Hogan

I reserved my review till I read the whole story in one setting. I was hooked, horrified, sad, and in awe of the power of love you dished out to us readers. You kept me right there to the end. I shuttered to think you most likely gave many a voice to those who actually have endured man at his worse. I know this had to be a very difficult story to write. Thank You for sharing it. Hogan

Congrats to a well deserving Author.

I bought this bunalow house built in 1915 last year and have been restoring and remodeling non stop. This month I had some new wiring installed in my master bedroom only to find out the house still had 45 % of the original knob and tube wiring system being used. Most of it was hidden under the installation of the attic and some walls. Not only is this type of wiring not up to to code, its down right dangerous. A week later, it had all been replaced by a professional electrician. I can do most things myself but when it comes to electricity I tend to say, "no freakin way." Sticking a fork in a toaster at the age of 6 to get a stuck peice of toast out, kinda makes an impression on ya. One hundred years that wiring performed like it was meant to. It got me thinking how much this old house stayed the same as the world around it changed. World war One had just started. President Woodrow Wilson was in office, and the Germans sunk the Lusitania. Einstein published the Therory of Relativity, and Congress rejects a proposal to give women the right to vote. US Population.................................100,546,000 Avg. Income...................................$1,076/year New Home (Median Price)........................$ 3,200 New Car (Avg. Cost).................................$ 642 Milk (Qt).....................................................9¢ Bread (Loaf)................................................6¢ Eggs..................................................34¢/doz. Steak (lb)..................................................24¢ Stamp.........................................................2¢ Gasoline 20 cents per gallon

Sorry for your loss, I know the grief of loosing a person I loved who went missing and 25 years later still hasnt been found. The grief and anger of not knowing what happened and why know one could do anything about it was consuming. The best advise I can give you is to find a friend, one of those that has known you a lifetime. Ask them to let you vent that anger out onto them. A really great friend can take it and you need to release it. Free it from your soul so you can grieve for your brother. May God bless and hold you in his arms..

We actually have one planned for this up coming weekend.

I went to lunch recently with a old school friend I hadn't seen in years. Same old story, lost touch over years, went to a High School Reunion, reacquainted ourselfs, and planned a lunch date to catch up, that got post poned like 10 times. A year later we finally get our busy schedules in line and met for a very good lunch. I told him that I had something to tell him. "He said sure what is it." " Well, I have schizophrenia! Been sick for the past 15 years, but doing well these days." I got the look....by now I know the look. Most are usually running scenarios in their head while your saying this, like you should be in a bell tower somewhere picking off people with a rifle. Or in a robe slobbering all over yourself talking in code, or wearing a tin foil hat so the government cant steal your thoughts. Others are scanning the table to check to see if all the knives and forks are accounted for. I gave him the whole run down how it started, how it took 5 years to get stable and how my life is doing now... good I might add. He did rather well I thought, and only had a few questions. The the next thing, he says, "Well I got something I'd like to tell you." He totally trumps my little disease with his..."I'm HIV+, and have been since 1991." Now I had the look of holy crabcakes, and he had the look of is he going to freak out or be cool with it. It was kinda like in wrestling when you think you have someone in a full nelson and your yelling at them to submit, cause there's no way in hell they are going to get out of this, then BAM, the next thing you know, your on your face with your arm pinned back, and your loosing the match. Holy Cow..he let me go on and on about my crybaby crap and he has this bomb. I think I handled it well and we talked for a long time. I don't think he had ever met anyone with schizophrenia, and I have never had any one tell me they had HIV. Its a small town...so it was kinda surreal to say the least. We both have diseases with lots of stigma associated with them. I texted him later to let him know we would keep in touch, and we needed to schedule another lunch or dinner very soon.. He agreed. Sorry, its something personal, but I didn't have anyone else I could to share this with.