The Beginning of My Non-Memoir

Burned into the hard drive of the brain

Insurance Ad, Boy in Bed

Though there are a few things in my life worth sharing, unfortunately have been so many unfortunate and even tragic things, if I wrote them all down, few if any people would believe all that could happen in the life of one person.



Serious illness is only one thing to which I am no stranger. Since I was very young, it seemed that I caught everything going around, and got sicker than anyone else around, except that I did survive it all.



I even got Mumps on both sides TWICE, even though they say that if you get mumps on both sides at the same time you will not get it again.



The usual childhood illnesses, such as chickenpox, measles, rubella, whopping cough, and of course when I was six, I contracted a strep infection in my tonsils, which led to rheumatic fever, and chronic nephritis.



Though I am a pretty tough cookie, I have had to deal with too much trauma, and it has taken it's toll.



Some things just stay in you mind when they happen at an early age, and losing two close cousin who were only a little older than I, when I was only six and eight also affected me.



My mother nearly dying of Rheumatic Fever when I was only 4 or 5 also left a scar.



Both of my sisters being born with a cleft pallet and the multiple surgeries they had to undergo, affected my older sister and myself, as well.



When our youngest sister was born with the same thing, and had to have several surgeries to repair the damage was even more stressful on us all.



When my Dad had to kill our beloved dog, "Wags" because he had Distemper and was no longer able to eat, or walk on his own, did serious damage. That was one of the only times I saw my Dad cry, too.



All of that was before I was even nine years old.



Things like these are things that I have had happen over and again in my life, and somehow, I still keep going, but I can tell it has all affected me, and made me into a different person than I may otherwise have been.



The list that is burned in to my memory is too long to list here, and it would only depress you all, so I will stop.



I have had some pretty wonderful times, but they are all still affected by the other not so pleasant memories.



What Keeps Me Going?



It's the knowledge of God's promise to bring peace to everyone who lives in the new paradise he has in store in the near future, as well as the fact that he has promised to resurrect those in the Memorial Tombs so they, too will have a opportunity to live forever on a paradise earth without sin, death, crime, hunger, and with no one ever looking old again, that keeps me going.



Christ and his Apostles were given the power of holy spirit to heal the sick, blind, lame, and even raise the dead. This was for the purpose of letting people see it was possible, as was the resurrection of Christ himself after he had already been dead for parts of three days.