Time waits for no one

I like the way funeral homes have used technology to bring a little joy to the somber event. Most funeral homes now encourage the family to bring old pictures so they can display them on the wall above the casket to show happier times. As the family was viewing the pictures of my nephew, you could hear some laughter but there were also a few tears. Overall everyone enjoyed the pictures. My nephew had a rough 20 years but we were reminded that his happy childhood was not an indicator for what was to eventually take his life. His addiction not only wasted his life but he disappointed his family. His world of doing drugs, rehab, going to community college, back on drugs, going to jail, another stab at rehab and back to drugs is now over. May he rest in peace.

When I first got out of the army it was our intention to live in Houston but after hearing my nieces and nephews stories of their daily commute; made me think that I made the right decision by staying in my hometown. I was listening as my working family we're exchanging alternate routes, wait times, parking garage fees, beltways, feeder roads, toll roads, and HOV lanes and public transportation as a means to get the work every morning. My niece and her husband lives in Sugar Land but they work in downtown Houston. They told stories of waking up 2 hours before they had to be at work, just to make sure that the children got off to school and be on the road before the traffic jams occur. My wife reminded them that on a bad day it would only take me 30 minutes to get to my job and park on their free parking lot. That sounded good to them at the moment but I'm sure they are accustomed to their lifestyle and it's not that big of a deal anymore. It's funny because they come to Victoria to relax from the rat race in we go to Houston to be part of the traffic jams etc.

I just couldn't get over the fact that my sister and I are the only ones that are not on Facebook. A younger relative pulled out his smart phone and offered to enroll us but we told him that it was by choice. He could believe it; I guess to him it was like not having a mailbox or television set. At the many gatherings we attended the young folks were updating their Facebook page or texting their friends. In fact, it was the first rosary that I have ever attended where the priest asked everyone to turn off their cell phones. I don’t think anyone had their cell phones turned on but I bet it’s happened in the past. You would think it would be automatic to turn off your phone, like removing your hat to say grace or for the singing of the National Anthem. I always turn off my phone while I'm attending church; I’ll just take that risk that nothing would happen during that hour. The other thing that startled our younger relatives was the route we chose to come home from Texas City. The younger relatives(less than 50 years old) always take 45 to 59 or Beltway 8 to get to Victoria, so they laughed when I told them that I was using highway 6. They called it the old folk’s route. Well yeah.