Reflections From Jerm...

Been a minute since I last wrote. Lot has gone on here in the past few weeks. The biggest thing that has happened is that I finally realized that I am not a robot and can't go for years without taking some time away from work without it starting to take its toll. So I sit at my computer right now knowing that I have a vacation day tomorrow as well as on Tuesday and I can take some time out and just rest up. Its amazing how your body can tell you these things. A few years back my body told me it was time to step back from a previous un-named job by not letting me keep food down. Soon as I left that Job, I was fine. Now my body is telling me that I need to take a break, in the form of fatigue and just an overall feeling of blah-ness.

This probably won't be a one time thing either as I am trying to put together a few trips over the course of the next few months so that I won't continue to overwork myself. Now of course, for any of you that know me, you know that I can't really just take myself away from work completely. SO I will schedule these trips and term them...working vacations, if there is such a thing.

Well thats pretty much it for today folks. The lesson for today is to pace yourself...

Life is Precious...

What an odd past few weeks its been. First Farrah Fawcet, followed by Michael Jackson, Ed McMahon, Steve McNair, Billy Mays and recently Arturo Gotti. There have even been a few more instances of local famous people here in the past few days passing on as well. Kind of makes you wonder how precious life is and how we should do our best to live life to the fullest. You just never know what the following day awaits you I guess.

One of those even hit a bit close to home as Steve McNair was born and raised in Mt. Olive, Mississippi just a few minutes from my place of birth in Hattiesburg, MS. Collins, Mississippi, the town my father's family hails from is even closer to Mt. Olive (as shown in the map below). I have even heard on more than one occasion growing up that we were related somehow, but I have nothing other than proximity to back that claim up.

My heart goes out to those family members and friends of those recently deceased. I know all too well what its like to lose a family member that is very close to you, with my father having past away unexpectedly when I was 17. Its always a harsh lesson to learn about life when something unexpected happens like that, but you have to take comfort in knowing that often times, they are in a better place. I spent the first month or so after his passing asking questions about why this had to happen to myself and my family, and how I would go on without him.

One day it just hit me that my father was not the type that would want me to sit around, mope and mourn about the fact that he wasn't physically there with me. I had to go on and live my life and attempt to be a man that he could be proud of. I'd like to think thus far I have accomplished that, but still have a ways to go before I can put myself in the same category as him.

In short to all of the children that these people have left behind, for what its worth I understand your pain all too well, and encourage you to move ahead and live your life just as you would if they were still on earth with us. They will never be truly gone, as they can live on through you and your memories.

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