PFC Alex Knapp

We just dropped off breakfast at the VFW Settler’s post for the group of men cooking for Alex’s fundraiser today. Newspapers, TV stations, and radio stations are helping to promote the pasta dinner fund raiser that runs from 1 to 7 today. Its at the VFW on Wilson between 24 and 25 mile off Van Dyke in Shelby Township.

One of the soldiers who was thrown from Alex’s vehicle when the IED exploded will be attending today, as well. His family had just moved to the area.

The Veterans of Modern War will be there, as well.

We won’t. Planning didn’t work in our favor, and although we want to be there and help out in the worst way, our middle child is graduating from college today in Grand Rapids and we are preparing to leave for the day. Amanda has gotten her degree in Socialogy with a minor in Non-profit business. She’ll be doing an intership for a single-parent daycare this summer, and planning a 6 month service in the fall for an orphanage in Tanzania.

I’m so proud of her.

But back to Alex. If you live in the Detroit area, please drop by. If you don’t, please pray for a great turn-out and generous patrons. The Knapp family is the best. They deserve an outpouring from their friends and the community that they have served so generously over the years... and the country that Alex sacrificed so much for.

T

Use your VISA or the Flowers Will Die...

The Garden shop is working in synchronized manner with the gardeners in pastel raincoats, aiming their watering hoses in crystal arches. The cafeteria line is in such a groove that the jello is dancing the 2 step, and then some thoughtless dill-weed, dressed like a preppy (or a dumpy “out-of-it” older woman) comes in and wants to pay for his food or flowers with (ahem) cash, or even worse... a check.

The flowers die, the milk spills, the music slows to a stop. People look annoyingly at dill-weed. People stare at the frumpy woman writing her check. The cashier looks at them like, “hey, what can I do, its just the way things are...”. They finish paying while the next people tap their fingers on the counter, impatiently. He grabs his ham sandwich. She grabs her flowers. And the music starts up, and the world goes back to.... normal.

NORMAL?!?

Am I the only one who feels an itching on my forehead and the back of my hand when I see these commercials?

Alex Knapp Fundraiser

Alex is doing much better! Thanks everyone for your prayers and
contacts out on the caringbridge.com site. It means so much to Alex
and the family. He was able to read through the guestbook yesterday
and the out-pouring of support brought him and the family to tears.

On April 26th, friends of the family are coming together to raise
funds for the family. If you live in the Detroit area there's going
to be a dinner/fundraiser with raffles and food. Located at the VFW
on Van Dyke between 24 and 25 mile road on Wilson Street, the event
will start at 1PM and run to 7 PM. Stop in during the day, for great
food, great prizes, and a chance to help a warrior and his family.
Suggested donation for entry is $10 or a $40 family max.

If you'd like to make a cash donation, or have something you'd like to
donate for the raffle, please reply to this blog and I'll put you
contact with the right folks.

I Can Surrender All By Myself!

I was recently asked to lead a small group for a church-wide campaign. Excited by the group of people who asked me to lead, I agreed and then went in to pick up a copy of the curriculum.

Crud! It was on surrender. God is a comedian. He had to be ROFL.

I’m pretty good on my own. Far from perfect, and always flawed beyond my expectations, I, nonetheless think I can make it on my talent and skill alone (because, of course, I think I have enough to accomplish the task)

I find its easy to surrender many things to God. Mostly, the things I suck at. Other things, the things I’m pretty good at... not so much.

As a songwriter, I should know by now. Artists don’t cut pretty good songs. (unless of course they write their own stuff.)

Extreme Home Makeover Gets Makeover

Good friends of ours are having a hard time. Our son played with their son on the high school soccer team. We’ve known their son since grade school, but became good friends with his parents when our sons began playing club soccer a few years ago.

In the middle of his college career, their older son enlisted last year, went through bootcamp and shipped off to Afghanistan. Last fall, the father was diagnosed with colon cancer and just finished his second round of Chemo. He’s been having a hard time, but the treatments were coming to an end and their son was due to come home on leave last week.

Through it all, the wife of this family remained the most giving person, cooking food for parties she couldn’t even attend due to her husband’s illness. Never one to ask for help, she works in the mortgage industry (in the Detroit market... need I say more?) and he’s been missing a lot of work, due to his treatments. Everyone’s suffering financially, these days, but they are getting hit inordinately hard.

My wife and I are part of a small group and we decided to do something nice for them. They were planning on being out of town over the Easter week, so we were planning to sneak into their house (with the help of relatives) and do some home improvement / spring clean-up while they were gone. Things were coming together quite nicely.

Two days before his leave, their son, Alex, was driving an armored vehicle outside of Bagdad (yes, I know.. IRAQ?) when he drove over (or past) and IED that exploded. The soldier next to him lost both legs. A kid in the back seat, lost a leg, couple toes, and can’t use one arm. One soldier in back walked away unscathed. Alex’s legs were badly damaged, and it became apparent if he kept them he’d be in a wheel chair for the rest of his life. Yesterday afternoon the amputated both legs beneath the knee, and because of extensive damage to the back of his thighs, (which were life-threatening enough by themselves to kill him) they may need to take more.

His parents are living outside of DC in a Marriot Courtyard, and events are unfolding as I type. Alex is in Walter Reed and will be there for quite awhile. Alex’s father is not doing well. After coming off his last Chemo treatment, he’s weak, susceptable to infection, and can’t even go in with his son, being both in danger and dangerous to his son at the same time.

Needless to say, we’re not thinking about doing home improvement any longer, although Extreme Home Makeover might be an option.. (I’ll get the video camera)

Perhaps its stories like these that are written in blood that make us stronger. Make us appreciate the blessings of life.

They make us examine and question our values, our priorites, our government. They make me look up to God and say.. “Why?!?”

But the answers can wait. Right now... we.. those who know and love Alex and his parents, or empathize with their plight, need to act.

More later...

Sex, Lies, and Advertising Irony

I was driving home last night, listening to a major new network on Satellite radio.

The subject was Elliot Spitzer and his resignation as the Governor of New York for his alleged, long-term involvement with a “high-price” prostitution ring. (I was so relieved to hear he wasn’t involved with a “bargain-basement” prostitution ring.) They

 had “experts” on and former sex addicts talking about the addiction. In addition, there were commentators who were skeptical of the governors comments about seeking help for himself. Another case of going to Rehab to make everything alright?

80,000 dollars for prostitutes. Wire transfer misconduct. It was clear the stations had a hot topic for the rest of the day. Clearly we had a public official who was obsessed with Sex!

Then, it broke for commercial.

What followed was no less than 3 minutes of cheap-grade commercials featuring discreetly mailed brown-paper-wrapped catalogs of “intimate play-things” for couples and sexual play, offering “The things you want, or at least want to know about.” After that, a string of male enhancement creams, and testimonials from those who “never perform” without using it first. After that, a service that allows you to try out all of the BIG 3 E.D. medications on one website... so you can compare.. “Aren’t you curious which one works the best?”.

Now.. lets get back to the public official who’s obsessed with Sex.

Chi-kopa-chi-kopita-kopita-kopita-kop!

Those who know me know that I have this one practical hobby / eccentricity / quirk. More the latter than the formers. Its a habit thats sorta loud, occasionally irritating, and although dependable, not always posh. I drive a diesel. More specifically I drive old mercedes diesels that I buy cheap and squeeze every last life and breath out of them. I love it. Does my wife love it.. well.. not so much.

I’ve always said that its a practical hobby. I get great fuel mileage. I buy my cars pretty reasonable and sell them after years and tens of thousands of miles for not much less than I buy them.

Lately, though, buying diesel fuel has not been so practical. For some reason, although its the most basic of fuels and take way less to process than gasoline, it’s selling for much more than gasoline. What is up with that? (It seems to me that a rogue oil company could capture the market if they just process and supply diesel at a decent price..) oh... ok... that’s not where I wanted to go with this blog...

Expectations. That’s what I wanted to write about. Actually, not expectations themselves but rather the way they can change so quickly. How we can suddenly acclimate to whole other levels in such a short time.

I was driving home yesterday when I saw a diesel station selling it for $3.64 / Gallon. For those outside the US you may be saying, WOW! Cheap!”. Not me. I’m saying wait! NO WAY! I paid $2.89/G for my last tank. Less than 3 weeks ago! That’s outrageous! Great Ceasar’s Ghost! (what show was that from?... ah yes... Superman!) GREAT CEASAR’S GHOST!

20 minutes later, though, and a few miles down the highway, I was snickering and looking slyly from side to side, as I pumped the frothy liquid gold into my 1990 300D 2.5 Turbo at its young age of 203,000 miles (car). So Happy was I!

Why so pleased?

I had beaten the system! I had struck pay-dirt. I had found a Walmart who was selling diesel for a mere $3.39 a gallon!

I was excited and satisfied to be paying a 1/2 buck more per gallon than the last time I filled up.

Holiday by the sea or a Mud Pie.. hmmm.. let me think on that and get back with you...

Lowered Expectations... we are such a fickle bunch.