Little Belle died today. She lived almost twice as long as normal for a lab rat, survived cancer twice, and could put screws into a bucket. She's the one on top. Ratagast, the one on the bottom, died this summer. They were both awesome rats, and will be missed.  

The time has arrived to have pictures on the blog. Thanks to Will and Liam, I now know the joy of free picture hosting. Its called "Hello." You should check it out. You can clearly see it has made me more noble, even with an Aerobie on my head. 

***In order to read this post to its fullest effect you must first imagine Joe standing outside next to a tree with his mouth wide open and a look of utter amazement on his face. His hair is a bit rumpled, and perhaps he has put his pants on Backwards or inside out. Got it? Good. Go on with the reading, then.***

Life has a way of waking you up sometimes. You see, its very easy to get bogged down in the monotony of work, sleep, work, sleep, and to sometimes loose sight of the inconceivable joys and astounding sorrows which can occur in the world. Especially poingiant is the sequence when you are presented with Joy, then Sorrow, then Joy, then Sorrow, then Joy all within the space of a week. It can belittle your own self to such an enormous degree that you are faced with the George Harrison fact of existence:

"When you've seen beyond yourself then you will find piece of mind is waiting there. And the time will come when you see we're all one and life flows on within you and without you."

The past week has been such a week.

Such a wonderful week.

It all started when I found out my new car (now named "Sam Wise"), the one I have been fighting for for three months, would be ready right before Thanksgiving. In fact, I could pick it up, pick my mom up in Anniston, and along with Nick drive to South Carolina for Thanksgiving with Will, Megahn, and unborn Liam, Daddy, and the Hobbs. Every time I thought about this I was very happy. I then thought of Peeg and Stacy in Japan and Liz and Josh who had to work and was sad they could not be there, too. They were indeed missed.
That day, right after confirming that my new car was ready, I got a phone call from Mama saying the Beam's Vet Clinic had been badly damaged in a Tornado. The Beams are family friends. Sadness. Then I found out everyone was ok. Great joy and relief. And, oddly enough, the initial joy of my new car was much smaller, now in perspective.
We got to SC and had a wonderful time. Great food, family time, the annual football game where everyone had a least two great plays, and more food. Joy, joy joy.
Nick and I then left and stayed in Anniston for a night, sharing a Sonic feast with my grandparents. They amaze me. The dedication to eachother is amazing. More Joy.
The next morning, very early, Will called to say Meghan was in labor. Joy to the point of jitteriness. Nick and I drove up and got there right after William Arthur Leudders Chandler ("Liam") was born. I held him and he didn't cry. He is healthy, Megahn is healthy. Nick and I hung around to take care of some stuff for Will and Meghan so they could sleep a bit. Indescribable joy. No words, just a warmth and perspective that makes everything else, quite literally, ok. Nick and I headed back to T-town with tons of leftovers in a new car after meeting our new Nephew after having a wonderful thanksgiving in which countless lives (animal and human) were spared in a Tornado. Cloud Nine.
The day after we got back I got a call from my dad. My Great Uncle Arthur had died just a few days short of being 97. Sadness. Sadness for Grandma, his sister, and for the world at the loss of a wonderful man.
Recall, however, Liam's full name. It includes Arthur Leudders... Great Uncle Arthur's name. Liam was named for him. I was told that Uncle Arthur new of the birth before he passed away. Indescribable joy and awe.

Life flows on within you and without you.

I hope everyone is well.
Peace,
Joe