I saw "Milk" last night and thought it was terrific. The movie is about Harvey Milk, a gay rights activist in the 70s who was the first openly gay man elected to public office. The movie tells the story of how he fought to become an elected official and then to pass a civil rights ordinance forbidding employers from firing workers based on their sexual orientation. It passed in 1978. It's interesting that a similar bill was passed in Maine and survived a referendum to repeal in 2005. It just takes longer in some places, I guess.
Some of the discussions that Jess and I had about it afterward brought to mind arguments from Keith Olbermann's rant in favor of gay marriage. The main question Olbermann poses in this clip is why do people oppose gay marriage. This movie certainly gives a few answers to that question and they are not pretty, however justified the so-called moral majority may feel in having those opinions.
One interesting catch-22 is that some people who espouse anti-gay opinions do so because they believe that homosexuality is anti-family. However, the same people often think that gay marriage and gay adoption should never be allowed. How can homosexuals ever be pro-family if they are not allowed to have one?
Myth: male pedophiles who pray on young boys are gay. Fact: pedophilia is a sexual orientation in itself. These men who like boys, are not gay. They do not like men, they like boys. And before you say "Well, if it's a sexual orientation, then why can't we discriminate against people based on their sexual orientation to keep pedophiles out of schools?" The answer to that is that we can only really punish people for their actions. That's the way our justice system works. If we could punish people for being pedophiles, then we should also lock up everyone who shows a hint of the propensity to kill another human being. Those with violent tendencies who have committed no crimes would all be behind bars. But our society does not work that way. We can only punish people for acts of pedophilia.
Many people believe that the "homosexual lifestyle" is lascivious and that gay people are more promiscuous. They believe that allowing gay people be around children (especially as teachers) will encourage children to follow that lifestyle. Some even believe that gay teachers try to recruit students to become gay and lead the "homosexual lifestyle." This is another reason not to allow homosexuals to adopt children. In truth, gay men and lesbians are as varied as any other subgroup in our culture. You are just as likely to meet a raging flamboyant queen as you are to meet a masculine, meat and potato eating, football loving homosexual man. Homosexuals are not all just one type, they run the gamut. Also, as Harvey Milk once said, if children followed the lifestyle of their teachers, their would a whole lot more nuns around. Gay men do not recruit others to be gay. Of course, understanding that requires understanding the fundamental fact that being gay is not a choice. People are born with a sexual orientation. To those of you who don't believe this, I ask, when did you decide to be heterosexual?
Lastly, there are those who believe that because homosexuality is forbidden by the bible, it should be forbidden by the laws of man. The bible condones slavery, says that women must remain separate from the rest of society when they are menstruating, forbids the eating of shellfish, and proscribes the touching of the skin of a dead pig (tell that to the New England Patriots!). The book of Leviticus, which most clearly states the proscription of homosexuality, was originally written between 500-450 BC as a book of rules for the priests of the Levite house of Israel. They were not written as a guide for gentiles 2400+ years later. Christians should also allow for the fact that not everyone believes as they do, and just because they believe something is wrong, doesn't mean there should be a law forbidding it. In our civil society, it is generally viewed that less laws is better than more. If you believe homosexuality is forbidden by God, don't practice it. Those Christians out there should understand that the only judge for all of us is God. "Vengance is mine, sayeth the Lord."
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Wait, I have a blog???
So it's been way too long since I've posted. Here's the three things that happened since my last post (other than Christmas):
- I lost ten more pounds being me down to around 200. Though a total loss of 30 pounds is a good thing, I want to take it lower.
- I got an iPhone. It's great. I love all the features it comes with and the app store is amazing. I play a few games on it, but being able to access twitter and facebook without being near a computer is great too. (Not that I'm often without a computer).
- I still don't have a lawyer job. It really sucks and I'm really depressed about it. So that's all I have to say about that.
Anyway, I just thought that I'd post something and try to get myself back in the habit of writing again. I've even pondered doing a little essay writing on this thing, but I'll probably save that for my next post.
- I lost ten more pounds being me down to around 200. Though a total loss of 30 pounds is a good thing, I want to take it lower.
- I got an iPhone. It's great. I love all the features it comes with and the app store is amazing. I play a few games on it, but being able to access twitter and facebook without being near a computer is great too. (Not that I'm often without a computer).
- I still don't have a lawyer job. It really sucks and I'm really depressed about it. So that's all I have to say about that.
Anyway, I just thought that I'd post something and try to get myself back in the habit of writing again. I've even pondered doing a little essay writing on this thing, but I'll probably save that for my next post.
Friday, October 03, 2008
I PASSED THE BAR
Oh, yeah, and I've lost 20 pounds since mid-august. That's what happens when you actually have time to exercise and watch what you eat. It's weird how most "convenient" foods are so high in calories. Ramen, for example, has 292 calories per serving, but each package is two servings. That's a lot of calories! Portion control is also a major step Jess and I have taken in losing weight.
Between eating better and going to the gym regularly we've been doing alright, but we also started using WiiFit. WiiFit has you do a body test every day, which basically measures your BMI and your center of balance. Watching my weight slowly go down over the last 6 weeks has been a great experience, plus having to weigh myself every day helps me realize how what I eat affects my weight. WiiFit also lets you set a goal and it's fun working toward them. I've hit almost every one of my goals early, so that's good.
Now on to the job search!
Between eating better and going to the gym regularly we've been doing alright, but we also started using WiiFit. WiiFit has you do a body test every day, which basically measures your BMI and your center of balance. Watching my weight slowly go down over the last 6 weeks has been a great experience, plus having to weigh myself every day helps me realize how what I eat affects my weight. WiiFit also lets you set a goal and it's fun working toward them. I've hit almost every one of my goals early, so that's good.
Now on to the job search!
Friday, August 15, 2008
No-man's land
I feel like I'm nowhere. The bar exam was two weeks ago. I get my results in a month and 11 days. And right now all I have to do is sit here and wait.
Went to a temp service yesterday and gave them my resume. Hopefully they find me something so I can pay my bills. And it would be nice to have something to do all day while I wait. Get my mind off some things.
The problem for me is that I can't really start looking for a job in the field I want until I am a member of the bar. I hate how much I think about it. It drives me crazy that all I can do now is hope and pray and wait. The biggest problem is that I just don't know. Not that anyone does. They say that the best feeling coming out of the exam is not knowing (for some reason that means it's more likely that you passed). They say that if you think the questions were easy or if you thought they were way too hard, that's not good (apparently if you thought the questions were easy, it's likely that you totally missed something). But I'm rambling . . .
The extra time has given me the opportunity to watch a lot of Olympic coverage. I love the men's soccer, and I'm so happy the Belgium has done well (I'm half Belgian; my mom grew up in Belgium and left after marrying my dad when she was 21.) They made it to the quarterfinals and play tomorrow. I the women's gymnastics all-around competition kept me on the edge of my seat last night. I'm so happy that Nastia Liukin won the gold. She really deserved it and some of the scoring for the Chinese on balance beam seemed too high.
Michael Phelps is rockin' it in the swimming and I think that's awesome.
So, I'm back in Portland now, waiting for my New Hampshire Bar Exam results, but a lot has happpened since I last wrote. Here's a short list:
I graduated from Law School
My parent's each retired
I spent two months in Concord, NH studying for the bar exam while living in my parents house (luckily they weren't there most of the time)
I took the New Hampshire Bar Exam
I took the Mass. Bar Exam
I came home to live in Portland again with my wife.
So, I've been asked, what is studying for the Bar Exam like, and what exactly is the bar exam. Well, for those of you who are curious:
The Bar Exam
Each jurisdiction's exam is different. For New Hampshire, it is a two day exam including the MPT, MEE and MBE. For Mass, it is a two day exam including the MBE and the state specific Essay day.
The MPT
The MPT is the Multistate Practical Exam. It's called multistate because it is used in several jurisdictions and it doesn't require any state specific law, just general legal principles. It actually doesn't require much legal knowledge at all. For the test, they give you a library containing all the law you will need for the problem and file with all of the factual information you will need. You are given an assignment to write a legal brief, memorandum, closing argument, will or some other legal document, using the file and the library. You must do this in 90 minutes. Generally they expect you to spent 45 minutes reviewing the library and the file, and 45 minutes writing. This isn't an easy task. There are two of these which comprise the morning of the first day of the New Hampshire Bar.
The MEE
The MEE is the Multistate Essay Exam. Once again, it is a multistate exam because you apply general legal principles and not specific law of the state you are taking the bar in. This test is taken on the same day as the MPT and features 6 essay questions. You have three hours to complete all the questions. Therefore, you have 30 minutes for each question. This is the afternoon of the first day of the New Hampshire bar exam.
The MBE
The MBE is the Multistate Bar Exam. This test is always on the Wednesday of any bar exam and is administered in almost every state. Therefore, the Wednesday of the bar exam is sometimes called "The National Testing Day." The Multistate Bar Exam is 200 multiple choice questions split into two three hour sessions, 100 questions in each session. That leaves about 1 minute and 48 seconds for each question. Some of these questions have long complicated fact patterns and you are tested on 6 legal subjects at random. The six subjects are: Contracts, Property, Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, Torts and Evidence. Because New Hampshire and Mass both use the MBE, and the Mass essay day is thursday, while the NH essay day is on tuesday, I was able to take the MBE in NH on Wednesday and have it count for both NH and Mass.
The Mass State Specific Essays
In Mass, they have a 10 essays that in six hours. Three hours for five essays in the morning and three hours for the second five essays in the afternoon. That leaves you with about 38 minutes for each essay. My hand was hurting after taking this exam. So, Wednesday night after the MBE in Concord, NH, I took a bus to Boston, stayed in a hotel, and took the Mass test the next morning.
On September 26, letters will be sent out to all applicants with their results. If you pass, they tell you you passed, but you only get to see your score if you failed, and you'll get a second letter about that in about a month. They also post a list of names on the Judicial Branch website on the 26th. Talk about the most nerve racking moments in my life waiting for the web site to load. I won't get my Mass results until some time in November.
Studying for the bar
So for two months prior to grueling three day exam I spent my days going to a three-hour lecture in the morning and 6+ hours of studying in the afternoon. I did practice questions, made and memorized flash cards, wrote and rewrote notes and outlines, and studied my notes and outlines. I spent entire days in one chair and attempted to learn the different exam tricks and nuances of the law. It was difficult, it was boring, and it was time consuming. Other than the occasional visit from Jess, I didn't do much other than eat, sleep, study and go for walks. It was difficult and tiring, and boy am I glad it's over.
Now comes the waiting. Wish me luck.
Went to a temp service yesterday and gave them my resume. Hopefully they find me something so I can pay my bills. And it would be nice to have something to do all day while I wait. Get my mind off some things.
The problem for me is that I can't really start looking for a job in the field I want until I am a member of the bar. I hate how much I think about it. It drives me crazy that all I can do now is hope and pray and wait. The biggest problem is that I just don't know. Not that anyone does. They say that the best feeling coming out of the exam is not knowing (for some reason that means it's more likely that you passed). They say that if you think the questions were easy or if you thought they were way too hard, that's not good (apparently if you thought the questions were easy, it's likely that you totally missed something). But I'm rambling . . .
The extra time has given me the opportunity to watch a lot of Olympic coverage. I love the men's soccer, and I'm so happy the Belgium has done well (I'm half Belgian; my mom grew up in Belgium and left after marrying my dad when she was 21.) They made it to the quarterfinals and play tomorrow. I the women's gymnastics all-around competition kept me on the edge of my seat last night. I'm so happy that Nastia Liukin won the gold. She really deserved it and some of the scoring for the Chinese on balance beam seemed too high.
Michael Phelps is rockin' it in the swimming and I think that's awesome.
So, I'm back in Portland now, waiting for my New Hampshire Bar Exam results, but a lot has happpened since I last wrote. Here's a short list:
I graduated from Law School
My parent's each retired
I spent two months in Concord, NH studying for the bar exam while living in my parents house (luckily they weren't there most of the time)
I took the New Hampshire Bar Exam
I took the Mass. Bar Exam
I came home to live in Portland again with my wife.
So, I've been asked, what is studying for the Bar Exam like, and what exactly is the bar exam. Well, for those of you who are curious:
The Bar Exam
Each jurisdiction's exam is different. For New Hampshire, it is a two day exam including the MPT, MEE and MBE. For Mass, it is a two day exam including the MBE and the state specific Essay day.
The MPT
The MPT is the Multistate Practical Exam. It's called multistate because it is used in several jurisdictions and it doesn't require any state specific law, just general legal principles. It actually doesn't require much legal knowledge at all. For the test, they give you a library containing all the law you will need for the problem and file with all of the factual information you will need. You are given an assignment to write a legal brief, memorandum, closing argument, will or some other legal document, using the file and the library. You must do this in 90 minutes. Generally they expect you to spent 45 minutes reviewing the library and the file, and 45 minutes writing. This isn't an easy task. There are two of these which comprise the morning of the first day of the New Hampshire Bar.
The MEE
The MEE is the Multistate Essay Exam. Once again, it is a multistate exam because you apply general legal principles and not specific law of the state you are taking the bar in. This test is taken on the same day as the MPT and features 6 essay questions. You have three hours to complete all the questions. Therefore, you have 30 minutes for each question. This is the afternoon of the first day of the New Hampshire bar exam.
The MBE
The MBE is the Multistate Bar Exam. This test is always on the Wednesday of any bar exam and is administered in almost every state. Therefore, the Wednesday of the bar exam is sometimes called "The National Testing Day." The Multistate Bar Exam is 200 multiple choice questions split into two three hour sessions, 100 questions in each session. That leaves about 1 minute and 48 seconds for each question. Some of these questions have long complicated fact patterns and you are tested on 6 legal subjects at random. The six subjects are: Contracts, Property, Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, Torts and Evidence. Because New Hampshire and Mass both use the MBE, and the Mass essay day is thursday, while the NH essay day is on tuesday, I was able to take the MBE in NH on Wednesday and have it count for both NH and Mass.
The Mass State Specific Essays
In Mass, they have a 10 essays that in six hours. Three hours for five essays in the morning and three hours for the second five essays in the afternoon. That leaves you with about 38 minutes for each essay. My hand was hurting after taking this exam. So, Wednesday night after the MBE in Concord, NH, I took a bus to Boston, stayed in a hotel, and took the Mass test the next morning.
On September 26, letters will be sent out to all applicants with their results. If you pass, they tell you you passed, but you only get to see your score if you failed, and you'll get a second letter about that in about a month. They also post a list of names on the Judicial Branch website on the 26th. Talk about the most nerve racking moments in my life waiting for the web site to load. I won't get my Mass results until some time in November.
Studying for the bar
So for two months prior to grueling three day exam I spent my days going to a three-hour lecture in the morning and 6+ hours of studying in the afternoon. I did practice questions, made and memorized flash cards, wrote and rewrote notes and outlines, and studied my notes and outlines. I spent entire days in one chair and attempted to learn the different exam tricks and nuances of the law. It was difficult, it was boring, and it was time consuming. Other than the occasional visit from Jess, I didn't do much other than eat, sleep, study and go for walks. It was difficult and tiring, and boy am I glad it's over.
Now comes the waiting. Wish me luck.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Still Looking
Haven't found a job yet. Really want one.
Anyway, this past weekend was a nice relaxing one. Jess and I went for a three and a half mile walk around the back cove on Saturday. Then we went to Applebees and then home. Sunday was mostly spent watching football. I'm very happy that the pats are 6-0. Yesterdays game was great.
Last weekend was great. Garin and Amber came up. We spent Saturday afternoon at the Fryeburg fair which was a lot of fun. Then, Garin and I spent all night beating Halo 3 on Heroic, which is the second hardest difficulty. He'll have to help me beat it on Legendary when he comes back up. We went to Freeport Sunday afternoon and I got a cool new jacket, while Garin got a nice day pack. The girls didn't buy anything that I recall.
Thursday is the Business Associations midterm. I'm trying really hard to study, but between my lack of an intense interest in the subject, and my depression about not having a job, it's hard to concentrate. "Control, control, you must learn control."
Speaking of Yoda, Jess and I have been playing Lego Star Wars II, which is a lot of fun. There aren't a lot of games that she'll play alone, let alone with me, so it's been fun.
It's getting cold. Fall is definitely here, whether I was ready for it or not. The school was deffinitely not. It's cold in this building, but it might still be too early to turn on the heat. I can't believe it's already October.
Please excuse my ramblings. I'm going to go freak out about not having started work on my independent writing project due at the end of the semester now.
Anyway, this past weekend was a nice relaxing one. Jess and I went for a three and a half mile walk around the back cove on Saturday. Then we went to Applebees and then home. Sunday was mostly spent watching football. I'm very happy that the pats are 6-0. Yesterdays game was great.
Last weekend was great. Garin and Amber came up. We spent Saturday afternoon at the Fryeburg fair which was a lot of fun. Then, Garin and I spent all night beating Halo 3 on Heroic, which is the second hardest difficulty. He'll have to help me beat it on Legendary when he comes back up. We went to Freeport Sunday afternoon and I got a cool new jacket, while Garin got a nice day pack. The girls didn't buy anything that I recall.
Thursday is the Business Associations midterm. I'm trying really hard to study, but between my lack of an intense interest in the subject, and my depression about not having a job, it's hard to concentrate. "Control, control, you must learn control."
Speaking of Yoda, Jess and I have been playing Lego Star Wars II, which is a lot of fun. There aren't a lot of games that she'll play alone, let alone with me, so it's been fun.
It's getting cold. Fall is definitely here, whether I was ready for it or not. The school was deffinitely not. It's cold in this building, but it might still be too early to turn on the heat. I can't believe it's already October.
Please excuse my ramblings. I'm going to go freak out about not having started work on my independent writing project due at the end of the semester now.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
What's new?
So, it's been way to long since I wrote a blog post. I guess I should write about some highlights in my life.
My Wedding
The wedding was good. If you want pics, there are some on facebook. We had a beautiful day and everything went relatively smoothly. The food was good and there was a ton of it (7 courses). Things went so quickly, but it was nice to get to spend time with friends I haven't gotten to see much since we all left college. Jess looked beautiful coming down the aisle. Sigh. it really all went to quickly.
Work
Got to try cases in front of a judge. It was so cool. I won 3 trials and lost 1. I got to negotiate with defendants, charge people with crimes, represent the State at arraignments and write motions. Definitely the best summer job/internship ever.
School
It's been two weeks and I'm still not completely settled in. I continue to work on in the DA's Office and it's tough balancing that and school sometimes. Today I started freaking out because everyone around me very actively seeking (and some have found) jobs for after law school. I've applied for one position and didn't even get an interview. Tomorrow I'm applying for the N e w H am p shire P ub lic def end er's office. That would be a cool job and I really want to go back to NH. I also am going to call C ou nty Att or ney's Offices from around the state to see what their application procedures and schedules are, so I can get started. Otherwise I need to find a small firm that'll take someone with less than stellar grades.
Last weekend we went to Vanessa's wedding. Amber does a pretty good job of summing that up in her blog. It was a pretty ceremony.
That Saturday morning before the wedding, Jess got a call from her sister who told her that her dad had an accident with a planer. Apparently it got jammed, he turned it off and unplugged it and tired to unjam it and somehow his index finger on his right hand was ground up to the first joint. Later she found out that he was in the hospital and that he had been able to call 911 despite his injury, so she calmed down quite a bit, but it was a shock to get on a day with enough stress as it was. Aside from that, a tree fell on our friend Beth's car, totaling it and she ended up having to get a ride back to Boston with us. Jess's dad is fine now, though they couldn't reattach the piece of finger. Her dad was even joking around that now he can only count to 9 and 3/4. As far as I know, Beth still doesn't have a car.
This weekend, Jess and I are going back down to Ct. to see her friend Anne and pick out bride's maid's dresses. I will be hanging out with Anne's fiancee Stephen during this time which is cool by me, because Stephen's a cool guy and we have stuff in common. Jess is Anne's Matron of Honor (Matron and not Maid because Jess is married).
Hopefully, I start posting more often again. I don't know why I don't have more to say.
My Wedding
The wedding was good. If you want pics, there are some on facebook. We had a beautiful day and everything went relatively smoothly. The food was good and there was a ton of it (7 courses). Things went so quickly, but it was nice to get to spend time with friends I haven't gotten to see much since we all left college. Jess looked beautiful coming down the aisle. Sigh. it really all went to quickly.
Work
Got to try cases in front of a judge. It was so cool. I won 3 trials and lost 1. I got to negotiate with defendants, charge people with crimes, represent the State at arraignments and write motions. Definitely the best summer job/internship ever.
School
It's been two weeks and I'm still not completely settled in. I continue to work on in the DA's Office and it's tough balancing that and school sometimes. Today I started freaking out because everyone around me very actively seeking (and some have found) jobs for after law school. I've applied for one position and didn't even get an interview. Tomorrow I'm applying for the N e w H am p shire P ub lic def end er's office. That would be a cool job and I really want to go back to NH. I also am going to call C ou nty Att or ney's Offices from around the state to see what their application procedures and schedules are, so I can get started. Otherwise I need to find a small firm that'll take someone with less than stellar grades.
Last weekend we went to Vanessa's wedding. Amber does a pretty good job of summing that up in her blog. It was a pretty ceremony.
That Saturday morning before the wedding, Jess got a call from her sister who told her that her dad had an accident with a planer. Apparently it got jammed, he turned it off and unplugged it and tired to unjam it and somehow his index finger on his right hand was ground up to the first joint. Later she found out that he was in the hospital and that he had been able to call 911 despite his injury, so she calmed down quite a bit, but it was a shock to get on a day with enough stress as it was. Aside from that, a tree fell on our friend Beth's car, totaling it and she ended up having to get a ride back to Boston with us. Jess's dad is fine now, though they couldn't reattach the piece of finger. Her dad was even joking around that now he can only count to 9 and 3/4. As far as I know, Beth still doesn't have a car.
This weekend, Jess and I are going back down to Ct. to see her friend Anne and pick out bride's maid's dresses. I will be hanging out with Anne's fiancee Stephen during this time which is cool by me, because Stephen's a cool guy and we have stuff in common. Jess is Anne's Matron of Honor (Matron and not Maid because Jess is married).
Hopefully, I start posting more often again. I don't know why I don't have more to say.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Grampa
My Grampa died last weekend. It's strange how long it takes things to really hit you. Jess and I went to the funeral on Thursday. This was more of a hassle than it sounds like because Grampa lived in Florida. We ended up hanging out in the Philadelphia airport for 2 hours. Florida was nice. The weather was good and seeing my brothers was ok. The service was beautiful. It was held in a mausoleum that was more the size of a small church. Grampa was president of the cemetary at one point and he was responsible for the building of this mausoleum so it was fitting. The mausoleum had a large window at each end, one showing the parking lot and the other looked out over a very lush green area with trees, a small pond area and a lot of wildlife. This large window was the behind the podeum where the reverend stood. My dad gave a beautiful eulogy which was both touching and honest. At the end he had us all sing When Irish Eyes are Smiling, a song my grandfather loved to sing.
Because Grampa was an officer in the army during World War II, he was given an honor guard. They played Taps and folded the flag, giving it to my father. During Taps, at the perfect moment, a giant stork game flying up from the pond. He kept flying back and forth. It was beautiful. I'm going to miss my Grampa. There were over 100 people at the funeral and I'm sure he would have appreciated that. The Reverend said that normally when he goes to a 90 year-old's funeral, there are far fewer people; usually just the family and a few others, if that.
After the formal service, we went to the Elks Club. Grampa was active in the Elks for a long time. He was a past State President. I learned so much about my Grampa to make me prouder of him than I already was. One of the speakers at the Elk's service was a Black man, the chaplain of the Clearwater/Dunedin Chapter of the Elks. He was the first Black Elk in the state of Florida. My Grandfather recruited him, sponsored him and nominated him to become an officer in the Elks. He told the man not that he would make a good Elk, but that he would be "good for Elkdom." It was a nice service.
I'm sure that Grampa is in a better place now. He was in a lot of pain and deep into Alzheimers so in some ways it's better this way. But I still miss him so much. When I was little he used to send me letters with little nick nacks in them. Occassionally it would be something really special like his Captain's Bars froming being in the army, or the Soldiers Medal he recieved for saving the lives of three men from drowning while on active duty in the Phillipines. Other times it was just neat pins and key chains. Grampa never hesitated tell me how proud of me he was and how much he loved me. That's something I hope that I can keep in my heart for when I have children and grandchildren. I loved him so much. I'll miss him.
Because Grampa was an officer in the army during World War II, he was given an honor guard. They played Taps and folded the flag, giving it to my father. During Taps, at the perfect moment, a giant stork game flying up from the pond. He kept flying back and forth. It was beautiful. I'm going to miss my Grampa. There were over 100 people at the funeral and I'm sure he would have appreciated that. The Reverend said that normally when he goes to a 90 year-old's funeral, there are far fewer people; usually just the family and a few others, if that.
After the formal service, we went to the Elks Club. Grampa was active in the Elks for a long time. He was a past State President. I learned so much about my Grampa to make me prouder of him than I already was. One of the speakers at the Elk's service was a Black man, the chaplain of the Clearwater/Dunedin Chapter of the Elks. He was the first Black Elk in the state of Florida. My Grandfather recruited him, sponsored him and nominated him to become an officer in the Elks. He told the man not that he would make a good Elk, but that he would be "good for Elkdom." It was a nice service.
I'm sure that Grampa is in a better place now. He was in a lot of pain and deep into Alzheimers so in some ways it's better this way. But I still miss him so much. When I was little he used to send me letters with little nick nacks in them. Occassionally it would be something really special like his Captain's Bars froming being in the army, or the Soldiers Medal he recieved for saving the lives of three men from drowning while on active duty in the Phillipines. Other times it was just neat pins and key chains. Grampa never hesitated tell me how proud of me he was and how much he loved me. That's something I hope that I can keep in my heart for when I have children and grandchildren. I loved him so much. I'll miss him.
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