It’s November the 28th...

Exactly one year since I last worked. I had a training class on safety in the work place that day, and when I returned to the office after the class, I fell in the parking lot. I finished out the rest of the day which consisted of driving 120 miles to pick up a client and taking them to an appointment. I was in terrible pain and could hardly drive. When the day was over and I got to my home I didn’t think I could make it up the steps and into my house but I did, one step at a time and pulling my left leg up behind me as I went. I decided that day that there would be no more work, I had dragged it out as long as I could. It was a hard decision for me, I believe that I cried while I made it, I did not want to call work and say, “I quit” I was not raised that way, a man works and that’s all there is to it, but my body had had enough and even though it was not a strenuous job most of the time I was tired of working in pain. My employers were great to me, they did not want me to quit and they kept me on the payroll another month and paid me for my last vacation that I had coming. If I ever get well enough to work on my feet again they would hire me back with no problems, I had been with them 14 year, out of 1100 employees I was about the 10th one they hired. I had been with them since about 6 months after they opened and before they had any clients to provide services for, so I guess you could say that I grew with them, I miss the people I worked with most of all. Anyway, one year and I’m still here, I had a good Thanksgiving and I’m looking forward to a good Christmas, my Christmas’ are always good whether I get anything or not, my family is always happy and Emily always does real well. As long as I am warm, my family is healthy and happy, we have good food and all of the kids are smiling and happy, it’s a good Christmas. You can always bet on one thing though, the Shoemakes are going to have some good ass food come Hell or high water, it‘s a fact. Peace to all.