Monthly Archives: March 2017

A Time of Loss

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Yesterday was the 8th anniversary of my mom’s passing. The loss of those below came at me so fast that it was only today I could even write about it.

I found out early in the last month that my good friend, David Beckham, died in Idaho on February 7th. He was in one of the wards in Stockton when I was there as a missionary. He did whatever he could for us, despite the fact that he was on disability from a workplace accident. He drove us around and was the go to guy for anything we needed. After I left my mission, he even defended me from accusations made against me by some in the mission. It may not be common knowledge, but I was sent home a month early because of my temper and losing it with a fellow missionary. Unfortunately, I lost contact with him after this and saw him infrequently post on Facebook. I will definitely miss him. As I posted to his niece, if I ever do get to Heaven, I know this man will be waiting for me.

Another loss is that of Coach Billy Burge to cancer on February 24th. He was a long time teacher in Walker and worked with my mother for what seemed (and probably was) decades. He was my PE coach in junior high and driver’s education instructor in high school. He taught more than half the town of Walker and will be missed by all. Thanks, Coach.

In addition, on March 8th, my dear and only maternal uncle, George Elvin Milton, was felled by a heart attack. He spent two days in the ICU before he was removed from life support on March 10th. I have spent most of the 2 & 1/2 weeks in depression over his passing. He was the patriarch and rock of my extended family. My grandfather died when he was 17 and my mother was 3, and he became in many ways the father figure for her and her sisters. He was a dedicated family historian and helped nurture this passion in myself. The only consolation for me is that he is now having a chance to talk to the many ancestors that we spent many an hour discussing. Sir, I love you and miss you, but I know you are in the arms of your parents and the Lord.

 

 

Poetry

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My brother convinced me to post some of my poetry online. I was really hesitant to do so, mainly because I consider it to be quite personal and I don’t care if anybody but he actually reads it. For a long time, we have emailed our writings back and forth to each other. His is substantially better than mine, with the added ability to go deeper and with more emotion than mine. Anyhow, I posted it and for the most part people were polite. Here is the link.

I write under the name Piger Max. Piger is Latin for “lazy” and Max is short for Maximus, i.e. “the most lazy”. It is not that great, but so what. I write mostly for myself anyway.

A Trip of a Lifetime

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From January 26th to February 15th, I had an opportunity to travel during the winter vacation. I was able to go to Turkey, Greece, and Israel. I joined two friends in Beijing, Kevin Earl and Aaron Stevens, for the first leg of the trip and then ventured out on my own. I had intended to go with them to India last year, but it did not work out with me because of my job situation. This was a once in a life experience, to be honest, and I can only hope that I have another chance for a trip this awesome in the future. I posted a great many photographs on Facebook, in the Albums: Part I: Istanbul, Gallipoli, and Troy, Part II – Pargamum, Ephesus, Hierapolis, and Cappadocia, Part III – Greece – Athens and Delphi, & Part IV – Israel (you have to Facebook friends with me to see them). This entry is not to go over in detail of what I saw, but to give my broad impressions of each country.

Turkey was an absolute marvel. I could definitely see myself living in Istanbul. I also consider the Hagia Sophia to be one of the most beautiful buildings in the world, if not the most. The people were fantastic and the food was as well. In particular, I enjoyed the bread. I went to the market in Istanbul and nearly wept on my first day because I had not had such wonderful bread in months. The Chinese steamed bread has it its own charm but nothing beats freshly baked bread, in this case with olive oil mixed with spices. Several people hinted at safety concerns with ISIS attacks in a couple places, but I felt safe the entire trip. The police and gendarmes were out and armed, looking for any suspicious people, which is why I wonder I got pulled over a couple of times. The history of Turkey was phenomenal in both the sites available and the museums there. I went into the trip with a rather negative view of the country – by this I meant I did not think it would be that interesting – and was astonished at how wrong I turned out to be.

Greece was a different experience. Greeks feel a great deal of pride of their ancient culture and history, but the current state of affairs tends to weigh more heavily in my opinion. We stayed in the self-described “anarchist’s district”, but it seemed the entire city is covered in graffiti. Most of it anti-EU, anti-German, ant-Soros, etc. etc. I loved the historical sites, as the Parthenon was worth the trip in itself. The food was good, just not as delicious as in Turkey (nothing compares to the Cappadocian clay kebab). Please, Greek nationalists, give me another chance at your fine nation before you consign me to the depths. I was only there for 2 & ½ days and sincerely, that was not near enough. I still want to go to Sparta, Mycenae, and Mt. Olympus. There were many things even in Athens I was not able to experience. I truly wish to rectify this problem with another visit.

Now to Israel. This trip was such a dream and yet, a disappointment. I saw things I waited my whole life to see. I was able to walk up to the Dome of the Rock (but not enter because they do not allow non-Muslims to enter). My culinary journey was rather limited to a single Palestinian restaurant, where I picked up a definite anti-Israeli vibe, but since I am not Jewish or Israeli, c’est la vie. The security was seemingly everywhere but the palpable tension that seems to settle over the place (in my mind) is not necessarily something I would want to subject myself to long term. I hated that I was sick and unable to see even a tenth of what I wanted. Despite this setback, it is definitely a place to go back to and visit again.