As I was working on my latest manuscript it suddenly struck me just how wonderful the tools of human languages and math truly are. We take them for granted, at least I have, how the written word is just a normal thing. But think of how humanity has progressed because we can write and understand what is being written....if its in our own language at least. Or how math helps us everyday. These are truly great gifts, which we initially learned in elementary school and advanced with the schooling to follow. Can you even imagine what our world would be like without writing, reading and math? We'd still be doing cave drawings, for there would've been no progress. If you've never thought about it and have just taken it for granted....consider what life would be like without these two functions of math and writing.
My father had this almost weird ability when it came to math and he followed this with becoming an accountant. I believe Joshua Troy, our fourth son inherited some of his math skills from his grandfather. At 8 years old my dad would stand by the railroad track and have the ability to add up all the numbers listed on the train cars as they passed by. He loved the world of numbers and what they could open up to him. He was given the chance to take Arizona's Certified Public Accountant Test, though he had no college degree, which is required for the certification. His friends just wanted to see how sharp my dad was in this area. He finished the test with the highest score on record up to that time. He was sort of a savant, because the rest of his life at that time was a bit screwed up. His dad, my Grandpa Roy, had left his family behind in Wisconsin, to journey to California to find work with Howard Hughes. Grandpa was an old fashioned blacksmith, with huge hands and a strong back. My dad and his sisters were placed in an orphanage to ensure they'd were getting their three square meals a day. The country was still coming out of the Great Depression at the time. My dad ran away and at 8 years old hitchhiked from Wisconsin to Texas, where he was finally picked up by the authorities and transported back. I never did learn what my dad told the people who were picking him up. Then at 9 years old, he ran away again and this time rode the railroad from Wisconsin and all the way to California to find his dad. Some tough things happened to my dad along the way, living in those hobo camps and such, but he would never go into details. But, he did find his dad and they were together until Grandpa signed for my Dad to enter the U.S. Army at 17. He was fighting in the Korean War at 18, wounded twice and decorated for valor.
When I was a young teenager my Dad suggested to my mother, his now ex-wife that I journey out into the world and experience what he did. Thankfully, my mother didn't go along with the idea. The whole thought of it scared the poop out of me. But though my father had this mastery of math and was a avid reader of some of the strangest authors, he had a dislike for people. That was changed when in his later 40's he became a Christian. Amazing what becoming a Christian can do in someone's life. I became a Christian at 27 yrs old and I can tell you a major transformation occurred in my life. I became a better husband and father, learned to be a teacher and how to love people.
Now as to why I wrote this all down for you to read...I'm not sure, but I knew I wanted to share it with you. Maybe one of you will get some insight from it and maybe its just words on a page.
I'm at the point in my current writing project, "Night Shift", where I am using a fictional character to represent me and my time with the Seward Police Department, and detailing the night, Feb 8th, when I was hurt and my future was forever altered. Rehashing the event is like dealing with a mild case of PTSD, but I knew way beforehand I would be putting it in the story. I use all my actual cases and I worked some good ones in Seward, from burglaries, drug cases, rapes and murder, suicides and injury/fatality motor vehicle accidents, and fought in a lot of bar brawls. This was also the year the Polish Fishing Fleet was given permission to make port in Seward for resupply and give the crews, 40 to 80 men on a boat, some well needed R&R. This gave me a taste of immigration as the crew-members began seeking asylum in great numbers. I learned a lot while working for Seward Police Department, my 3rd police department and eventually I became the department investigator. But then my injuries forced me into a disability retirement and that was an adventure all by itself. Thankfully, I had a strong and courageous wife, great kids and a strong relationship with the Lord. That was 33 years ago. Easy to recall as my youngest daughter was born just hours before the bar fight that I was injured in. So, I am writing about it and finishing up that part of the story today...at least the rough cut version.
After Seward came a time of therapy, pain clinics and seeing so many different doctors. I also enrolled in college, using the last year of my G.I. Loan to cover the costs of my freshman year. But then the phone rang. Now you might find it a bit strange, but three times in my police career I was either hired over the phone for both the Skagway and Seward Police Departments, which is extremely rare in police work, but I was also called in for a police chief position over the phone and I had not even applied for. Yes, I was hired during the interview to become the City of Whittier Public Safety Director/Police Chief. A small department with 2 officers I was in charge of and 22 volunteers for the Fire/EMS/ Search & Rescue. Whittier was in charge of nearly one half of the Prince William Sound. This was a quiet spot in Alaska, with very few police calls, but numerous EMS and Search & Rescue calls. But then everything changed when the Exxon Valdez oil tanker struck a large rock and leaked out all over Prince William Sound, and Whittier became one of the staging areas. We went from an average of less than 300 Public Safety calls a year to over 3,000 calls that summer. I hired two extra officers and lost more than half my volunteers, who went to work on the oil spill. With all the overtime my officers were making, they often made more money than I did because I was on salary. I write about my Exxon experience in Part 2 of this book. Part 1 concerns Seward and I use the same characters in Part 2, which is about Whittier. I then plan to write a book about my time as a gambling investigator for the state of Alaska. This is, as I've said before, a 6-7 book series under the title "Badge and the Cross". Book #1 is "Rookie", Book #2 is "Homeland Security", Book # 3 is "Political Action", Book # 4 is "Stronghold" and Book # 5 is "Night Shift", but that title may change. Homeland Security is still receiving its final proofing, which is taking longer then I expected. But the changes being made are worthwhile.
As to why I am telling you all this is for you to have the knowledge and you can assist my endeavors with your prayers. It is my dear hope that something in one of my stories will at reach one lost soul and help them find their way to the Lord. I know a lot of prayer went out for my life to change around and I've seen the results as the Lord has guided my path over all these years. I also pray for all of you every morning, for the Lord has put all of you on my heart. Funny, years ago I never thought I'd be talking like this, much less writing about it in this journal. But, my faith is strong.
Now here are some headlines: "Los Angeles Officials Announce They Spent $619 Million on Homelessness, But Shows Little Progress in Reining in the Great Needs of the Homeless"...."Kentucky's Abortion Law Struck Down by Federal Judge".... "U.S. and China Break-off Talks Over Trade War".... "U.S. House Democrats are Sometimes Omitting 'So Help Me God' From Swearing-in Oath".... 3 Gunmen Attack Luxury Hotel in Pakistan".... "Serial Killer Male Nurse in Germany Suspected of Killing 300 Patients".... "London Mayor Says President Trump Doesn't Deserve State Visit to England".... " 5.3 Earthquake Hits Iraq".... "U.S. Sending More Patriot Missiles to Middle East".... "Refugee Protests in Kenya Turn Violent".... "Pentagon 'Green Lights' Additional Military Deployment to Counter Iran"...."Clashes Breakout in West Bank City of Nablus, Israel as Palestinians Protest the Expanding of Jewish Settlements".... "U.S. Slaps Sanctions on Shipping Firms Tied to Venezuela".... "Florida Schools Reject Law Allowing Teachers to Carry Guns".... "HUD Proposes Ending Assistance to Illegal Immigrants".... "President Reagan Was Hailed as a Hero During His 7 years of Being a Lifeguard, Accredited for Saving 77 Lives".... "Weed Smuggling at LAX Have Surged 166% Since Marijuana Legalization"...."Immigrants May be Deported for Marijuana Crimes in California, a Federal Court Finds".... "Illinois Residents Could be Charged $1,000 a Year to License Electric Vehicles Under New State Legislation".... "Gunmen Kill 6 People in Attack on a Church in Burkina Faso".... "Militants Attack Another Luxury Hotel in Southwest Pakistan"...."Canadian Experts Predict a 9-Point Earthquake to Hit Canada, As Over Past Few Days Canadian Capital Has Experienced 100 Small Quakes"...."Taiwan Government Condemns China's Interference in Taiwan's Internal Affairs and Freedom of Its Press"...."FBI Uncovers Another Terrorist Training Camp on U.S. Soil, Connected to New Mexico Group".... "China Announces Tariff Hikes of $60 Billion of U.S. Imports in Retaliation for Trump's Trade Penalties".... "Doris Day, Legendary Actress and Sing, Dead at 97 Years Old".... "Sweden to Reopen Rape Case Against WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange".... "Washington State To Legalize 'Human Composting', as Alternative to Burial and Cremation"..... "Some California Cities Would be Forced to Allow Marijuana Sales Under New Legislation to Triple the Number of Pot Shops in the State, Big Taxable Income"..... "Saudi Arabia Reports Two Oil Tankers Damaged by Sabotage".... "4.9 Earthquake Hits Taipei".... "Qatari Envoy Arrives in Gaza and Gives $30 Million to Hamas".... "Two Ancient Synagogues Destroyed in Poland and Ukraine"...."Texas Governor Signs Amendment to Limit Scope of Israel Boycott".
Qatar is supposed to be our ally, yet they are giving all this money to a known terrorist group that is fighting Israel. Are they truly our ally? In Pakistan, the government is withholding health benefits from their own people so they can use funds to pay the families of martyrs. They even provide free homes to those who have become suicide bombers and have killed children. Money we had once given to Pakistan was being used for this very same reason, our taxes were benefiting these terrorist until Trump started putting a stop to this. Makes for a very strange world out there on knowing who are enemy is and if we are actually financing them. England had donated a lot of money to Nazi Germany because the current Prime Minister thought Hitler was a "great guy" and could be trusted. Our freedoms give us so many options, but sometimes we abuse this right and bring about great strife and violence. Look at our country's history prior to us engaging in World War One and Two. For quite a while we helped Japan build up its military might, but was partially to blame for us cutting the funds off. This would would eventually lead to them attacking us. But by then they had built up a massive military power. Our history is filled with grand mistakes we made, but do we learn from them? Not according to this very same history. Now, Germany is once more dipped into the violence and hate of Neo-Nazism, and what is being done about it? I could go on, but politics is not my game. I'm not smart enough for it, but I do know how to read a history book.
Somewhat of a hazy day here in Moose Pass, but once it burns off it will truly be a beautiful one. Next week were expecting warmer weather and maybe we will get a chance to work in the garden.
Oh, for you who remembered Mother's Day and gave your mom a call, or sent a card, I am sure they all appreciated it. Mothers are real special people and I was blessed with two such women who helped raise me. My Mom and my 2nd mother- Bea. Both incredible women. Thank you.
May the Lord bless your day and your prayers be answered, BILL