooooo sleep eludes me! It's very frustrating. So I guess I'm gonna go lay down and just turn the thing on and see if it will blow my ears out. LOL see y'all later and remember surgery updates to come and maybe I can even get some cool pics to post from inside my shoulder. See y'all later and do me a favor, keep it between the ditches and spread the love around , Lord knows there ain't enough of it out there...
                                                                                                                   Until next time, HIL

My how time has flown!!!

     I know ladies and germs, it has been awhile since HIL has been behind the keyboard. For that I apologize, to all 4 of my readers lol THANK Y'ALL!!! Just so y'all know it's not like I've just been lazy and said I'll do it later, because I haven't. I have had a few personal issues to work out in my life, and on 11-28-11 I'll be having my rotator cuff, labrum, and an instability issue fixed in my shoulder. I'll be completely down for about 2 weeks and in an immobilizing sling for another 4-6. So now all I have to do is keep up with current events. LOL Well everyone it was good talking to y'all again, but it is 0207 and church starts awful early in the morning. Until next time guys and gals, keep it between the ditches and spread that love around Lord knows there's not enough of it out there. Later HIL