There are two little girls who I love more than anything on this planet. Isis (yes her name is Isis but she had it 3 years before the terrorists did) is four years old, and Xyana is two. My wife and I are not related to them in any way shape or form. We have just had the great fortune of knowing them since Isis was 3 months old and Xyana's birth. In my 45 years of life I have not experienced anything better than the pureness and perfection of a child. Watching as they learn to walk and talk are great but it is the smaller things that really amaze me. I especially remember the time I first noticed Isis, who knew how to count for quiet some time, learned that each marshmallow she counted was represented by an actual number. Before that, any group of 5 things could have been counted as 3, 8 or even 10. It was so cool to see her count 5 of them over and over, each represented by its own number. She finally understood! Once when Xyana had done something mean to Isis while we were driving somewhere, my wife was scolding her. Her reply after a short time was “can you guys be quiet up there, I’m trying to sleep. They used to spend the night 3 or 4 times a week but now live 10 hours away. It is not easy to have phone conversations with small children but we manage (mostly due to my wife who is a better communicator than I). It is extremely difficult to be separated from them. It feels as if part of me is missing. I have kept a journal of them since their birth. It chronicles the things they have learned, the funny things they say and do, and things we have done and shared together. It will be a gift to them one day. I love reading through it. Words paint a much better and clearer picture than a photo does. It is nice to relive those times in my head.
Things I like (besides Isis and Xyana).
Laughing, talk radio, Rice-A-Roni, pizza, Chinese food, potato’s in any form except raw, pie, macaroni and cheese, licorice, and my cholesterol and blood pressure medication. Food is defiantly my drug of choice.
I am overweight by about 30 pounds. Loosing weight is very hard for me. I go up and down between 230 and 250. I quit smoking 15 years ago and found it to be very easy to do so. I have never had a craving. Really, I never have. But food is a whole other ballgame.
I hope one day to live close to my girls again so if anyone in or near the western part of Michigan’s upper peninsula needs a hard working honest man, please let me know.
My favorite emails are the ones that tell something about that persons life, the least are those that offer advice. My favorites, in the order I received them have been from:
Deva Niaz (when I was notified I had won I thought it might be a hoax because of your story.)
Garrick Van Buren
Josh (from Ohio)
Taylor Hesselgrave
Steve Ngapo (hope Ella is well)
Warren M.
J. from IN
Brandon (DE)
Andrew (WI)
Fred (Boston)
Megan (Houston)
Gary Marshall
Kristen Teraila
Jonathan Kaufmann
Randi S
Victoria Mark
Roman
Wendy (Atlanta)
JP Erkelens
Anonymous (MidAtlantic)
Warwick Poole
Kim D
Cattie (Missouri)
Lauren (Brooklyn)
Kat Hurley
Jessica Friedman
Thanks for your time,
Bill
Michigan, USA
[email protected]
(3 words to spare)