March 28, 2006, 6:18 a.m., C.S.T.~

Dear Journal~

I have only written a few times, but not enough to make it a regular habit. My wife and some of my kids, on the other hand....golly! If they aren't going to school, working, or doing whatever they like to do best, they are always on their computers, writin' their fool brains out!

Or, as in the case of my wife and one of my daughters, writing books. My wife has four, my daughter has two. Maybe I need to write a book...

The last time I wrote, I had fallen and injured my back. I called it "Journalings Of A Man In Pain", and I have written a few stories about my family, but I have never done anything with them. They are still sittin' in one of my files, and only I know of them.

I am happy to report that my back has healed to the point to where I can function again; however, I have learned to live with constant pain. Pain is my friend; it is something I am used to. Oh, I have had several surgeries on my back, but it has only been partially successful. I have always lived with this.

 I have degenerative disk disease, osteoarthritis, bone spurs in my spine, and other things wrong with it. I had metal rods put in my back in the second surgery, and once in a while, those little buggers like to move, thus only compounding my misery. Add to all this fun, sciatica runnin' down both my legs. WHEE!

I walk on a pair of forearm crutches to try to take edge of my poor, abused spine; it helps, but it sure makes for a lot of difficulties. I am receiving disability every month, and I also work for a living (part to full time). I work at Wal*Mart, where I am a people greeter. My job is to greet the customers as they come to the store and bid them goodbye as they leave, telling them to plesae come back again, and "thank you for shopping at Wal*Mart". I meet all kinds of people, and I absolutely love my job! (I have worked at Wal*Mart a little over two years now.)

I love my life, even though it is colored with pain and uncertainties. God is the One who sustains me through my life, and I can't imagine my life without Him. I accepted Christ as my Saviour when I was but a little boy, and church has been very instrumental in my life. My family often joins me at church, and God has blessed me beyond measure, even when I think I don't deserve His Mercy.

God has brought my wife and myself a group of children, children who were in desperate need of a home/family; our children may not look like my wife or myself, but to us, that doesn't matter one iota. They are still our sons and daughters. They have grown into beautiful/handsme young men and women, and now it has gotten to the point to where we cannot imagine our world wtithout them.

Our children are disabled, but then so am I. Their obvious physical imperfections are but only a small fraction of who they really are. They are children first and foremost, and they should be given all the opportunities in the world to succeed in life. They shouldn't have to compete with able-bodied children to get the best of what life has to offer.

We try to treat them as normally as possible, even when their life is anything but. We feel that this is the best way for our kids; I think we have been pretty successful so far.

Well, I will go for now. Have to get the troops their lunches and make sure they have their school supplies. (I am off today; may write in here later; I don't know, but when you have a family like mine, what free time is severely constrained.) Take care, and God bless!

~Bill Sandusky.