Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Birth Death and the Stuff inbetween
Rey greeted me last night on my facebook page with well wishes for my birthday today (42 woo hoo) and did so in a rather morbid way "You're not dead. These people are.. you outlived such and so by a week!"
got me to thinking about birth and life and death. I was born 420 am on April 21st, 1967 in greater South East Washington DC. I was born to a 16 year old girl named Sandra Hutchison. She turned 16 March 2nd, 1967. Either right before my birth or right after her mother Shirley died. Frank, her father put her out of the house.
she was a wild woman. drank, ran around. etc. birth dad was married already & not to mom, and he was in his mid to late 20s. Named Angelo Collins (he according to my half brother Angelo Jr. was a 'bill collector' for a dc crime family) I spoke to him twice, and to his brothers and sisters after he died, who put me in touch with Angelo Jr....
Sandra's Aunt Frances and Uncle George took mom in. And told her of wanting a son they had an 11 year old daughter, Susan already but Aunt Frances has miscarried more than once and wasn't allowed to be pregnant anymore... and fostering didn't work for them.
So they took us in, helped Sandra finish high school, and waited until I was 3 and she was 19 to see about adopting me. So she took off, and they adopted me, making Uncle George and Aunt Frances Mom & Dad.
Grew up in District Heights Maryland, in Prince George's County till I was 12 and then Dad retired and we moved to Orange Virginia. (Talk about culture shock from DC to Orange Virginia -- I didn't even know what a redneck was! I was painfully going to find out...)
Let me fast forward some.
Came to Christ thru Romans Road at an Independent Methodist Church. Wow I loved Jesus. Wow. I was a New Creature. Wow. I get home and 'you'll never change...' sigh.
which is where I think my quest began. I read read read everything I could. at age 12 when we moved to Orange and starting attending a Baptist Church.. remember changing from North Paumunkey Baptist Church to Mount Zion Baptist Church cause some friends from school went to Zion, and then having to have surgery on my throat from a cyst (thyroiglustal duct cyct) and being in the Hospital for 4 days by myself and the pastor from NP Baptist not wanting to visit cause I didn't go to 'his church anymore'
dad began to think I was a sissy cause I didn't like sports, didn't like hunting just wanted to read, dream, (discovered sci fi & fantasy) and hang out in the woods pretending to be a Forestal or a Ent....
So he had me enroll in Karate. didn't want his son to be a wuss. and I enjoyed it, but met some rather interesting people -- began my journey into new age, cults, etc. Cause when I'd go visit the Rainbow Connection on weekends, stuff would happen. I'd report back to the Baptists, well that stuff isn't real..
met an indian guru, (sad guru sant kishavadas) had multiple life readings, stuff would happen predictions would come true, history's revealed. scary stuff. Baptists answer -- not real. So I being wise and 16 thought, well if it's real and works and they know stuff about me it must be okay.
fast forward to it not being okay my no longer being comfortable and wanting structure wanting capital T truth and rededicating my life to Jesus at age 18 and becoming Roman Catholic and actively practicing for at least 5 or 6 years...
then the vineyard. then assembly's of God. etc. etc.
age 30 entered the Eastern Orthodox Church.
oh - married the 1st time at age 19. she left when I was 23. nuff said about her. took a year to make a list, then dated again. Met my Magdalena, Janice. Got married to her at age 25. Been with her ever since. (17 years this June)
Strange the things that stand out. So today.
I'm 42 years old. 2009.
1995 saw my dad George pass away kool thing, 1993 he asked me how to be saved, and I got to lead him to Jesus.
2001 saw the death of my birth dad, Angelo.
2002 saw the death of my birth mom Sandra.
2007 saw the death of my mom Frances
I've outlived them all. not older, just that I'm still here and they are gone...
Here are some pictures:
12, 13 and 18 years old graduating from High School
Now, I'm 42 (the answer to the question right? lol) and my profile picture is current.
How much longer DO I have? 50 more years? 30?
What should I be doing? What should I stop doing?
these are the things I think about, on the 42nd anniversary of my birth.
Thank God for Jesus.
got me to thinking about birth and life and death. I was born 420 am on April 21st, 1967 in greater South East Washington DC. I was born to a 16 year old girl named Sandra Hutchison. She turned 16 March 2nd, 1967. Either right before my birth or right after her mother Shirley died. Frank, her father put her out of the house.
she was a wild woman. drank, ran around. etc. birth dad was married already & not to mom, and he was in his mid to late 20s. Named Angelo Collins (he according to my half brother Angelo Jr. was a 'bill collector' for a dc crime family) I spoke to him twice, and to his brothers and sisters after he died, who put me in touch with Angelo Jr....
Sandra's Aunt Frances and Uncle George took mom in. And told her of wanting a son they had an 11 year old daughter, Susan already but Aunt Frances has miscarried more than once and wasn't allowed to be pregnant anymore... and fostering didn't work for them.
So they took us in, helped Sandra finish high school, and waited until I was 3 and she was 19 to see about adopting me. So she took off, and they adopted me, making Uncle George and Aunt Frances Mom & Dad.
Grew up in District Heights Maryland, in Prince George's County till I was 12 and then Dad retired and we moved to Orange Virginia. (Talk about culture shock from DC to Orange Virginia -- I didn't even know what a redneck was! I was painfully going to find out...)
Let me fast forward some.
Came to Christ thru Romans Road at an Independent Methodist Church. Wow I loved Jesus. Wow. I was a New Creature. Wow. I get home and 'you'll never change...' sigh.
which is where I think my quest began. I read read read everything I could. at age 12 when we moved to Orange and starting attending a Baptist Church.. remember changing from North Paumunkey Baptist Church to Mount Zion Baptist Church cause some friends from school went to Zion, and then having to have surgery on my throat from a cyst (thyroiglustal duct cyct) and being in the Hospital for 4 days by myself and the pastor from NP Baptist not wanting to visit cause I didn't go to 'his church anymore'
dad began to think I was a sissy cause I didn't like sports, didn't like hunting just wanted to read, dream, (discovered sci fi & fantasy) and hang out in the woods pretending to be a Forestal or a Ent....
So he had me enroll in Karate. didn't want his son to be a wuss. and I enjoyed it, but met some rather interesting people -- began my journey into new age, cults, etc. Cause when I'd go visit the Rainbow Connection on weekends, stuff would happen. I'd report back to the Baptists, well that stuff isn't real..
met an indian guru, (sad guru sant kishavadas) had multiple life readings, stuff would happen predictions would come true, history's revealed. scary stuff. Baptists answer -- not real. So I being wise and 16 thought, well if it's real and works and they know stuff about me it must be okay.
fast forward to it not being okay my no longer being comfortable and wanting structure wanting capital T truth and rededicating my life to Jesus at age 18 and becoming Roman Catholic and actively practicing for at least 5 or 6 years...
then the vineyard. then assembly's of God. etc. etc.
age 30 entered the Eastern Orthodox Church.
oh - married the 1st time at age 19. she left when I was 23. nuff said about her. took a year to make a list, then dated again. Met my Magdalena, Janice. Got married to her at age 25. Been with her ever since. (17 years this June)
Strange the things that stand out. So today.
I'm 42 years old. 2009.
1995 saw my dad George pass away kool thing, 1993 he asked me how to be saved, and I got to lead him to Jesus.
2001 saw the death of my birth dad, Angelo.
2002 saw the death of my birth mom Sandra.
2007 saw the death of my mom Frances
I've outlived them all. not older, just that I'm still here and they are gone...
Here are some pictures:
12, 13 and 18 years old graduating from High School
Now, I'm 42 (the answer to the question right? lol) and my profile picture is current.
How much longer DO I have? 50 more years? 30?
What should I be doing? What should I stop doing?
these are the things I think about, on the 42nd anniversary of my birth.
Thank God for Jesus.
