Brief Moments

The overcast skies with little thunder Rain interspersed with the sand The early blooms confused by Michigan March Less snow all season long Than we used to see in a month An early morning visit to the doctor Hoping for back alignment A symbol when life itself seems Disjointed from so many attentions And Dreams of years long gone Hope slips in like the sun Through the clouds outside After rests between the tasks Which daily adjust to the souls That wander into shared space Looking for an omen of purpose An inkling of direction amidst Their own inner storms And grateful for a hearing ear A soft word of comfort peace That opens the universe anew With salve to heal old scars The eyes alight and glimmering For paths hitherto not walked Revealed in a moment of grace Dream Flat Tires - Joni Mitchell.

     Around 18 months ago we hosted a going away party for our oldest son before he embarked on service to our country in Iraq and Kuwait.  He returned home early last September and began a long battle with the State of Michigan much harder than getting shot at in the Middle East.      While overseas, he'd managed to buy a jeep from a dealership in Wayland, and last fall paid to take two classes at Lake Michigan College not on the GI Bill, but with his own money.   As a combat engineer in the Army National Guard , he had regular Guard trainings til now, but being honest with potential employers that he was shipping to Afghanistan with his younger brother this spring, employment opportunities were not forthcoming.      So when eligible he applied to Unemployment Insurance Agency for unemployment.  He went to Michigan Works and filled out the appropriate paperwork.  Almost immediately he received a ...