I'll bite on some of this. Watching dad go thru two years of misdiagnosis and finally passing. Autopsy finally determined binsawangers. Mom into nursing home after getting to where she couldn't live on her own. Got tired of being accused of stealing from her as she had to get rid of property to spend Down to keep her benefits that she did have. A brother that was nowhere to be found during all of this. At least my wonderful wife stuck it out with me and helped me thru it all. April is a tough month for me with dad's birthday, deathday, and passing 6 years ago tomorrow for mom. Only time of year I allow myself the luxury of thinking back to happier times before all of this. Also, haven't seen my brother since 1990. Yeah, I've felt I've been in hell allready! Anyhow best wishes to all of you as we all have had our personal hell to experience!
Ray Wylie Hubbard, "A Conversation With The Devil"
G I had a dream last night I was cast into Hell by a jealous God G The Devil walked up and said you don't need no lightning rod C It hardly ever rains down here I can't recall the last storm G You aint gonna need that leather jacket it gets kinda warm D There's one way in there's no way out looks like you're here to stay G The place is a mess, it's overcrowded, more are coming in everyday
I said "Aww man, wait a minute, there's gotta be something wrong I aint a bad guy, I just write these little songs! I always pay my union dues, don't stay in the passing lane," And he said "What about all that whiskey and the cocaine?" I said "Well, yeah, but that's no reason to throw me in Hell, Cause I didn't use the cocaine to get high, I just liked the way it smelled!"
He said 'Come on over here son, let me show you around, Over there's where we put the preachers, I never liked those clowns! They're always blaming me for everything wrong under the sun, It aint harder to do what's right, it's just maybe not as much fun. Then they walk around thinking they're better than me and you, Then they get caught in a motel room doing what they said not to do!
"Now the murderers and the rapists they go in this fiery lake, As well as most of the politicians and the cops on the take, And all the mothers that wait to get to K-Mart to spank their kids, Instead of showing what to do what's right, they just hit 'em for what they did! And all the daddy's who run off and abandon their daughters and sons, Oh, anybody that hurts a child is gonna burn until it's done!"
"Everybody is down here," I said, "who's up in Heaven with God and the Son?" "Oh some saints and mystics and students of metaphysics 101, People who care and share and love and try to do what's right, Beautiful old souls who read little stories to their babies every night. What you wont find up in Heaven are Christian Coalition Right Wing Conservatives, Country program directors and Nashville record executives!"
Now I said "I've made some mistakes, but I'm not as bad as those guys, How can God do to this to me or can't he sympathize?" He said "You're wrong about God being cruel and mean, Oh God is the most loving thing that's never been seen! I said "Hotshot, tell me this- which religion is the truest? He said "They're all about the same, Buddha was not a Christian, but Jesus woulda made a good Buddhist!"
Well I thought about my future, I didn't seem to have much of one, I looked around to leave but there was no place to run. I said "I don't suppose I could go back and try living again, You know like reincarnation, I hear that's the way it's always been!" "I can't answer that," he said, "you're gonna have to wait for that response, But it's not any more unusual to be born twice than it is to be born once!"
Well it looked like I was gonna be stuck here as far as I could tell, I thought I might as well suck up, you know, what the hell. I said "You know that song that Charlie Daniels did, About how you went down to Georgia and played fiddle against that kid?" He said "Yeah, it broke my heart, but you know what are you gonna do?" I said "To tell you the truth, I thought your solo was the better of the two!"
Well, then I woke up, and I was lying in my bed, I went upstairs and kissed my little boy on his sleeping head.
I took this dream as a sign from God, so I thought I'd better pray, I said "Don't ever speak to me directly, and thanks anyway."
Now so much has changed about me besides me just giving up red meat, Some get spiritual cause they see the light, and some cause they feel the heat.
Sagehawk- rest assured you can count on me as friend. What makes this world worth living in is good people we run into, or... simply God's grace.
Life's a Bitch. We get through it with the help of friends. And music! Generally I appreciate all religions, but one disallows MUSIC.
Not a religion, but a contagion. Rumi is rolling in his grave.
Soren Kierkeggard considered hearing the "truest of the senses." Hell to me would be life without music, or hearing my loved ones speak to me.
Dave, I understand how being afflicted with aphasia would SUCK- you're a brilliant mind with a kinda crippled brain. Be assured that your spirit can, will and always will beat the Devil.
Reading History to avoid the pitfalls....only to watch them happen again. After years of screaming blue in the face, I'm quite convinced we ordained in our mass idiocy. Why didn't someone stop Hitler or Lenin....the same Damn reason nobody put a stop to Obama. The circus is run by rogue monkeys. This is my hell.
Hell is driving a Ferrari 288GTO to work when it's 75 and sunny, and the road is something like the Tail of the Dragon. Except that I'm stuck behind a train of motor homes going 15mph and the radio station is stuck on country music and I can't turn it off and I carpool with my mother-in-law who keeps screeching about my driving. And my job is something heart-wrenching, like destroying the engines of cars for the Cash for Clunkers project. Except they're awesome classics like Ford GTs or Buick GNs or Porsche 356s. And then they go to the crusher.
