Hello from Oregon

Today is April 16, 2016.  I am writing this from our new home in Gresham, Oregon.  A lot has happened over the past year and many of those events have lead to our current circumstances and living arrangements and conditions.  When I say "our", I mean myself, my wife, and my children.  My adult children.   Who we raised to be responsible adults, or at least know what it means to be responsible adults.  As a responsible adult myself, I take responsibility for my situation.  I will talk more about that later.

But let me state that this past year, these past twelve months, have been hell.  Into each life we see a great many people come and go.  Some friends and acquaintances simply move on to different lives, different experiences.  Some loved ones die, and leave us with our own miseries of broken hearts and tears.  I was not prepared for this year.

First, we lost a beloved brother-in-law.  Larry was a good friend, a good husband and grandfather.  He was a good person who we loved dearly.  It was a pleasure having him in our lives.  His unexpected death last April really hurt.  But God has His own plan.  We cannot know why.  He was too young, only 62.  God must have had His reasons.

And then, in June, I lost my job.  I was not smart enough to really convince my boss that he was not doing things the way the company wanted him to.  I think I really knew what I was doing in becoming an adversary to him.  I did not like working for him.  I hated his arrogance.  The fact that he couldn't communicate very well and we work in a field where that skill is somewhat important, well, perhaps it just really annoyed me.  But anyway, I am lucky to be away from that corporate life.  I hated all the BS politics.  And believe me, there was so much of it.

In October, we lost our dad.  Dad was in failing health but my sisters and I did our very best to take care of his needs.  We cooked him dinners and took him to appointments.  We helped him to be comfortable.  I know it was tough on him since our mom died three years ago.  But we tried to help him through it all.

In November, my brother died.  He had been fighting cancer and was winning but the cancer called in reinforcements and in the end my brother just could not fight it anymore.  My brother was a good man.  Years ago, after my wife and I got married, I hatched a plan to win the lotto and move all of my brothers and sisters into a family complex where we could all live together and be a family again.  That plan never came to fruition and I know now that it never could have.  We all had grown into each of our own separate lives and needed to make our own way in the world.  Truth be told, in adulthood my brother and I were not very close.  But at his funeral, I realized that he had become a much greater adult than I can ever wish to be.  And the truth is, I miss my Mom and Dad and my brother every day.

Such is life.  Every life has its own hardships.  And heartbreaks.  And loves.  And deaths.  Births  and losses.  We are human.  We endure.  This is what we do.  We pick up the pieces.  We trudge on.  We live.

At the middle of November, 2015, my health insurance ran out.  My severance ran out.  My wife and I were out of money and with very little prospects for our future.  Thankfully, during the week of Thanksgiving -- Yes, THANKSgiving week, I interviewed for a full-time permanent job out of state.  An offer was made and I accepted it.  I would start on January 4, 2016.  Hallelujah!!

But then, the fun began.  We had to sell our house and move to Oregon.  My son had saved some money and was ready to move to be closer to his sister.  So, he was ok.

My wife was reluctant to quit her job of 18 years but we just could not stay.  Wanting to be near me, with me, she elected to quit her job and we packed up our belongings and moved to Oregon.  My son and I left San Diego on Christmas Day and we drove to Oregon.  I flew down to SD on December 27th, picked up my wife and drove the same two day trip.  We arrived in Gresham, Oregon on December 28th, moved into our apartment on December 29th and began our new life.

So, there you have it.  Our new adventure in a nutshell.  With all the deaths, and job losses, and picking up the pieces, I have been fighting depression.  I thank God that I have my wife with me.  I would be nothing with out her.  I am so glad that we are on this adventure together.