This has been a very tumultuous year which is ending much better for me than when it began. I have much to be thankful for and many to thank for helping me along the long and difficult road to recovery from a crippling physical injury, which I have accepted and am learning daily to live with.

These last three months have been particularly refreshing. The beginning of October saw me able, for the first time in over a year and a half, to provide for my daily needs over the course of a week, establishing a "homestead" at an Intown Suites that allowed me access to doctor visits via taxi. Two weeks after that acquisition of a power chair gave me freedom from the taxis and access to the entire city via the Dallas transit system. And on the fourth week God created a Walmart next door! The wound-vac canisters that filled in two days are now half full after nine. God willing I will shed that "ball and chain" soon.

The laptop Foy and Wynetta gave me after my second hospital stay continues to be the gift that keeps on giving. I've even had my interest in Flight Simulator as a hobby rekindled. Having recently graduated to Flight Simulator X (FSX), I modified the Supercar instrument panel and am beginning to grasp the fundamentals of FS design. I have two scenery creation projects underway for inclusion in the program: the Lakewood Yacht Club, and my own "fantasy island."

And, I'm happy to report that I've again started writing fiction. I've been reading a lot of fiction lately and a couple of weeks ago, after finishing a Clive Cussler novel, I was hit with inspiration on with a sequel to A Journeyman's Rite. After all these years, the path became clear and I knew where to take the story. Yes, I'm feeling encouraged. 2009 is pregnant with promiss.

As the line goes in the theme from Enterprise, "It's been a long road, getting from there to here." At last I have arrived. Believing in "the hope of the heart" pays off. My "Payday, Someday" has arrived (thank you, R.G. Lee). The interest continues to compound and confound. Cheryl came to visit this past weekend. The broken circle is complete again, and in to the future it will roll. Power chairs are good for that too, especially in my case. My vehicular utilization curve is limited right now but I'm making the most of what I have--be it a motorized wheelchair on the physical level, or virtual aircraft via Flight Simulator on the imaginary plane. Flights of fancy can yield tangible rewards. I recently purchased Microsoft Flight Simulator X (Ten), or FSX. It had been a while since I'd gone "simming," and what skills I had were rusty, to say the least, but I had missed the challenge. As soon as I learned, via an online test, that my laptop could run the program I took the plunge. After a few days of experimenting I discovered, quite by accident, that there is a flight simulator in Google Earth. It is rather simplistic, compared to the Microsoft product, but it is interesting. It can be found in Earth View, under "Tools." Caution: Can Be Habbit Forming. Diversions can be good. As Spock once said, "The more complex the mind, the greater the need for simple play." I allowed myself to go too long without. No more. As John Fogarty said, "I'm ready to play." It will take some time for me to get back up to speed, but my reluctance to resume activity has been overcome. I'm back, with a vengence! Stay tuned...