Self Portrait

Above is a picture I snapped of myself last night. It isn't "pretty." I seem to have aged quite a bit over the past few months. (See the picture to the left, that was taken about a year or so ago, for comparison).

This morning Doug, my pastor and friend, took me to the Association Ministerium meeting. It was the first I have attended since last year: the cost of gasoline plus my melancholia has kept me isolated from my clergy peers. It was wonderful to see and talk with old friends; yet, I fear that, just as my family avoids me because I "depress" them, I may not have been my usual jovial self. I did share with one pastor a shorted story of the 1970 tank accident as an explanation for the walking stick that now supports my left leg. My telling of the experience was not as humorous as it was in my blog posts.

Another pastor told me how much he appreciates my UCC on the Net blog. I have not updated it since I was forced from my house. This dial-up connection is so tedious compared to the DSL I have at home!

After the meeting Doug took me by my house to pick up the mail and visit Alex. My friend was in the house this time: it is cold and raining out of doors and I'm glad Alex decided to stay inside. Of course, Alex was out of food and circled around me, leading me to his dining table. I gave him four packets of his favorite wet food and filled up the mixing bowl (that he had pushed off his table) with dry food. Alex ate the entire time I was in the house.

The mail at my house contained a blessing from a fellow blogger, but nothing regarding my applications for SSI, Social Security, or my pension. "Patience," I say to myself. "Patience!"