A little about me. I’m an older guy, in my sixties. Yes, I lived through the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and MORE. Free Love. I’m OK, You’re OK. Make Love, Not War. Even the “Gordon Geko” age of “Greed is Good”. I survived it all. I got married too young, I was only eighteen, married my high school sweetheart. (Full Disclosure; 18 years old in the 70’s was a whole lot older than 18 is today!)
My wife and I had seven children and two miscarriage pregnancies of children not born. I like to say I’ve only ever found one thing I was truly good at! (DON’T go THERE, I meant being a “Dad”!).
My first Son, died a few months after birth. Those were dark days indeed. We were young, just lost the one thing I wanted more than anything else in the world, a son to carry my fathers name. When my infant son died, I was mad at everyone. The world, my wife, my family, even mad at God. Depths of despair, I know you!
One son was a handicapped child. A genetic disease ten times more rare than Downs syndrome. A few years ago I lost my handicapped son and wife due to a terrible accident. Did I mention I was mad at “everyone”?
I was in the Army as a young man and served twenty-four years total in the Army/Army Reserve, 12 years enlisted (Staff Sergeant, E-6) and 12 years as an Officer, retiring as a Captain. I served as a unit commander during Operation Desert Storm.
I worked in technology and communications in civilian life. I had a good life. I consider myself to be a christian, a father, a conservative, a classic liberal, and generally a “lover of life”. Yes, it is true, “Life IS Good”. I say that confidently despite the tragedy that has been a part of my life.
So why am I here? Why should you listen to one damn thing I have to say? Well, I guess you could say that “I’ve been there, and done that”. I’ve made my share of mistakes, actually more than my share. They say “experience” is the BEST teacher? I must have a PHD in experience. I’ve been to several countries of the world. Let me tell you that there’s NO PLACE like the good old USA. I speak from experience (there’s that word again!).
In the military, everybody has a nickname. My nickname, as you might guess was “Mac”. Early on I was “Mac Attack”, then “Big Mac”, once I became an officer and was a Commander, it became “Captain Mac”. Still, most friends call me “Al” or “Allen” but if you know me from the military or “online”, I’m usually called “Mac”.
I mentioned “experience”. Have you ever noticed that things are not always what they seem? You know, you look at something and it just doesn’t make sense? I’m fascinated by those things, and my mind subconsciously reviews and turns over those nonsensical things until I figure them out. It’s involuntary for me. It’s a curse. I often say that “logic” is the bane of my existence as I cannot accept the “illogical”!
I’d like to invite you to join with me and my buddy Mike as we discuss some of those things. Mostly I find that when things don’t make sense it is because something is missing. That is we don’t have all the information that would make the thing, “make sense”. We’ll talk about those and invite you to send us thing YOU don’t think “make sense” to you, and we’ll discuss those too!
There are things that make sense, we used to call that “Common Sense”. You know, because “commonly”, everyone knew those things. Sadly, “Common Sense” is not a flower that grows in everyone’s garden today! (if you know what I mean).
Then there are other things that occur in everyday life that I’ve come to refer to as “the vagaries and absurdities of life”. These are things that “are”, even though they make NO “sense” whatsoever. Those “vagaries and absurdities” intrigue me to no end.
So, will “Mac and Mike” and our over one-hundred-and-twenty years of life experience have any place in your life? Can you learn something from a couple of “old guys”? (we like to consider ourselves as “experienced”!) I really don’t know for sure, but I think so.
That’s WHY we’re here!
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