The biggest share I can give.

 These are all moments of our life. Hope you smile....

wahjr56@gmail.com

Austin's Daily Rants: Last rant. new thought.

Austin's Daily Rants: Last rant. new thought.: New home. New colors. Same us and that's exactly the way we want it. You can change certain aspects of your life, but changing yourself is a...

Last rant. new thought.

New home. New colors. Same us and that's exactly the way we want it. You can change certain aspects of your life, but changing yourself is a much bigger challenge. We didn't move. We painted walls, we bought new furniture, we changed things around. We didn't change one bit. I am quite happy about that!

Our friend Theresa and her daughter, Diane came to visit today. Theresa gave me a framed picture of my pups, Roxy and Charlie. How did she know that is my favorite picture of them ever? How can I tell her how much that will mean to me for as long as I live? How do you ever quantify that kind of love? Well, you can't. But I look at the picture of my little "kids" and I think about how grateful I am to Theresa for knowing me well enough to give me such a gift. Love is really something.

Tonight is my last post on blogger. I will post my link to everyone as soon as I figure that all out. I am moving to wordpress because the best writers I know give their wisdom there.

Please stay with me. I can promise that neither I, nor my blog will change.

                                       Peace and Love.

                                         Austin/Bill

David

I have to share David Bateman with you. When I was 15, he was 17. Older and wiser, right? Yes he was. Still is. My first show was "How to Succeed ". I had a great voice. No experience. Dave walked out on stage, gave his all, showed me how it could be done, altered my life and my way of thinking forever. HE made me an actor, not just a pretty voice.

We talk often. He is a caregiver. He always has been a caregiver. He grew up as the only unchallenged child of three. He took care of everyone. Now he takes care of someone else. He has property in New Mexico and has a property that he allows someone to occupy. There are now two homeless horses that receive food and water, and love every day.

WHAT are you talking about Austin/Bill?

I am talking about the quality, the love, the willingness to give that infuses the people I choose to know. That would be you. Thanks for letting me rant.

                                            Peace and Love,

                                               Austin/Bill

I originally wanted to write something brilliant about 9/11. That isn't happening for me today. I am thinking about our loss. I am thinking about the changes in our world. I am trying to think of a positive spin to share. I come up empty. There have to be lessons to be learned, right? I simply can't come up with an answer to such total evil. I know that there was that disconnect between mind and spirit. Other than that, I am clueless.

Okay, now that I have told you about what I don't want to write about, I will tell you about our neighbor, Carl. He looks like the grizzled old man with long gray hair, bushy beard, filthy clothes you would expect to see carrying a staff and shouting bible verses in the desert. Appearances are so deceiving.

Carl is a gentle soul who lives alone with his 5 remaining cats. There used to be 8 but, well you know. He grieves at the passing of each cat. He is sensitive and loving, yet he has no family or friends. He lives on peanut butter and bologna if left to his own devices. I guess you know that Jon and I don't allow that. I prepare a nice well balanced meal and either have him over for dinner, or put it in a tupperware container and hand it to him.

As usual, I am writing about love. I am writing about how easily we can judge based on appearance. How easily we can be repelled at the thought of having some filthy, mangy looking creature in our home. But, by thinking that way, we can be depriving ourselves of great love, compassion, and wisdom.

I wish I could apply any of that story to this terrible anniversary. My point? Well, do I ever really have a point? Yeh, I do. When you stare into the face of evil and can't come up with any way to spin that into a positive, look no further than your own back yard to find a positive in someone whose appearance may not be pleasing but whose soul can be so enriching. We love Carl. Roxy and Charlie adore him. He is a gift in very unusual packaging.

                                        Peace and Love,

                                          Austin/Bill

                              www.wahjr56.blogspot.com

What makes a family?

During the two days that we spent in a hotel while having our home painted, I had several revelations. Number one was that I felt homesick. Me? Really? The actor who lived half his life out of a suitcase. How could this be? Roxy was fine. Jon was fine. Charlie and I were upset. My boy couldn't leave my side. I kind of agreed with him. Even as I luxuriated in a hot bath, Charlie was right there. He kept going in and out of the bath to check on Jon and Roxy. Then, I guess he was making sure I didn't drown. Charlie sat. He laid down. He offered his paw in that little trick we call "shake". He let me know he was present and that he had everything under control. He could take care of me in this strange place and keep tabs on the rest of his family at the same time. My boy the multi-tasker!

What I was reminded of was the nature of being a family. It isn't about WHERE we are. It is about being together and taking care of one another. It is about that unbreakable bond that knows no boundaries. It is a commitment that can't be broken. Charlie gets that. I get Charlie. Charlie gets Jon, and round and round our family dynamic goes. Roxy is the anchor. If anyone forgets to be loving, Roxy will remind with a wag and a look that does Bambi proud.

We are back home now. Family intact and living in renovated paradise. There are some finishing touches, but everything has come together. As our home went through it's changes, our family remained steadfast in it's solidity. Love is the glue that bonds us together.

                                     Peace and Love,

                                         Austin/Bill  

                            http://www.wahjr56.blogspot.com/