8-31-15 Counting Down

We had a great time at church this morning. The praise and worship was most excellent! Lots of great people praising the Lord.

Well, it's going to be a long week. Preparing for the service on Saturday. So many people are helping out, it's really fantastic the ladies of the church will help prepare the tables with centerpieces on Thursday evening in preparation for the service on Saturday morning.

Just a reminder in case you have not been reading the blog each day, Harriet's service will be this coming Saturday, September 5, 11:00 AM at Sonrise Community Church, 8805 N. Magnolia, Santee, CA 92071. I would advise you to get there 15 to 20 minutes in advance so you can park and also signed the book before you come in. We will have some refreshments after the service.

It was are son Joe's birthday today. We went to Boll Weevil for a hamburger. It was very nice. Little Matthew is so cute. I'm going to attaching a picture of Daniel and Matthew.

Lots of exciting things happening this week, Daniel got his ID card from the state of California and he scheduled to take his driver's permit test on Tuesday. Then I start taking him out for driving lessons. It will be a "Crash Course", no pun intended. He'd like to get his license in a couple weeks. I believe I mentioned that after 2 months in the transitional housing he's able to start working and making money. He's going to need that as he starts his new life.


I will keep you updated this next week. I hope you can make it to the service on Saturday morning. I know it's tough because it is on Labor Day weekend a lot of people will be out of town.

"So do not fear, for I am with you: do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you: I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

Maranatha,
Frank

8-30-15 Sunday

"Today is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it"

I hope that you will take the time today to go to the house the Lord. My message today at church will be, "The Biggest Word in the Bible". No I'm not going to tell you what it is, you have be at church.

I've included a nice picture from 2009. Going from left to right you have Harriet's brother Jim Reese and his wife Cindy sitting in front of him. I'm standing next to Jim and then to my left is Harriet's brother John Reese and his wife Diane. Standing next to John is Spencer D Wimer. Then you have my wife Harriet and her sister Lee Ann Wimer (yes she's married to Spencer D) and you have their mother Evelyn Reese sitting in the chair. It's very rare that we get everybody together because Jim and John and their families live in Oregon and then you have Spence and Lee Ann lived in Oklahoma.

Maranatha,
Frank

8-29-15 One Week till the Service for Harriet

I have Bible Study to teach on Friday nights, so I am saving my words for class. But I have these two pics, taken from the same page in the Picture Album. Harriet and baby Timothy. He is no baby anymore and then his brother Joseph enjoying himself with what looks like Cake. So this must have been taken about 15 years ago. And one pic of Daniel and me yesterday.
Maranatha,
Frank

Daniel and Me having some Mexican food.8-28-15

8-28-15 So What Is This Transitional Housing All about?

I've had a lot of people ask about the transitional housing and I'll try and explain to the best of my ability.

The transitional housing that Daniel is involved in is sponsored by a Christian organization. They do daily devotions and they encourage church attendance. They are divided into 2 groups, the lifers and the rest of the guys. The lifers are people who've spent a lot of time in prison and they really want to get out, so there willing to obey the laws an do What they are told. The other group are people who been in prison for shorter periods of time and they are using this transitional housing as a means of paroling.

The lifers have more privileges than the other group. The way it was explained there are 4 cycles of learning which takes 6 months total. The 1st 2 cycles are completed within 60 days and then if you can get a job you can go to work, but you still have to return to the transitional housing.

When a person starts transitional housing they do a drug test and drug tests can be administered any time Parole officer want. So if they want to stay in this program they have to keep their noses clean.

In Daniel's case, he has a lot of liberty. Anytime after 10 AM I can pick him up and return him by 11 o'clock at night. But, that's way past my bedtime. I did pick him up today at 10:15 AM. I took him by my Sweatshop. Then I took them to a special place where Harriet and I used to go to lunch occasionally, George's at the Cove in  La Jolla. I've done a lot of work for the owner including reupholstering many of the items in his restaurant. It has the proverbial million-dollar view of the coast including La Jolla Cove and North along the coast all the way up as far as you can see.

I want you to think of Daniel as being 35 years old, fully grown adult, very intelligent, but lacking in adult experiences outside of prison. I'm trying to broaden his view of his surroundings. Including places that his mother and I used to go that were special.

Then we came back to my house. The temperature was almost 100° in Santee California Thursday. Which means it's time to go to the pool. We have 2 pools in our Park. One is being remodeled (great timing, why couldn't you do it during the winter?) But the larger pool was available and when it's hot like this I've noticed that people don't go in the middle of the day because they want to go in the cool of the morning or the cool of the evening. So Daniel and I went up there and Daniel swam laps. It's been a long time since he's been able to do this.

He will stay at my house until this evening and then I'm going to take him home. On the weekends, I can check him out on Saturday morning and then I must return him by 3:30 PM on Sunday afternoon. So I can tell you that I feel that it's much more lax than I had anticipated.

After Labor Day weekend on September 7 he starts the new program which will probably have a little bit more structure and he'll have to attend some classes during the day. From what I can see so far, these people in charge are trying to do a good job and trying to make sure that these men are set free from their life of crime. As I mentioned they do encourage church attendance.



This is a picture of Harriet and my brother, the Big Guy (Woof) about 1998.

I will be able to pick up Daniel in the afternoon and he will be at Bible study we have every Friday night at church. I'm currently teaching the book of Revelation we are in chapter 3.

I hope that answers all questions and if you have anymore, let me know,

Frank

8-27-15 More pics

The program that was giving me a bad time is now working, thankfully. I have about 74 gigs of data on it. Yes, it is all backed up.

So I picked up Daniel yesterday and brought him to our home so he can kick back a little. I have to take him back in the evening. He is sort of like a Library Book. I have to check him out and then return him.

I have a picture taken probably on Thanksgiving Day about 8 years ago I would guess.  That is our sons Joe and Ben on either side of me. Then left to right you have little Joe, Hilda with Samuel on her lap, Harriet and then Timothy.

I had to include these two pics. Ethan when he was a little guy. Hilda said he was the biggest baby, but he is such a nice little guy now. 9-20-10

With Harriet 8-1-10 with Ethan.

Thank you for all the cards, emails, twitter, Skype, I really appreciate them.

Frank
Extra

8-26-15 I Forgot!

I went to work and there are some pics on that computer that are not on the home laptop. I burned the pics to a flash drive. Yes you are right, left the flash drive in the computer.

So now I had to do a quick search on the Laptop. I came up with this picture.
Well I really do have a picture, but that program is now frozen solid. I have to turn the computer off and let it rest for the night.

I am up and at em. I turn on the computer and the program is still not working, which means I can't put the picture in that I wanted, sorry.

Maranatha,
Frank

8-25-15 Only 4 More Months till Christmas!

Well things are starting to settle down a little. I took Daniel to the Transition Housing in Spring Valley. Christian people running it. They are very nice.

I am trying to catch up and things and prepare for Harriet's service.

Proverbs 18:10
The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe.

I hope that you are anchored in the Rock. Jesus is the Rock of our salvation.

This picture goes with the one I used yesterday. Taken right after Mathew Kovacs was born. He is so cute! (She is cute too)

Maranatha,
Frank

8-24-15 How Great Is Your Love

Sorry, I forgot to publish this post.

That was the title of the message this morning at Maranatha Bible Church. God is love! It is great to have the assurance that his love never fails.

So today is Monday and I will be taking Daniel to his transitional housing. I will talk to the people in charge and I will request that he be able to attend his mother's funeral service on September 5 at 11 AM, at Sonrise Community Church in Santee California.
I do have a few more pictures. This picture was taken probably a couple of years ago. Because Matthew is just a brand-new baby. He sure has grown. (The pictures were taken actually on February 11, 2013)
I hope you have a fantastic week and Maranatha!

Frank

8-23-15 Sunday

This is the Sunday morning Post. Just a few pics.
Harriet with little Timothy

Harriet with her brother Jim and his wife Cindy. Taken about 20 years ago

This pic was taken about 15 years ago, The cliffs below Torrey Pines.

The last picture was taken earlier this year. Joe and his Mom, how they loved each other!

 

That is it for today. May God bless you!

Maranatha,

Frank

8-22-15 More Pics

Two weeks from today we are going to have the service for Harriet. I wanted to ask all those that do facebook to pass the info along incase there is someone that does not know, but if they did, they would like to attend.

Sat. Sept. 5th, 2015 at Sonrise Community Church 11:00AM. The address is 8805 N. Magnolia in Santee, CA 92071.

Thanks for taking the time to pass the info along.

Harriet, Hilda and can you believe that is Timothy and Little Joe?

Harriet and Ethan at In and Out. That is Little Joe in the right background. Compared to the picture above.

A lot of people have commented about the pic I put in when Harriet and I were leaving for our Honeymoon and the surfboard was on top. So as I am going through these albums I am coming up with older pics with the surfboards and stuff.

This pic was taken March 1963, I was a Jr. in High School. From left to right, me, my brother (The Big Guy) and my best friend George Harmon.

 Yes that is a 1933 Chev. coup. And it took us to the beach many times. The next pic is of George and me. That was my first store bought board on top, the one with the red rails.

Sunday morning the title of the message is, "How Great is Your Love?" I hope you can be there.  www.mbcsd.org for all the info.

Maranatha,
Frank

8-21-15 Daniel's Birthday Today

Yes today is Daniel's birthday. He got out in time for his birthday, but not in time to see his Mother.

OK, I promised you pics that have never been revealed. Sept. 2001, our first trip to Hawaii.  I talked Harriet into riding the Outrigger. So this first shot is her and I.

The next picture was taken at the USS Arizona Memorial. There are other ships and as you can see hands-on equipment. Harriet manning the guns to protect the Island.

The third picture is at our favorite place Dukes.

 Sorry this picture did not come out so well.

So that is it for now. More updates and pics tomorrow.

Maranatha,
Frank

8-20-15 Pics of Daniel

I received a lot of questions concerning Daniel. So I thought I would answer the questions and give you some pictures.

The question most asked was, "What was his 1st meal"? We went to the Greek restaurant in Lakeside that serves the Gyro sandwiches. And he did a good job and taking care of business.I'm sure he's not eaten anything but flavorful for a long time. Then we had pizza for dinner.

 Daniel at about age 7, with shaving cream I put on his nose.

Joseph and Daniel about the time so that would make Joseph about 10 years old.

I had to include a picture of Harriet During the same time. So from left to right, it is me and then our good friend Lorraine Crumly and then Harriet with a hairstyle that you have not seen her in for a long time or maybe never.




Now we fast-forward to August 19, 2015. Breakfast at Lakeside Cafe, with Joseph, Hilda, the boys, Daniel and myself.

I wanted to give you an update on Daniel's transitional housing situation. Daniel met with his parole officer today and the guy was a very nice guy, but he told Daniel that he must do the transitional housing, it's not up to anyone to change that order. The transitional housing is for 6 month.

On the good side he does not have to report to transitional housing in Spring Valley until Monday by 11 AM. This means that he has the freedom to stay with me until that time. Of course all these things were so new to him and I must tell you something that's very interesting. He is fascinated by the colors in all the tree leaves! And I'm just talking about the different color greens in the various trees. You have to remember that he's been pretty much cloistered for 17 years and in his last prison, if he saw a tree it was in a distance and it was a palm tree and that's it.

I remember when I had my hip replacement and I was in the hospital for 3 days. I distinctly remember on the drive home commenting to Harriet how beautiful the trees are and the various colors and shades of green. Many times if not all the time we are so busy with life, we go through it at Warp Speed and we forget the beauty that is all around us.

Daniel will be coming to Bible class on Friday night and to church on Sunday morning. I hope that you'll be able to come and greet him.

He is at the optometrist right now getting a current prescription for contact lenses. There are so many different things that need to be taken care of. I'm so thankful for Joe and Hilda because they have shouldered much of the load. I have so much on my plate at this time. In preparation for Harriet's service which is a priority. So I am very thankful for both Joe and Hilda! I can't tell you how wonderful they are, because it's hard to explain all the support that their giving to Daniel and to me.

On another note, you will not want to miss tomorrow's blog. You're probably asking yourself why? Because I will reveal pictures never before seen by mere mortal men or women. They are pictures that we took on our 1st trip to Hawaii in 2001. Matter of fact, it was September 2001. Does that month and year ring a bell? September 10, 2001, the day that the United States was under attack by terrorists. We've had already planned our trip to to Hawaii and we were to leave on about September 21 if I remember correctly. Pretty much the majority of people canceled their flight reservations and we didn't. It was amazing, because compared to what we found out was normal, there was very few tourists.

By the way the service for Harriet will be at 11:00AM on Sept. 5th at Sonrise Community Church . The address is 8805 N. Magnolia, in Santee, CA

So, tomorrow you will get some pictures that not very many people have seen of Harriet. I know that when I get to heaven, she's gonna ask me why did you show those pics? You'll love them!

Thank You My Friends,

Frank

8-19-15 "The Eagle Has Landed"

1st of all I made a mistake yesterday. Our son Joseph pointed out to me that I left out a picture from yesterday's blog. So, if you go back to yesterday's blog there is one more picture inserted in the center area.

So, it really was a long day today. Got up at 1 AM and went over to our son Joseph's house and picked him up and little Joe and Timothy. We took the northern route heading north on I 15 and I took the secret cutoff that saves you 6 minutes, but it takes you through winding territories which I will never do again. We got to the prison at 5:30 AM. We had to wait until Daniel was brought out to us in the bus, I believe there was a total of 5 people that were released to today at about 7:40AM

So we had our long journey back home which was nice but just real long. It was nice to have Daniel in the car and we talked about a lot of things. We went straight to Joe's house and Daniel has not ever seen Joseph and Hilda's 3 younger boys, Samuel, Ethan and Matthew. He was introduced all the way around and then we went to lunch. You have to remember that this is probably the 1st good meal that Daniels had a long time. He did well. Then I left them and went home to take a nap. Very tired. Joe and Hilda took Daniel shopping for clothes. It was a real adventure from what I understand.

When I got up I went back over to Joe and Hilda's house and we all went swimming in their pool. It's been a long time for Daniel to be in the pool and it was a great experience. All the kids love him.

We're back home now and Daniel is sorting through his things that were purchased and getting ready to go to the transitional housing tomorrow. He does have to check in by 11 AM. As far as the restrictions are concerned it is uncertain at this point in time because I believe that in clerical error was made and giving his designation as a "lifer" that has been paroled, which has a different standard that they must adhere to. Hopefully we will be able to talk reason to the people in charge tomorrow morning.

I want to thank you all for your prayerful support and your kindness. At this point in time I don't think that Daniel will be there on Friday night for Bible class but he's sure to be there on Sunday morning for church, Lord willing.

I'm attaching some pictures. The 1st one is Harriet and Timothy when he was very small. And then you have Harriet Along with Joseph and Timothy when they're both pretty small still. Very cute.

More to follow in the next few days.

Maranatha,
Frank

8-18-15 To Day is The Day Daniel gets to come Home

Well we got up early this morning and left to go pick up Daniel. It's been a long haul. It reminds me of what pastor Tony senior used to say. "Sin takes you further than you want to go, keeps you longer than you want to stay, cost you more than you want to pay and effects more people than you can ever know".

I'm not being harsh with Daniel at all. But he had to bear the consequences of his sin. It was a great price indeed. I believe that he has done well and proved himself faithful while in prison. If I did not believe that, I would not help him out, to be reinserted into society. But, I can tell you that he has a great attitude and will do everything possible, to do the right thing.

I have a few pictures for you the 1st one is with Harriet and Sarah at the front door of the house in El Cajon on Souvenir drive. Note the  red milk can, there's a post and on top of it is our mailbox. We filled the milk can with cement. But I also put an eyebolt at the bottom of the milk can and chained it to a tree that's in the background. And sure enough one night somebody came and tried to steal the whole thing and the chain kept them from being successful.

The next picture is Harriet and myself and I believe that we were at Phil and Marilyn Marsh's home. Those 2 pictures are about 20 years old and the last picture is Harriet and her brother John, taken about the same time frame.

One thing I have noticed while looking through the albums I didn't take a whole lot of pictures of Harriet By herself. You will notice either someone else is in the picture or myself along with her.

Well, tomorrow's blog will be interesting and I'll tell you about our trip and hopefully it will be successful.

Maranatha,
Frank

8-17-15 Going to get Daniel tomorrow morning

I spoke with Daniel on Saturday and we have to be there at 6 AM in the morning which means we must leave our home about 2 AM Tuesday morning. You really can't be late and it's a 3 1/2 hour drive to get there.

The above picture was taken in about 1979. Harriet, Joseph, Benjamin and myself.

May I be perfectly frank with you again? I think Harriet got more beautiful as the years went on and I believe it's also a reflection of her inner being. Just saying..............................  This picture was taken in November 2005.

So this is going to a busy week. I will keep you updated with pictures and let you know the details of what the Transition Housing will require.

May our Lord bless you and keep you, may His face shine upon you all the days of your life.

Frank

8-16-15 Pics from 1971 -2005

Thank you again for all the cards and well wishes! So many kind people and good friends.

I found this nice picture of our girl Hilda, Evelyn Reese (Harriet's mom) and Harriet. This was taken in Nov. 20, 2005. Thank you for all the comments. It's kind of nice to go down memory lane.

 

 Well I went out and got the boxes that have all the picture albums and now I have the older pictures. The two above pictures were taken the day after we were married, so that would be Sept. 5th, 1971. This was before contact lens. When I said I took my surfboard on our honeymoon, as you can see, I was not kidding.

Today is Sunday and I want to encourage everyone to go to your place of worship and give God thanks for all he has done for you. We are truly blessed and we need to have a thankful heart!

Maranatha,
Frank

8-15-15 More pictures

Well, by popular demand I'm searching through the archives and coming up with some more pictures. I will not be showing these the funeral service. These are for your eyes only.

But, I came across this picture in my files that has already been scanned even though was taken probably over 20 years ago maybe even 25 years ago. This was taken in our house in El Cajon.

I've always taken lots of pictures as I mentioned yesterday. The problem is that most of my pictures that were taken our pre-digital. I did buy a digital camera when they 1st came out and have continued to upgrade along the way. It makes life so much easier when you can download the pictures and have them in the digital format.

So how do you like Harriet  with the curly hair? And you'll notice I even have a little bit of hair left.

Thank you for the many cards and well wishes I've received. You're all very encouraging and thoughtful. I pray that God bless you for your kindness.

Maranatha,
Frank

8-14-15

It sure is a lot easier putting the dates up for a title, then having to think up a new one each day.

I'm actually writing this blog post on Thursday evening. It is been one week ago since Harriet went home to be with the Lord. The loneliness is very difficult because she was always here when I was here. She did everything that was necessary logistically speaking like shopping in the morning, so she would be here when I got home.

You know I've done many funerals for different friends and relatives of friends. I did the funeral service for my father when he died in 2008. My father was 94 years old and from the old country. I'll see if I can dig up a picture that was taken a few months before he died.

Okay, I found this picture which is one of my favorites because he's explaining some Bible passages to Harriet. This was taken in June 2008. My father died about 3 months later. I did put together the funeral service for my father but this one is much more difficult.

I've always taken a zillion pictures and I could probably do a 5 hour slideshow or longer, but I'm not planning on doing that. I will probably do less than a dozen pictures for Harriet's service. Everyone knows her and the type of person she is, so there's really no necessity of going over all that again. I've received many nice cards, emails and replies to the blog and they all have a common theme and that is how Harriet has touched this person's life in a real way. Which brings me to the point, we have the potential to help other people during their life if we choose. The question we need to ask ourselves is this: do we edify and build up people that we come in contact with? Something to ponder.

Maranatha,
Frank