Comfort in Music

I have often found comfort in music. I have songs that I love to listen to when I find myself missing a loved one - especially my father. These songs aren't always slow or sad and often times were written for a different purpose. I have songs that I love which were written to remember a loved on and others that were meant as love songs. I find that their original meaning isn't always important it is often the music itself and not always the lyrics that move me. This past week has been one of those weeks where I have found myself thinking about loved ones who are no longer here and one of the songs that has been constantly running through my mind and the music has always moved me. I can remember hearing it as a teenager not long after my father died and it has always been one of those songs that gives me chills but also brings a smile to my face when I listen to it. I have included a rough English translation at the end of the post.
As I write this I am praying for my Cousin Mertin and his family as they are dealing with the grief of losing a loved one. I pray that they will find comfort in the arms of God first and foremost but that they may also find comfort in music as I have.



When I'm alone
I dream on the horizon
And words fail;
Yes, I know there is no light
In a room
Where the sun is not there
If you are not with me.
At the windows
Show everyone my heart
Which you set alight;
Enclose within me
The light you
Encountered on the street.

Time to say goodbye,
To countries I never
Saw and shared with you,
Now, yes, I shall experience them,
Ill go with you
On ships across seas
Which, I know,
No, no, exist no longer;
With you I shall experience them.

When you are far away
I dream on the horizon
And words fail,
And yes, I know
That you are with me;
You, my moon, are here with me,
My sun, you are here with me.
With me, with me, with me,

Time to say goodbye,
To countries I never
Saw and shared with you,
Now, yes, I shall experience them,
Ill go with you
On ships across seas
Which, I know,
No, no, exist no longer;
With you I shall re-experience them.
Ill go with you
On ships across seas
Which, I know,
No, no, exist no longer;
With you I shall re-experience them.
Ill go with you,
I with you.

A Fathers Dream Come True!

I saw a shirt this week that said:
"My kid shot a deer while your honor student was at school"
All my hunting buddies will understand the pride involved with being able to wear a shirt like this some day!

Saying Good-Bye...

Today we said good bye to our pet house Rabbit - "Kipper"I've learned that goodbyes will always hurt, pictures never replace having been there, memories, good or bad, will bring tears and words can never replace feelings. Thankfully photo's and memories help us cope as time goes on.

Even though I am a man I tend to be an emotional person and I have found that I have a very soft spot in my heart for my pets. There is truly a difference in animals that we raise for food and those that we raise as pets - I know this as truth as I have never shed a tear over an animal that was destined for my plate but as I sit here typing this I am fighting back those tears as I recall the years of enjoyment Kipper provided me, my family, and all the people who visited our home - both young and old.
Kipper was a great little bunny and like most of our family experiences there is a story behind how we got him.

While we were in the process of building the house we decided that we would eventually like to get a bunny and decided to go and price out everything we would need and check out the bunnies available at the local pet stores. During one of our trips the moment we entered the pet shop a large white cockatoo flew across the store and landed on Ariel's shirt. It turns out the bird was quite mean and as it was clinging to Ariel's shirt it reached up and latched its beak onto Ariel's nose and began biting and clawing its way up her chest. I was able to get the bird off of her and then one of the kids working at the shop put it in its cage. Ariel was bleeding from her nose (as it had been pierced - something she might want to do when she is a teenager but not as a toddler) and when I went to talk to the young man working at the store he got me so upset I actually when to the police department and filed a complaint. The next day the owner of the store called me after finding out what happened to apologize. He asked if we were looking for anything in particular while we were there so I informed him of my plans of getting a bunny when we moved into the new house. A few weeks after moving in I received a call from the pet shop owner telling me he got a bunny from a local 4H member and he wanted me to come pick it up for Ariel.

Kipper was a great bunny and enjoyed spending time running around the kitchen, hiding behind the couch, and relaxing on the deck during the nicer weather. He loved when people would spoil him by feeding him goodies out of the treat jar and would run to the opening of his kennel when he heard the sound of the jar opening! All of us will miss Kipper as much as we miss Goliath and Britney as they were all great pets.

Movin on up - Just like the Jeffersons!

During my vacation the family and I took a trip to NY to pick up a coop I had ordered from a fellow BackYardChickens.com member. Alex and I assembled it and decided to give it a few upgrades, we installed a roost, a divider board for the coop/nest box as well as a vinyl floor in the coop, and nesting box as well as the floor of the attached run. We installed hardware cloth over the window opening and latches to keep out any nasty critters. I finally got around to leveling out the cement foundation blocks and moved the coop with Chip & Dale into it's permanent location (for now!) I considered attaching wheels to the coop and making it a chicken tractor that can be moved around the yard and into shelter during harsh winter months but I decided I can always make the changes later if needed.

Vacation Fun

I always strive to take lots of pictures when we do things together as a family but most of the time we are so caught up in having fun we forget that we even brought the camera! Here are a few pictures that we managed to take during my week of vacation - it was a valiant effort!