The brother of a friend...

We are no longer isolated from a world of pain.

A few months back I wrote about ‘Sammy’s Grill’ a diner that I visit nearly every morning. Sammy has been behind the counter making pancakes, hash, grilled cheese and home-made soups since he returned from Vietnam in 1967.

Sammy is from Lebanon. He is a Maronite. Maronites are Arabic-speaking Christians. He came to the US in 1963 and by the early 1970’s most of Sammy’s family had come over with him.

He still has a brother in Lebanon. His brother works at the Beirut Airport and lives close by. Sammy is very concerned for the safety of his brother. Please keep him in your prayers.

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Buying a car… I hate the process. I never feel like I am in control – no matter what kind of deal I think I have negotiated I always feel as if I was led there by a very tricky sales person.

You try and compare apples to apples and they make the process so ridiculously difficult. There is the dealer invoice price, the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price, and the True Market Value.

If you are working with multiple dealers then you almost need a spread sheet to track everything. The blessing is that I keep my cars awhile only because I despise the buying process so much.

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Less than eight weeks till camp!

This will be the first time that Sandy will not be going along with us. It will be a different experience without her. She loved camp and would lay on the deck for hours at a time observing the activity (ducks) on the pond.

Going to Vermont is one of the highlights of my year. I could wax forever on the beauty of this special place. There is something about the spot that evokes peace. When I am there I am completely at peace.