Just received an amazing gift from my best friend in life. A brother from another mother.
It started, I think, from a joke I had made days earlier. Decided I would take the last road trip in my life to Maryland to see Matt Miller one last time while I could still drive. Getting clues my mobility is going fast but I still feel mobile enough to travel out to see Matt. Though I am worried a bit as I have not had ALS before so I do not know how quickly it will progress! And I have a fear that it will take over when I am 1,000 miles from home and then I will not be able to drive back. Not an unsolvable problem, but it would be a gigantic pain in the ass to have happened while I was traveling.
Two weeks ago, Jim and I were talking. He has been having an issue with his job and I knew he was thinking it was not going to end well for him. So, I said, facetiously, that he should quit his job and come with me on the trip to see Matt.
Backstory established; Jim came over to chat with me a couple of days ago. During the conversation he told me he was going to quit his job and come along with me on the trip. Truly a brother from another mother! And the trip grew. Now we are planning to go from Maryland to Nashville to see my son and his girlfriend, Julie in Nashville. Then on to San Antonio, spend a day at my home in Texas and I will pick up another supply of Medical CBD oil. Then a stop at Big Bend National Park and a night in Terlingua. Then on to Phoenix to see Jim's brother-in-law. Then on to San Diego to see Thomas Krumenacker and visit a few locations he has in mind. Then up to LA to see folks I know there then on to Fresno to see Phillip and Rachel Brandt. Then on to the Bay Area and stop in and see the folks I worked with in my last job and the source of my current over the top income due to the extremely generous Long-Term Disability Policy they have. Then out to the plant I managed, to visit the team there. Then on to Park City Utah and if the timing works out see Jeff and Melissa Johnson. Then I think we will head home but there are a couple of National Parks that could become part of the agenda. And these are just my stops, Jim and I are going to huddle up Monday and figure out where he wants to go.