Moment of Truth

Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show...(the opening lines of David Copperfield as written by Charles Dickens;inspired by MTM). Or at least this ACCOUNT will, perhaps, have a reflection on whether I'm going to be the hero in my own life.

Goin' out of my head over you
Out of my head over you Out of my head day and night
Night and day and night, Wrong or right...GOIN' OUT OF MY HEAD~~~Little Anthony and the Imperials

On Monday 25 April, I get myself into the ECBOE, and the day is pretty much setting itself up
as any other day, at the 'grinding-wheel'. Along with my assignments, I will take a quick break to maybe check my email or reflect on the last four days of being on one hell of a roller-coaster ride, which now included the sobering fact that the Buffalo Sabres hockey team lost game-six Sunday, in front of their home-town enthusiasts, in over-time. Being that they were up, 3-2 in games, and in front of the home-town crowd, this WAS the game to win. Having to go back to Philadelphia, to win the series, was going to be one hell of an uphill battle.

And of course, above and beyond everything else, is this Sword of Damocles still hanging over
my head regarding my biopsy. I also get this OOOOOOOOOOOOH NOOOOOOOOOO email from a friend telling me that Bob Marzullo can't make it to Buffalo for a family-wedding because he is now very sick. This turn-of-events puts a damper on a plan that is already in-progress arranging to include him in a get-together Wednesday evening @ Malone's on Delaware Avenue in Kenmore, NY. It is my intention to keep everything going regarding the rendezvous because, frankly, it just made more sense to go with the flow.

Monday is moving along, and at 2:20PM, I get a call on my cell phone. The phone number comes up on mycaller ID---and I recognize it. My heart pounds; a million thoughts are racing through my mind.
Being that it is ringing, I know I will have to answer it. I wasn't supposed to hear about this till at least Wednesday. It is Doctor Doyle's office, and I know he is not calling to invite me as a guest for a ride on his new Cessna 157 piper-cub airplane. It is my MOMENT OF TRUTH. "Hello Colleen," I opened with. She starts with..."we know how anxious you have been, we have the results; they are negative." I wanted to reach through 'the lines', and kiss her!!! I was happy, but I was getting choked up and I know she must have sensed it as I thanked her and continued through the back-and-forth conversation about blood-work follow-up, and another visit. Their continued concern is the above-normal PSA reading. When I was done with that conversation, because my cubicle gives me a little privacy, I proceeded to wipe my eyes and pulled out my blessed rosary, and put in on my desk-top, keeping it there the rest of the afternoon.

Spared of a dreaded death-sentence. I am so grateful for the so-many-prayers that were raised for me.

Tuesday 26 April, is another day of fits and starts. I mean sometimes I wonder why I even go to the playground. This is where everybody is supposed to play nice!! I know I am not going to get picked anyways. Alone again, naturally. Having a NEW LEASE ON LIFE---I decide to enjoy a couple of things, on my own!! Why not. Went over to Coronation, and said a decade of the rosary as a gesture of gratitude, in my van, across the street from the Church. Then went and got myself a banana split.

As it got into the evening, there was now a few things that I was concerned about. The Buffalo Sabres, the Chicago Blackhawks, and going out of my head. Both hockey teams were facing the seventh and deciding games in their respective series. Both lost; heart and soul emptied.

Wednesday 27 April, is glum. The News is glum, Sports is glum, and the Weather is foreboding.
While I am at the ECBOE, I am, in between my assignments, trying to still get a handle on who will be coming to Malone's. I want to at least give Malone's the courtesy of a HEAD-COUNT. And I am thinking that I may even have a couple of folks showing up early because they may want to just make sure that I am being provided a helping-hand. It is early afternoon when I call Malone's. At about 3:30PM, I check my email again, just to see if anybody may STILL be responding.

Nope.

But!!! What I do have, is a WBEN Radio TORNADO-WATCH email. Great; just what I need, more complications. I have to now, make an executive decision. Certainly the rendezvous could always be rescheduled, I thought. I did not want to be having this fellowship taking place if, while we are trying to have fun, the winds are howling so bad outside that the guests are grabbing their cell phones every fifteen minutes to check home and making sure there is a roof still attached to the house. What did I do??? From the ECBOE, I called Malone's, and canceled the reservation. When I got home, I sent an email to my COMMUNITY advising that due to the anticipated inclement weather, the rendezvous at Malone's was to be postponed. Still worried about those whom may not be getting the message because they might have been out on the road all day, I sought to camp out around the Malone's area to intercept.

Well!!! Lo and behold, by 7:30PM, the disastrous weather is still NOWHERE IN SIGHT; NOWHERE TO BE FOUND. Instead, a few of the group, does end up showing up @ Malone's---so we had a toned-down version of a rendezvous, anyway. It ended up being Norb Warnes, Sue McKnight, Blaine Wegrzynowski, and myself at the fellowship. It was good. Nothing insane; no sheathing of any swords!! From there I went home---caught up on a few emails, and went to bed.

I'll be damned, though. Just could not sleep.

Thursday, 28 April, was a good day. Got through work, without any incidences!! And at the ECBOE, that is an accomplishment, in its own right!! Had to get home though because I had the plumber scheduled to come over to do a wholesale roto-root of our drainage system. The measure was a preventative-maintenance one. We had on problems, but the roto-rooting hadn't been done in a while. Better to be safe, than sorry. While the plumber was doing his thing, I was taking care of some personal business. It was like the miracle at the Wedding Feast at Cana. It took a while, but in the end, the bouquet was better than ever!!! I think what was helping me was this inspirational music I was absorbing on FACEBOOK!!! Along the way to exploring this music for my betterment, I found a LINK, that inspired me to do something for my little sister's birthday, Friday!! Someone had placed a LINK having to do with Van Morrison, and THEM. A light in my head, went off!!! Before the SHADOWS OF NIGHT did it, G-L-O-R-I-A; was done by THEM. I thought this would be an excellent way to contribute to the celebration of my sister Gloria's Birthday. So I got some help, because I don't know how to do this myself, in posting the THEM; G-L-O-R-I-A---LINK on her WALL.

She loved it!!!

Friday 29 April, was really one beautiful day!! It really was. Everything was in Harmony, again. It was my little sister's Birthday. And even as there was death and destruction going on all around the world, it wasn't getting any coverage---because Prince William Arthur Philip Louis & Catherine Elizabeth Middleton were getting married to become the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge!! And about 1.5 Billion people worldwide---were watching. On this particular day, England was getting all the attention.

All-in-all, it was a great Friday. It was just like feeling whole again.

I had many many things to be grateful for. I felt I had to go back, and say thank you. I feel that
the prayers that I had said in front of Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church last Thursday, had been answered. So half-way through my web-log essay on Saturday 30 April, I decide to go to the West Side Church---to say thank you. The Vietnamese priest was pretty cool. He let me in before the 4:00PM Mass to light TWO Candles, and to take photos. I was pleasantly surprised. In the renewed glory of a recent face-lift and a fresh coat of paint, years of a near-abandoned hollowed existence, The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church has found redemption as it reaches out to the burgeoning Vietnamese community of the Middle West Side. The Father Andrew Tu Minh Ngyuyen and Deacon Bob were impressed that I decided to stay to observe Mass. They are going to Love me, Upstairs!!!! Two Masses---in one week!!
Mr & Mrs Digati were so intrigued with the scooter-ed outsider, that they stopped me after Mass to inquire about who I was---and what my connection to the Church, was.

Those whom know me, know that I will go on, and on, and on!!! They loved all the details, thoroughly impressed with all the names I still remembered, and asked if I will return.

Guaranteed!!!
--{-=@
Hickok
The Promise

NB: codex; A of C, and not the Articles of Confederation





...work in progress