The weather right now is raging across several states from Texas to Florida and really affecting Arkansas to North Carolina and Mississippi, Alabama to Florida!!

I know we got members in all those states so I'm hoping all of you are doing OK and no property, home losses or body injuries to any of you or your neighbors for that matter!! It appears if it's not one thing coming at us it's another. God knows best and it's not just us it's all the world for that matter. Earthquakes, mudslides, people in mountain areas having to be rescued while hiking. It's just every day we have to pick and choose when and where we go or travel.

As a stroke survivor myself and paralyzed on one side I really must be careful of where I go lately and make sure I got my cell phone with me. I am concerned most about my old 10 year old vehicle making any trip and getting me back home safely. With that I keep thinking it's time to buy another vehicle but at my age now it would probably out last my driving days I got left and I'm stuck with a new car bill.

So therefore my traveling days on the highways are limited and my wife just told me last night she booked us a flight to Vegas and back home for August. That will be our vacation instead of going to New Orleans to visit her sisters, brothers and friends she has left there. I hope the weather cooperates at that time.

As I said I hope none of you lost your homes but it looked pretty bad to me on the TV news cast last night. We had a bit of large hail in our area but none affected our home or cars so far. Many homes are having their roofs replaced and cars having the dents removed from their vehicles. Many of the car dealerships are having sales while some of their cars are being repaired from the hail dents on them. Every corner or vacant lot there is a dent repair truck set up with big signs offering dent repairs without having to paint.

That being said we all know "if it isn't one thing it's another" and we have no control of what is happening just try to prepare as best we can to protect our belongings!! I suppose the stroke is not the worse thing that can happen to any of us at any time. I say again God knows best!! None of us know when it's our time and for that reason I have really learned to pray and call on the Lord for my strength. I would have to say that is working since I still got my darling wife for over 16 years already. The longest time in four tries I ever been married!!!

That's a big blessing all by itself in my book. Here I am with 54 years of married life and can say I'm finally happy and in love for the remainder of my life life!! I thought it would never happen for me at one point but I really feel this time she was God sent to me!! I met her at the bank she quit for a little while to care for me when I came home from the hospital unable to walk after a five month stay and in a WC at that... She went back got promoted and is still there as a supervisor waiting to be made manager soon as the current manager retires soon!! She loves banking been it a long, long time since high school and all through college in New Orleans before coming to Killeen Texas!!

All I had left from my marriage before her was my motor home and the small car I pulled every where I went.. I gave up the home I had and moved into an apartment when I was still in a partnership for the Bowling Pro Shop we owned at a bowling center!! I opened up my own Bowling Pro Shop in another bowling center in 2000 and bought our home then the stroke came calling in 2004 so I had to sell out. No way I could operate the drilling machines to put holes in the balls I sold for my customers to use. The income was great as many of my customers followed me and I still sold balls to them with all the equipment they needed.

At times I couldn't believe this was happening to me but I was truly being blessed by God... I was already in church she joined then got in the choir and can sing any song as she knows them all from being in church all her life in New Orleans... I can't carry a tune in a paper bag but came up in church too under my mom so perhaps she was praying for me from Heaven!!

Now I'm happy to say we have paid our home off and just got her car I bought two years ago to pay off soon as we are able to do that!!! Through life we all must give God the glory and He doesn't leave us alone if or when we don't it just takes a bit longer it seems to get our blessings from Him... I'm happy to have all of you as my StrokeNet members and friends right here. I hope to meet many of you in the coming months and years as we start to travel again!!!!