Note: I originally posted this on my Facebook account on April 2nd, 2017. However, Facebook is getting rid of their “notes” blog-like ability, so I’ve moved this content to my blog, with some edits for clarity.
You all have been so kind about the two recent notes I’ve published. I’ve been thrashing that story around for years in my head. As my friend Jim tells me, you don’t have to be writing to be writing. I’d love to write some more, as I’ve found it quite enjoyable and satisfying, but, well, not yet. So, I hope you enjoy this journal entry of sorts.
This is a big week for me. Duke University is holding their TechExpo this Friday, and I’m one of the co-chairs. I’m soberly honored to be working in this capacity along with so many bright lights. We have the highest registration recorded yet. The venue will be at capacity if everyone shows up. Event planners, reading this, are nodding sagaciously. I’m looking forward to attending as many sessions as I can, but I suspect I’ll be Nervous Nelly, running the floor, looking for raging fires to extinguish.
On other fronts, I’m the president of my neighborhood’s HOA, and that is been challenging, put mildly. We’ve got a Gordian knot of informality to fix, and we’re doing our best. Yet, let this cup pass, Lord, I beg you.
Finally, we’re helping Alexa find the right college for her. My children fill me with ineffable pride to see who they are and who they continue to become.
My mom Lorraine is stable now. Her health is strong — all of us should be so healthy, at 89. The staff at Chatham Commons have been wonderful. This was my biggest worry. Not that assisting living is a Shangri-La, of course. Mom is still Jack Nicholson’s Randle McMurphy at the Oregon State Mental Hospital, and this continues to be a challenge for her. Kris is visiting with us, and her, of course, as I write this. For mom, seeing her sons is like water for parched lips.
In short, we’re juggling 5, 6, 7 pins in the air. Keep us in your prayers, I promise we’ll do likewise.
As for the title for this post, I’ve always thought this is a fetching tune. Then I read the lyrics. Good stuff. Not bad for a bunch of punks from Brooklyn.
What you think,
that the world owes you?
What’s gonna set you free?