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Michelle, Marilyn & Will

Greetings! My name is Carl Jones and I used to be a blogger. Every day for the better part of 6 years I would post random thoughts and musings about life, faith friendship and love at this very spot and millions (Okay-tens!) of you would stop by to read each day. Then on November 2, 2015, it all came to an end. As the months passed there were a few random posts, most recently exactly 3 months ago yesterday. Much has transpired in my life since August, and most of it is now behind me. And as I face a future with a bit more free time and hopefully less stress, the urge to write again seems to be coming back. So today, I dip one of my 7 toes in the deep end. Whether I will dive in or not remains to be seen...

Let me try to get everyone caught up on life in Carl Land these past few months. Many of you know my Mom died on February 5th, and much of my time and energy since then has gone into finalizing her estate, cleaning out and selling her villa, and making her decisions and transactions related to her passing. It has been sometimes difficulty, sometimes painful, sometimes stressful and ever-present- and that is just the work. Dealing with Mom no longer being here continues to be a separate but equal difficulty. As I slogged through the process and dealt with call after call from real estate agents, lawyers, bankers, financial advisers and handymen it seemed certain that this was not survivable. To lessen the stress, I changed the ringtone for everyone related to the work to Don't Worry, Be Happy- and it helped! Even so there were numerous obstacles to overcome along the way in what seemed to be a never-ending process. Eventually we found our way through the system, completed the paper work, emptied her home and with the help of an amazing realtor named Carol Zior put the villa on the market. Last Friday we closed the sale, and Mom's home now belongs to lovely couple moving in from Raleigh, NC. The Circle of Life, huh?

Having whined a bit about how hard it all was, I should also tell you that my Mom had crossed every "t" and dotted every "i" in preparation of her passing. Nothing was difficult to find or to process from our end, no matter how difficult the banks and courts tried to make it. And Mom, even as she prepared to leave us, was still taking care of our family. Almost as soon as we started dealing with her death, we began to find indications of saved monies that we didn't know about. And it didn't stop for about the first month. Now, with the villa sold as well, Marilyn, Will & myself have a little surprise nest egg. I took a weekend away to NC and had a great visit with old friends (thanks for the cookout, Martha Farlow!) and some time to unwind. We have some new furniture for the first time in 10 years (my recliner was the only new piece purchased in those years). Marilyn and I will taking a Hawaiian vacation in August for our 30th anniversary. In November, Will & Michelle will join us for a long weekend in New York City. There have been several dinners where friends raised a glass to toast my mother even as she "paid" for it. It is is even possible that I may come out of this with a car of my own. Not new, but still...  God is good, and life is exciting these days. My Mom always came to our aid, even when we didn't ask for it. And now she has done it one last time! We all love and miss her, and her passing just makes me miss my Dad that much more as well.

Marilyn is doing well, working hard and finding ways to spend time at Disney. Her skills in the legal field and as a notary were crucial in expediting all of the paper work dealing with Mom's estate. We look forward to having the resources to do some of the things we have been unable to do for the last decade as we approach that 30th anniversary.

It is also my pleasure to report that our dear friend Lisa Jewett is doing very well. After months of chemo treatments and surgeries her cancer is in remission (but please keep praying!) and her gallbladder has gone bye-bye! She feels the best she has in a very long time and is getting in great time with family and friends before resuming teaching in August. It has been an honor to walk with her through this rough patch, and now we look forward to lots of fun!

Our son Will continues his outstanding work in the film school at the University of Central Florida and at the Olive Garden located near the campus. He is taking three online classes this summer, and they begin today. He and Marilyn spent Mother's Day weekend in NC with her mom (who could use your prayers too- her health is very up and down right now) and had a great time together. And he and Michelle are still going strong!

So I guess that catches you up with my life. It's nice to be writing again, and I think there will be more to come- just not every day. There is so much craziness going on in the world that I have yet to comment on- bathroom laws, Donald Trump and a GREAT Chicago Cubs team- and maybe the interwebs could use one more slightly off-kilter voice. As my Dad liked to say, your future is unwritten until you write it. I'm plowing ahead, seeking to write a new chapter in my own life. You are invited along for the ride!

Because of Jesus,