Hello everyone. I here that the weather has been very exciting in Portland, rain, flooding and now wind. I’m sure the news coverage has kept everyone firmly up to date just how close to falling of the edge of the world you are. And how about that election? I want all of you to know that the whole world is excited about this. For three days straight all that CNN world and BBC news TV/radio covered and talked about was the election. And all of my co-works were talking about it as well. People from all over the globe talked about it as if they lived next door to you. The whole world cares because it does affect them. Amazing isn’t it that someone form Nairobi is more knowledgeable about what is going on in America then the average American citizen. We have the world’s ear and abuse it.

Anyway, way to go democrats! This past weekend Frank, Kristina and me traveled down to Antwerp. The only down side is it was Armorists day and most of the shops were closed. Kristina and I were looking forward to buying some French food items and a great Belgium beer she buys there, however the market was closed for the day so we struck out. And we did not make it down the jewelry street. Probably better because we really got a good look around the city and went into the main Cathedral and toured around. They had some Rubens religions paintings on display (along with a great deal of other artists) and the one thing we noticed is just how milk feed and Flemish everyone looked in Jerusalem. Artistic freedom at it’s finest. The shopping will have to wait for another day. I’m not sure where this coming weekend will take me.

The weather here is still fairly mild for the time of the year. The last few days it has started to rain more, though the temperature has stayed in the mid 50’s during the day and the wind has not been to bad yet. I’m bracing myself for the day that I will be peddling as hard as I can on my bike and not moving. Mind you there will be no extra new coverage because people are being knocked off their bikes due to strong winds.

Other than that everything else is going fine and the routine of work is setting in. My days have been anything but boring and I’m learning new things every day. Today at work I got a chance to work with Armin. He is from Mostar, a city in Bosnia. I think he is about 28 and reminds me a lot of my son Michael. Armin is a very smart guy and always has a smile on his face. Very easy going. Today we were in court together because he was prepping me on a courtroom that I’m unfamiliar with. One of the witnesses really got him talking about what he experienced during the war. I was amazed at one of the stories he shared. Armin told me about an old guy that lived next to him. One day they were at a crossing to get water. The area was an open strip of about one hundred feet wide and a spot where snipers hung out. The weapon used to shoot people down with was an anti-aircraft gun (nice). Armin was explaining that people would try and run across quickly and if you were the first to go your chances were better because it would take the sniper by surprise and the first person would alert them making it harder for those who followed. Armin was 16 at this time, and the old man was trying to get him to run first. Armin insisted the man go instead. The old man took off with Armin behind him when an anti aircraft bullet hit the man in the head, exploding it. Blood and brains exploded outward, coverd the front of Armin. He said that he stood there a moment, looked around, walked to the well, washed himself off, and then went home not telling anyone what had happened. Knowing this is just one story out of many, I looked at him in shock and asked how could he have lived through that kind of stuff and keep such a good attitude about life in general and have such a happy demeanor. He looked at me and said “you just deal with it and put it behind you. It is in the past and cannot be changed so why dwell on it”. And he is absolutely right. He said that one time he talked to a physiologist he knew over coffee at a local coffee bar and Armin asked him about therapy and if he should make an appointment. The doctor looked at him and said that he could take his money, but when it came right down to it, it was up to Armin to deal with it and to put it behind him. The doctor said that he could listen, though “recovery” was ultimately up to Armin. He took the words to heart and was able to self heal. It was an inspiring day for me.

When we are sitting in the comfort of our homes and think about how miserable we are on a bad day, well there are things in life that can be much worse. And when bad things happen to us, it is better to learn how to shed it like a second skin, letting the new skin take in its first breath, reminding us that life can renew its self. Besides, there is enough leather in this world already

My love to everyone
Kim