Beto

I was just reminded of my conversation with a much admired pastor, philosopher and mentor. I was explaining to him that when I turned 35 I really stopped thinking what my age was. Or may I further explain- thinking about my calendar age. I know I have a pancreas but I really am not dwelling upon it.

I know people who have mourned turning 25. I guess it is based on the fact that I was raised by a mother that when she was a child the doctor’s told her parents that she would not live beyond 21. Instead of withering with self pity, she lived a full life of constant smiles, joy, sometimes pain, but a full life. She lived beyond 21.

Brother and follower of the goat cursed Red Sox, remember the words of the honorable Abraham Lincoln, “And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” Happy Birthday.

My wife is quite techy. Actually she enlightened me in the world of computers as newlyweds. I went the way of the Mac because of my field of work which in that era was audio editing. But my wife stayed as a “PC” user. All I can say is that whenever I have acquired a new computer it has been to upgrade and not to replace due to malfunction. On the other hand my computer savvy better half has found herself frustrated by the limitations of Sony and now Dell. I wish her software could be used seamlessly on a Mac.

January 23 will always be memorable. It was a cold and foggy morning and my wife was going to deliver a beautiful baby girl at 8:01 A.M. We just celebrated her 3rd birthday and I can say that I am very thankful. She gave us her menu one week before the event- a cake to be made by her maternal grandmother and Pizza, cheese and pepperoni. Not a bad plan. As the days approached the special event she became more exited, until the morning of. The excitement was not about the gifts, but of the time- the gratitude, the joy-the memorable occasion. As adults it seems that we mourn another year as opposed to be thankful for having lived another year.

As I see my daughter grow and enjoy every day- I am reminded of something the late great Danny Kaye said, “Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can. “

My wife went to our alma mater today to pay a visit and sort of an homage to the loss of Gate Cottage, a beautiful building nestled in the North Georgia mountains. Gate Cottage was literally the gateway to Toccoa Falls, a must see in Stephens county, Georgia and this building burned down two days ago. In 1977 Toccoa Falls College suffered a great tragedy when a flood destroyed much of the campus. This historical building survived the ragin waters. Let me quote a friend of mine that wrote the introducttion to the devotionals Beauty for Ashes,

“Like Richard and Evelyn Forrest, our hearts will search for hope amid the ashes of our broken dreams. And just as He spoke to Richard Forrest, God will say to us, “I will give you beauty from the ashes and a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness so that I might be glorified.” It is our prayer that you will be encouraged through these devotionals taken from the teaching material of Richard and Evelyn Forrest and others.”

Goodbye Gate Cottage, you saw many weddings, baby showers, Sunday brunches, Rotary club meetings, hungry security guards, and a stranded snapping turtle or two.  I know the campus at Toccoa Falls college is a blessed campus and in times like these we remember how blessed we are for what we have and how we need to be better stewards of it.

Below is a picture of the Gate Cottage I remember.

The back and forth battle between Portsmouth and Tottenham has come to an end. It seems that the man who tempted Jermain Defoe to Pompey has used his magic to lure Defoe back to White Hart Lane. Harry Redknapp seems to have a magnet and takes many of his former players along with him. Should we call him the Pied Piper?

Now some of the MLS fans out there can finally be relieved to see that Landon Donovan has retaken the challenge of the German Bundesliga. Donovan will be playing for part-time Californian Jurgen Klinsman at Bayern Munich until March. I hope he does well- especially for all those critical of the lad. Now wher will Jermaine Pennant go to? He did not go to Stoke, rumored at Wigan, incredibly interested by Juande Ramos in Real Madrid and now the latest is AC Milan. Emily Benaammar, writing for the UK Telegraph describes the unexpected interest-

According to the Express, officials from the San Siro have already approached Pennant’s representatives and presented a pre-contract deal.
The 25-year-old is out of contract this summer and as such can now sign for any club outside of England. Milan are not the first elite European club to express an interest in Pennant, who, until last week, had been under the watch of Real Madrid’s new manager Juande Ramos.

I don’t think Dossena will be leaving Anfield as the rising Argentine- Emiliano Insua has been called to serve his country in the mini Copa America. Somebody needs to hide his passport.

Now this leaves us with someone who did not even take his post as Secretary of Commerce under the new administration-New Mexico state governor Bill Richardson. I liked him when he was part of the Saturday Night Live crew and he would be the leader of the SNL Christmas band. Very talented fellow. He needs to go back to music.

Christmas has come and gone. The marathon English Premier league weekend places Liverpool on top of the table for this year and let’s hope to be a good omen. The hosts of the latest premier title display took place in St. James park without Fernando Torres. But later that night a bar altercation involving captain Steven Gerrard tarnished the victory. The Sky Sprots Fanzone always entertaining will show you the comedic reactions during the 5-1 Liverpool victory over Newcastle.

Five years ago we were in the motherland and enjoyed the natural beauties of the Andes mountains. In this picture my wife stands before the emerald crater lake of Quilotoa. On this trip to Quilotoa I was already victim of trying to eat all I could of the delicious foods of my childhood. From ceviche, hornado, fritada, mote, queso de hoja, naranjilla, morcillas, empanadas de morocho, humitas. Actually the list goes on but my stomach could not handle it. The trip up to the crater was beautiful, and upon our return we were well taken care by the staff of the Hotel Sol de Quito and their te de anis.

There is so much more about the trip, but my Mrs. enjoyed this trip and I can say that we celebrated a memorable anniversary in Quito five years ago and this year another one arrived. Another wonderful year, Thanks Beck…I could actually go for an helado de paila.

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“it’s awesome.“       G-ville, GA

“practical” Alpharetta

“No more headaches.” Atlanta