A Pause.....

Today I’d like to give thanks to all of those I have met along the way, the ones that I remember and those whose faces I have forgot.
I’ve lived and traveled in and to many states. While growing up it was New Jersey and Long Island on the east coast to Illinois in the Midwest and back east to Massachusetts.
In the service I traveled the southern training base route of Louisiana, Texas, Georgia with stopovers in between and overseas.
I’ve lived in Key West and Bull Shoals Arkansas.
I’ve shopped in the stores, stayed and ate in the people’s homes, worked various jobs from garbage collector to salesman in an Hardware & Appliance store, from Recreational Therapist to Meat Cutter. I’ve dined in the restaurants and drank in the bars.
I’ve broken hearts and had my own shattered.
I’ve swum in oceans and fished in lakes, canoed down rivers and thumbed the highways and back roads.
And through it all I’ve met a spectrum of fine and not-so-fine folks.
I’d like to say they were all good in their own ways, but as I’ve learned, some people are just plain rotten and have no visible redeeming qualities. So I won’t be mentioning them in my list of all I’d like to thank.
I’d like to thank the following:
From my days in Long Island, George and Jimmy Kummer (You too Suzy), The Bellos, Kincaids, Gottemers, John Hurley could make me laugh, and all of you I can’t recall but I knew and was a friend with, I hope you are well.

From those glorious teenage days in Crystal Lake, Ill, Hello to- The Dewey family: George, John, Alan, Ann, Margaret and Douglas, Jim Corey, Brad Brohmier, Vicki, Pam, Kim, Diana, Sue and Tara, everyone from Friday and Saturday nights at The Back Door, and again anyone I knew as a friend and can’t recall, those were good days.

For all my Monson friends, Louie, Jim, Billy, Kurt, D.O., Ricky & Debbie, Rodney and Edmond, Oaky, to the memories of Sunday night Monty Python Circus at Marty’s and 15 cent drafts, those days will live forever as great times and I will always be grateful for your friendships.

To my friends from the Army, I wish I knew where you all were. Mr. Chris Brewton of Chicago, remember smoking that good weed when we got back to Polk from Christmas leave and then having to line up to go get hair cuts? I laugh every time I remember that day. Did you ever get your feet fixed? How you passed the physical with those two water skies you had for feet is still beyond me. Cono Badallamenti, Bob Applebee, from up at Devens, I still remember drinking Manishevitz at the quarry the night before you got out Bob, the two sergeants in Korea who realized that I was suppose to be back in the states as a medic and not assigned to an infantry battalion on the DMZ.
I hope you all are well.

And to all those who made a lasting impression where ever we met, Jehre Kopp, Fred Schneider, John and Ruth Schneider, Diane and Linda (Lash), Phil Lovetere, Bill Brown,
Mike Oberly, Timmy Dash, Chris Bracken, Barry Crimmins,Ed"9-Toes"Latka, the wonderful ladies of McCarthy’s who pull a fine draft and treat Deb and I as if we were family and especially my family who have dealt with my extreme personality and quirks for years untold especially my wife and best friend Deb who holds me together when my head feels as if it will explode and to my life time best friend and buddy, My brother John (gosh we have fun!).
To all of you, thank you, mine is a better world for knowing you all.

P.S.
And oh yes, to my wonderful girl Hailey Blue, whose memory will stay forever in my heart and my new 'old' dog Mr. Bart who learned quickly how easy my heart opens for a good dog and also to old Sandy our first dog as children.

Now I know what some might be thinking, but no, I'm fine and dandy.
I just wanted to say "Thank-you".