I have started making the change to the new system so I can start blogging on a new platform called WordPress instead of the Quick Blogcast framework from Go Daddy.  WordPress is an independent system and the most popular blogging software in the world.  It offers hundreds of plug-ins to give a writer tremendous flexibility including spell checking and grammar checking modules (I need badly LOL) plus little things like a "press it" button so I can quickly grab content as I am surfing the net without having to cut and paste.  I am really excited about having this new capability.  You guys may never get me to shut up once this is installed.

The transition began yesterday when I installed the framework for WordPress.  I may only use the framework by itself for short time  There are thousands of beautiful themes I could pick, but I kind of want to design my own theme and if everyone can overlook the lack of beauty in a black and white blog the color and beauty will be added as we build it together.  It is kind of like getting a house up without any kind of finish on the outside.  We will decide what kind of exterior or what color of paint goes on the outside later.  I am not worried about that right now.

I have two really great stories to tell you about  They inspired me so much this week.  Both of them are about connections that were made because of this blog and how rewarding it makes me feel.  One of them you can't miss if you have been reading the comments.  On January 7 the sender of a comment that had been reading my posts was my 18 year old daughter who is a freshman at West Texas A & M.    I didn't even know she knew about my writing.  It is the only comment I have ever gotten that said "love you"

Because of things neither of us could control we haven't spent a lot of time with each other since she was five or six years old.  It meant so much to get that "love you" and know she was reading my heart felt writings.

I 2002 when my other daughter was killed I wanted so much for Whitney and her brother Cameron to be there with me, but it wasn't possible because their mother was responsible for payroll at the company where she worked and I was told they would not let her off work so they could be there with me.  When my mother passed away Whitney was at a church camp.which is where my mother would have wanted her to be.  Considering Whitney wasn't there for the two most painful moments in my life Whitney is still incredibly sensitive to how I feel and I am amazed.  I am grateful. Thank you God for my wonderful children.

The other was a personal letter from a former close friend and business associate I had not heard from in over 11 years.  He had stumbled onto my writings and wanted to say "Hello".  When I lost everything in 1999 and began driving a taxi for the third time in my life I was indebted to him and could not repay that debt and eventually took bankruptcy.  He wanted me to understand he was aware of the unscrupulous and unethical corporate tactics taking place in the industry and that was yesterday and he would love for me to get in touch with him if I would.  He told me he had enjoyed reading my profile at the reunion site.  I was very "shocked".  I immediately wrote him back and thanked him for opening the door.  We have been communicating since and plan on seeing each other next time we are in close proximity to each other.

One lesson keeps coming to me day after day as I continue to write my stories.  It began with the feelings I had inside about abandoning Phillip Long.  I found out others weren't nearly as hard on me as I was on myself.  Guilt is something we put on ourselves.  Now that I have said that it doesn't mean I have conquered it.  I haven't.  I am doing better and events like this really help greatly. 

Don't we all have some guilt?  I am not the only person who walks in shadows.  I think I have just walked in darker ones than others, but  the light is getting brighter.

Everyone be patient over the next couple of days.  This site could come and go as DNS propagation takes place.  I will be glad to get this move behind us and have everything on a server controlled by "Yo Daddy", not "Go Daddy" (ref. to YoDaddy.tv which I own).

The song that comes to my mind this morning was a one hit wonder by Mike Douglas in 1966.



I love you, Whitney.  Study hard and keep making those straight "A's.  Dad is so proud of you.