Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time....

(Editor's Note: If any of my grandkids are reading this, just remember Grandpa did some crazy things when he was a young boy growing up. That doesn't mean you need to do them. Always try to follow what you think is the right thing and not the wrong thing. And, well, if you screw up, let me know about it and I'll try to help you explain it to your parents)



You know, what seemed like a simple solution to a simple problem, well, maybe it wasn't the smartest thing in the world.

I'm talkin' about siphoning gasoline. I'm guessing most guys my age and some girls for that matter have probably siphoned gas at least once or twice in their lives. I mean, if you ran outta gas some place it was a simple process to siphon some gas out of your friends car's gas tank into a paper cup or beer bottle and pour it in your gas tank. Remember?

Now, since the Statute of Limitations for prosecution of doing some stuff like that has expired I guess I can share a story or two.

I'm not gonna name names here, but I'll just use nicknames.

There was only one of us who had a car back in the day. Or let lone a driver's license.

"Burglar Bob", well, he had both....hmmm...maybe or maybe not about that license.

It wasn't unusual to have an empty gas tank on a Friday night when  we would be out runnin' around, so we would head to our "nest egg of gasoline" the school bus barn somewhere over off of Dixie Drive in Dayton, Ohio.
We always had the needed 1 gallon or 5 gallon can and, ugh...I hate to tell you what we, or at least I used when it was my turn to get the gas. It was the rubber hose that came off the end of the enema bag that Mom had in a box up in the bathroom closet. Now, all of you relax. If you know anything about an enema bag you knew fluid only went one way. So not to worry, it didn't have anything else passing thru it. Also, after I gripped it from Mom, I never returned it. And, when I was questioned about its disappearance, I denied everything.

"The Jer" was the best siphoner. It was truly a skill. Again, any of you who have ever siphoned gas, know what it's like to get a mouthful. Even worse when you swallow it. Well, "The Jer" had the knack. He brought the gas right up to his mouth and transferred the hose to the gas can at the last possible second. When you waited till the last moment you always got the best flow.

"The Jer" also had the uncanny skill of being able to take a mouthful of gasoline, light a match, place it in front of his mouth and spit the gasoline through the flame. It was the craziest and coolest thing I think he did....well, at least one of them.

Now, I'm not sure if "Fast Eddie" ever did any siphoning, He was so danged smart, that he probably stayed around the perimeter standing guard or figuring out an excuse if we got busted. I think all of us always felt "Fast Eddie's" ability to think on his feet through a challenge was one of his best traits. And, I guess it paid off in his latter years.

Anyway, after we got the can or cans full, we'd head out for a night of cruisin' and just doin what kids did back then.

If you haven't ever siphoned anything. I might  suggest you try it with water before you go for the real thing. Also, watch out for those fumes, they can be quite addictive as well. Um, that story for another time.

Yep, I guess it seemed like a good idea at the time.

I need a sign....AND I NEED IT NOW!

I'm not demanding, well, on second thought, yes, I am...okay, let's just say I am pleading really, really hard. But I need a sign, God.  And not just one of those rainbow signs. I can make those by letting light reflect in water.

I need the real big thing. I need the "parting of the waters" kind of sign. I need the "raising Lazarus from the dead" kind of sign. I don't need any more flooding of the earth, locust invasions, pestilence, starvation, or disease. I have plenty of that. I need some good signs. And I want them big. I want them huge. I want the kind of signs that literally scare the crap out of people and make them soil their pants.

You woke me up this morning and put these thoughts in my mind. You guide my hand as I type these words. So, this a small sign that you can do it. You can do it all.

I'm at a  point in my life where my Faith should be as strong as ever. But, it's not. Sometimes I can barely hold on. I can handle watching my body age and begin to wear down, but I can't sit here and watch any more suffering. I have very, very sick friends that I need cured NOW.

Children are suffering. Children are dying.The world is in chaos.

Each night as I watch the news, I become filled with hate. Filled with despair. I'm tired of watching what was once a beautiful creation being destroyed by this hate.

So, please. I truly beg of you.Send me a sign. Send all of us a sign. Not a horrid sign but a sign of hope. And please...please watch over my friends and family. Watch over all of us.

Please don't let me fall further away from you.

I know I am here for a reason. I don't know what it is but I am trying. If it's to put these words on paper for others to read, well, ok, here it is. I just need something in return and hopefully, it will be one of the bad-ass things that You know You alone can do.  How about talking to us from the clouds or try one of those talking burning bushes again, that oughta shake some people up.

I love you as always. I'm glad you haven't given up on me like I am sorta giving up on you.

Sincerely,

Tommyboy

The Game of Life...picking the right piece of chocolate

I've never turned down a challenge. It's not that I am super competitive it's just that well...I guess I need to always test myself. I never turn down a piece of chocolate either.

This so-called "game" that we are plunged into from the minute we are born...this "game of life"...well, I just don't like some of the rules. I realize I can't always have it my way, but even still, I guess I am stuck with the hand I was dealt. We all are.

I didn't have a choice in the matter of being born. And, I truly believe it's not my first rodeo and it won't be my last. Each time I come back, it seems like the easier it gets, the harder it gets.

Each day  I witness friends holding onto dear life as they put their bodies through horrible pain, filling their human vessels with poisons in order to remove the other poisons so they can finish the game, and play a few more innings, I struggle with trying to simply understand what we are playing for. A trophy? A permanent place to reside for eternity?. I don't understand.

And then as yesterday came and passed, suddenly, I find out a friend, a long time classmate from 60 years ago, someone who was giving so much to the world, so much to the community, is erased from the surface of the earth in a split second.

I want to be able to push my finger into the piece of chocolate I have chosen out of the box in order to see what I might get. Will it be the dreaded coconut or the delicious caramel. I want to know.

I guess all of this is a wake-up call for me. I need to get things crossed off my list. Add new things to my list and most of all, enjoy the moment. Enjoy the piece of chocolate given me and even if it has a bit of coconut in it...it's still covered with chocolate.