And we're ready to roll...

Well Ladies and Gentlemen, I've finally had it out with my scanner... a battle long fought and evidently victorious, and I can begin the process of posting images that I have been working on. I can only say that I had not intended for it to take this long, but God in His infinite wisdom has not only provided me with work, but advanced my position already to another department which will provide me the ability to support my Mom, whom I love with all my heart, and this first posting is dedicated to her because in all that this past winter has been (trials and tribulations alike), she never faltered to believe in me, my abilities, but mostly to communicate God's undisputed divine providence in our lives and His ability to make all things work to the good of those who love Him, and are called according to His purposes.

When I was 18, my Dad went home to be with the Lord after an agonizing battle with lymph node cancer, and as the eldest son, it is my honor to provide and support my Mom in his stead. The concept that God made me half of a set of twins for this undisputed purpose astounds me. Even as my twin has been married for a good many years now, and is expecting his first child near the end of the summer, I have never doubted God's calling in my life; and while I've found it to be a roller coaster of my ability to follow His leading, God has always given me complete peace about my purpose, and His Grace has been sufficient for the times where I doubted myself.

This first posting is of Mom and our beloved Tobi, who went home to be with the Lord at the beginning of this month. When we lived in Beach Park, IL., she had let Tobi outside to get his ball before the thunderstorm arrived. Tobi was always scared by the louder claps of thunder, and often times his ball was a source of comfort while this Golden Retriever / Collie mix thought he was a lap dog. She got all her rain gear on and went out to help him find his ball. As I sat upstairs and watched, she found his ball and once he got it, she chased him around and around as he led her, which was his normal method of playing. Eventually the two of them ended up sitting on the patio as she hugged her sopping wet friend who reminded her of why God gave us rain... to play in.