There have been a few new additions to my menu bar above the title of this journal to provide links to my Portfolios! Just hover your mouse over the Portfolios I and Portfolios II links above to access any/all of my portfolios. (Both the portfolio category name, i.e. NATURE, PORTRAITS etc, as well as the representative image are linked to those portfolios so click on either one).


Hello to all of you. I sincerely hope this journal finds you and your families and loved ones in good health, happy and enjoying this Fall season. Halloween is nearly here already and then comes my favorite time of the year...or at least the Thanksgiving/Christmas season used to always be my favorite time of the year.

As many of you who are close to me are aware of, I have been through the fire these last many months...my back against the wall, nowhere to turn and the wolves (pun intended) snapping at my heels. There were many times that I thought/felt/believed that I would not be strong enough to get through it...to rise from the depths that circumstances plunged me to. Through it all however, many of my new friends...my ONLY friends (sad as that may be in one sense, but deeply gratifying in another) stuck by me with constant support, best wishes and advice, without which, I think it may have been entirely possible that I may not have had the strength to keep fighting. Some have said that I am good with words, express my thoughts and emotions very well, but I don't think I will EVER have the skill to find the right words to tell all of you how much it has meant to me to get this kind of loyalty, support and honest caring such as I can't ever remember getting from people I have known longer and more closely! With all the love that has come my way from you, my dearest friends, I have found the strength to keep trying, to ignore the pain and the worries and the fears and find my way back up to level ground.

One of the most incredible acts of true friendship from a friend I won't name here (I'm certain this friend knows who I am referring to and is satisfied with the knowledge of how they have helped me and how much it has meant to me and doesn't need or want any recognition or reward) was perhaps the single most important turning point in my recovery. If I manage to live to 100 years, I'll never be able to fully repay this friend or express my total, overwhelming gratitude to them. I only hope they understand how I feel and know that they will ALWAYS be able to count on me for any way I can ever help them for the rest of my days and that they have my unending friendship in return.

I don't want to single out any of my friends due to the size or quality of their support as being better than the support I've received from any other friend. All of my DA friends have been there for me, even though they all have their own troubles to deal with and every act of friendship...big or small, is as important and heartwarming as any other. I thank you ALL from the bottom of my heart!

As this year's holiday season approaches, I know that this Thanksgiving will have new meaning for me...as it has not for several years now. Though I may physically set down to Thanksgiving dinner by myself, I know I will not be alone. In my heart, I will be at a huge banquet table, surrounded by all my friends here and though I don't consider myself a deeply religious man, one religious story comes immediately to my mind...that of the Last Supper, when according to the story, Jesus knelt and bathed the feet of his disciples as though he were a mere servant instead of the Son of God as a way of showing his love and respect for them. In my heartfelt Thanksgiving dinner, with all of you there with me, I will be waiting on you all, serving you to show that same love and respect. For the first time in a long time, I feel I will truly have something wonderful to give thanks for this year.

Some will undoubtedly think this journal too much, too sappy or too sentimental or whatever, but to me, I have not said enough. For one who is not very used to receiving displays of affection and/or friendship, I am simply in awe of my DA friends and love and respect every one of you as the best of the best and you all have a permanent place in my heart as long as I have one!

As I said earlier, thanks to the strength I have found in the support from all of you, I have managed to pull myself up from the hole that could easily have become my own grave and I am now able to walk with my head held a bit higher now...proud of what I have been able to overcome...obstacles that might have made some others fail and fall. I know now that I will make it and though I may never achieve a level of "success" that some do, I will have what I need and will never again find myself back in that pit. I am not a vain man either...I am fully aware that it has only happened with my own efforts in combination with strength given me by my friends, not by my own character alone. I know that when hard times knock on my door again, the strength you all have helped me find will rise up again and keep me strong...my new "shield".

It's been difficult for me to go from being able to be online all the time due to my long unemployment, to having so many new responsibilities again with little time to do the things I just like to do or want to do, like being here on DA more than I have been lately, but I will get caught up and work out a routine again. Then I will be able to spend more time at least, if not as much as I'd like, being here with you all and enjoying our bit of time together. I get a bit closer to that goal every day. I miss each and every one of you and even when you aren't hearing from me, I am working to change that.

In keeping with my thanks to those of you that have gone out of your way to help me when I have needed it, this journal will feature works from those that have stuck by me and been there for me. There is no way I can feature works from everyone that has shown me any kind of support, there are too many so I will feature some that have gotten the closest to me, apologize to any that I miss. All of you mean so much to me.