Independent Consultant with a Hawaiian Shirt

No matter where you are when you hear the news, it hurts. And the further from home you are when you hear it, the more it hurts. Danny was a brother in Christ, a humble man, loving husband and devoted father. He worked hard to care for his family, and led a quiet life. I can never remember a time where I saw him without a smile on his face or peace in his spirit. For that matter, I can't remember ever seeing him without his wife in the same building. The two may be related. Two days ago, my wife called me to let me know that Danny had suffered a massive heart attack, and that he passed on. I was stunned. It was just four weekends ago that we were at the annual church retreat, talking about one of his favorite subjects - his boys, themselves fine young men. With the excitement of a father for his children, he told me how his boys were headed down to South Carolina that weekend for some time with their cousins. Even now, as I write this, I am on the verge of tears. Thinking about the...

OK, by now I'm sure I've heard just about every expression of a lack of sympathy for being "stuck" on Oahu for six weeks. Let me assure you that once you've gone around the island once, there isn't much more to do or see. The beach is rather unappealing without my kids to play with. My feelings towards the swimming pool are about the same. I came here to make money, not spend it, so I'm not going golfing. When I woke up on Saturday I decided to check out the Swap Meet at Aloha Stadium. You might recognize Aloha Stadium as the home of the NFL Pro Bowl. Well, three days a week different vendors set up their wares - T-shirts, sunglasses, cell phone accessories, farm-fresh produce and food, etc. - and people come by for the fun of it. It was fun walking around, sampling the different home-made condiments and looking at all the fun T-shirts to be purchased. More about the Swap Meet On my way back from the Swap Meet, I hopped off the bus in Chinatown and made my...

OK, so it's been six months since I last wrote here. Let me explain: February was a slow month. I didn't go anywhere. March was looking that way too, until I got a phone call out of the blue to head to Reno, Nevada. I spent a week there, followed by a return visit to Sacramento. Because I had enrolled full-time in seminary this past semester, things worked out OK. On my travel weeks I was able to attend class remotely (Thank You Skype! ). So evenings were spent in class or doing homework. Besides, in Reno the hotel was across the street from the office. That meant I didn't rent a car to go exploring. Still, there is much to see in and around Reno. A return visit with the family wouldn't be out of the picture. April saw me in Tampa, Florida and Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Again, not much exploring done due to schoolwork. But things came to a grinding halt in May - not a single week of work! Thankfully, I had enrolled in two Spring classes and was able to complete one before thin...