"And so she walked out of our lives....forever." I never pictured the day would come where you would be leaving without me....Later Tater

You could always stay....If not…Colorado will be here waiting for you should you decide to return…and so will I....It's not going anywhere....And neither am I. I miss you…I love you….and I am praying for you. Go...Chase that dream girl.....Follow your heart…The sun will rise for you at least one more day….and every night you say that…is one day closer until I see you again. I'll be here keeping watch over your dream for you until you return to chase it again. With ever growing anticipation I will wait….happy to see again and return it to its dreamer. Those mountains in your rearview mirror will keep for you in their high….mist covered valleys this dream of yours as well...along with my heart…should you return and find my soul has moved on. For though the Lord may have my soul, my heart belongs to these mountains….and to you. If you look every morning….just before the sun breaks the horizon….and every evening….as it goes to bed….there among the mist….and the wind in the pines….high on our mountain….if you are quiet…you will see me….I will wait always….and look for you. Remember this....a dream is what YOU make of it….and is only as sweet as the last time you lived it…the last time you felt it in your soul…. and the last time you slept under it's stars. Sleep tight....and keep on dreaming…cause hearts like yours are why Colorado is here. It's never good-bye… for either here or there….this world or the next....whether in dreams or in love…if you have faith…it's only "See you later....when we're together again....some day" Later Tater............

Pain

As I lay here, hoping the medications I'm taking do their job, and ease the pain in my body, I write if for nothing more than to occupy my mind and think of anything but the awful pain.....

Yet again at this, my time of need, I find myself able to only think of prayer, and God. Instead of giving in to doubt and fear, I chose to step forward in my mind as I once did as a Soldier in life; tired, weak, confused, but never failing.

When in doubt, keep moving, one foot methodically in front of the other. Following the footsteps of the man in front of me.

Many times I remember setting goals for myself on the mind numbing, agonizingly painful walks into seeming oblivion.

"Just keep walking, make it til the sun starts to go down, then maybe there will be rest, just keep walking, make it til the sun is gone and it gets dark, then maybe there will be rest, just keep walking, make it til its pitch black, then maybe there will be rest, just keep walking."

Rest does not come. Onward into the night I walk. No direction, following faithfully the man in front of me.

"Make it till the dark becomes purple, purple becomes dark blue, and dark blue becomes lighter, and lighter...."

"Make it til the oranges and pinks and yellows begin to show, pushing back the blackness....Just keep walking, rest cannot be far from me now. Just keep walking, the sun is peaking over the horizon, rest cannot be far now."

"Don’t stop moving, pick my feet up and set them down again, ignore the pain, the want to quit,....never stop moving. This pain reminds me that I am still here, still alive.....ALIVE"

"Just keep walking, there it is!!! The sun is pushing back the cold, the fear, the unknown. Just keep walking, for there will be rest, when I'm done moving there will be rest. Until it's my turn, I've got to keep walking."

Following the man in front of me who knows this pain, knows this journey.Faithfully, trusting in Christ as he leads me to my time and place of rest, To lay down the heavy burdens on my back I carry as I move, as I keep walking through life, waiting for those simple words...."Stop walking, you've done enough...rest now"

.....Remeber, you are never truly alone. When the world and all that lives upon it are absent from your life; are living their own lives....stop looking outside for comfort; look inside your self and your heart and soul. For there, all along....was the Lord, and he knows your journey, and he has shared your pain and he has seen your tears.....

In the quiet and the Hell of life, He was with you every step of the way because he loves you.....

"God keeps his promise, and he will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, he will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you a way out." 1 Corinthians 10:13