PowerBall: Enjoying the Spoils (Part 1)

PowerBall: Enjoying the Spoils (Part 1)

　

Cheryl had worked a little over three weeks after turning in her notice. Some of her co-workers had learned about our good fortune and it didn’t take long for the gossip to spread and request began to come in. The owner of the company where Cheryl worked had introduced us to his financial advisor, whom we had hired. Any request for financial assistance, were directed to him. Also, we had opened a new account for our cell phones, gotten new ones with new numbers, being very selective to whom we gave them to. We only answered voice mail from the old numbers.

It had taken us a little over three months to tie all our loose ends together after claiming the PowerBall. Never knew one could have so many loose ends and still operate on a daily bases. First we had reimbursed all those whom had suffered because of our bankruptcy. After paying off all existing debt we still had close 202 million dollars.

What to do with the money. Jonathan Krane, of Thomas, Krane and Wilson, was the financial advisor we had hired. The first thing he helped us do was take care of the family. A trust fund in the amount of 20 million was set up for each of the four children. Each one was to receive 100 thousand a year. Then we set up another trust in the amount of 20 million that was to be used for the education of all of our direct decedents. Then we set aside 20 million just for Cheryl and I.

Left with 82 million, we came to the conclusion it was found money and should be used to help others. With Cheryl’s approval, I was able to do something I had thought about for at least forty years: A foundation that would help underprivileged high school graduates attend the college or university of their choice. Thus the Xavier Foundation was born.

Both Cheryl and I had decided to inform the children of their trust fund at the same time. Our youngest daughter lived in Colorado and we were able to convince her and her husband to spend a week in North Carolina where the other three children lived. A letter inviting each child and their spouse to a breakfast in a private dinning room at the Cracker Barrel was sent. The letters contained no clue as to why this family meeting was being called.

The designated Saturday morning arrived and all was assembled except the oldest child, a son. He had been estranged from the family for a number of years. Thought Cheryl was an only child, he felt he had been unduly discriminated against in the settlement of my mother’s-in-law estate.

When it was determined he and his wife were not going to show, the local attorney hired by Jonathan Thomas passed out the packets containing the trust and the conditions attached. Each trust was in the amount of 20 million. Cheryl and I were the trustees. Each child was to receive a 100 thousand a year. Any money the trust earned above the 100 thousand would be added to the value of the trust. The principle, 20 million, could not be touched, but with the approval of the trustees, any amount above the original principle could be used.

Once the packets were opened, the excitement grew. Before the packets everyone was eager to order their breakfast. Now breakfast seemed to be forgotten. Everyone wanted to go to the bank and cash the 100 thousand dollar check contained in each packet.

Back in Las Vegas, Cheryl and I put the finishing touches on our estate. Our granddaughter and her two sons were given custody of the house on the condition she maintain it in the manner we would have. She, also, became responsible for the four cats, two dogs and two birds. Determined to help the other grandchildren later we signed over the car and truck to her. An account was set up for her to maintain the property with the co-signature of Jonathan Krane.

Once we had determined how we were going to handle our newfound fortune, I visited a tailor and had a couple suits, some shirts and ties made. Cheryl visited the shops in the casinos on the strip and bought or order gowns and other outfits. It was amazing how fast fifty thousand dollars can disappear when it comes to cloths.

After collecting all new outfits we were ready to depart for Europe. We had promised all the family we would be back for Christmas. Early on a Saturday morning Cheryl and I boarded a plane for New York. From there we flew to Paris. Once in Paris and settled into our hotel, we purchase a car, a Mercedes-Benz SUV, and a detailed map of Europe.

We spent a week in Paris. Two of those days were spent just touring the Louvre. Being an avid reader of Dan Brown, naturally his book, "The Da Vinci Code," came to mind. I’ve always enjoyed paintings that I have a feeling for, I claim they talk to me. Was I ever hearing voices while in this place. While I can appreciate the Glass Pyramid in front, I do wish I could have visited the Louvre before its construction.

Another day was spent at Notre-Dame Cathedral. Imagine this was built in the 13^th and 14^th century. And what is really amazing is it was built without computers. I remember teacher in some of my humanity classes talking about how the buttresses built on the outside of the structure being its main support allowed for a small number of support walls in the interior. While Hugo entered my mind, I did remember that this magnificent structure has been used in so much more art than Hugo’s "Hunchback."

Then there is, always, the Eiffel Tower and the restaurants there. We had to wait four nights before we could get a reservation.

Then there was the Left Bank where we were able to visit some of the restaurants and night clubs that had been frequented by artist and writers such has Picasso, Hemingway and Fitzgerald.

I told Cheryl that some of this was a saver ( a term we had coined many years ago when time had prevented us from seeing all we wished to) if we were only spending a week here. Time was really not a factor here since we would be flying out of Paris to return home.

On our second Sunday in Paris, we checked out of the hotel and drove southeast headed to Nice and Cannes. These two cities would be the first two that were a revisit for me. The Navy had taken me there in 1959. I was glad there was enough summer left that we could enjoy the French Rivera.



After two days on the beach in Cannes we decided to visit Monaco and the Monte Carlo. While checking out of the hotel the Concierge was able to get us a room in Monaco. After checking in I was eager to don my new tuxedo and to see Cheryl in her new gown. After a late dinner we visited the casino. Cheryl learned, really quick, that money lasted longer in Las Vegas’ Monte Carlo than the one in Monaco.

While in Cannes we had made arrangements to rent a house for fourteen days in Livorno a short train ride to Florence. Research had shown Florence would need some time to see, just the cream, of what was there. Fourteen days also allowed us to spend some time on the Italian Rivera and visit Pisa, which has to be a must when this close.

A young lady, Miss Baldovini, met us at the rental agency in Livorno. She spoke excellent English. In fact she spoke the language better than I do. Expecting English to be spoke in all of the major resorts cities, I found it delightful to find the language spoken in the lesser known parts of France and Italy.

Miss Baldovini advised us when visiting some of the places in Florence, such as museums, it would be best to book a tour instead of spending viewing time standing in line. That evening after we settled in and stocked the kitchen, I got on the internet and schedules tours for the Uffizi Gallery, the Palazzo Vecchio, Accademia Gallery and theBargello. The next morning we boardered the train to Florence.

Justice Tempered? Chapter One

Chapter One

"I SHOT THE SONS-A-BITCH."

These words continued to rattle in Ernest’s head as he reached the apex of Kosner Hill and began to descend into the valley which the small hamlet of Campo, Georgia occupied. Nestled in the foothills of northwest Georgia, Campo traced its origin back to the Civil War.

During the war the Confederate Army had established a camp in this valley. The camp had been designated simply as the letter O. Yet everyone had always referred to it as "Camp O." Even after the war the residents of surrounding towns referred to the ruins as Camp O, except it had become one word: Campo.

Ten years after the war the fortunes of the valley began to change. A young German immigrant brought to the valley a sizeable inheritance and a knowledge of firing ceramics. The South was beginning to rebuilding after the war and one of most favored building materials was brick. Richard Astor believed that with his knowledge of firing ceramics and the red clay he found there, he could supply a large number of the bricks needed for reconstruction. Having purchased twenty thousand acres north of the old camp Richard began construction of the first three kilns.

During the construction, Richard learned that having workers travel from Clarksdale, the nearest town, to the site was not an efficient way to do business. Thus he stopped work on one of the kilns and built a boardinghouse for the workers. Then he further delayed construction of the third kilns to build houses for his eventual employees. By the time the first two kilns were ready to fire, Richard had enough houses and the boardinghouse to prevent his employees from having to travel the twelve miles back and forth to Clarksdale on a daily bases.

In Charleston, South Carolina Richard had befriended another young German immigrant named Fred Kosner. Fred had worked in retail his whole life and had married into money. Richard had convinced Fred to join him on this new adventure. He had promised a sizeable amount of land on which Fred would, using his knowledge of the retail business, build a general store to supply the needs of those who would be working at the kilns. Fred built a general store on the property given him by Richard and with his wife's money he purchase the inventory to stock it. Thus the Kosner family became the second most prominent family, next to the Astors in Campo.

Richard and Fred had attempted to call the community Astorville, but, when the locals continued to talk about the kilns at campo, they relented and named the community Campo.

For eighty years Campo could have easily been used as a backdrop for one of Norman Rockwell’s paintings. In the very center of town was the Centerdale Baptist Church with it tall, white steeple which was the very first thing anyone saw when they began to descent into the valley. The rest of the hamlet surrounded the church as the petal of a rose surround its core.

There was the drugstore which was the social gathering for all the young people. Then there was the barbershop where all the men seemed to gather to tell their stories. The old livery stable had been converted into an Esso station where other men gathered to work on their cars. Next to the Esso station stood the hardware store which at one time was the Kosner general store. Next door to that was the new department store that the Kosners had built. Life in Campo had always simple and predictable.

World War I had not even been a hiccup in the life of the hamlet. The market crash and the following depression did have an effect: Richard Astor was no longer running the company, his son Charles was. Charles was no where close to being the business man his father was. Had not Bordon Brick gained control of the company, most likely it would have gone under and the hamlet of Campo with it.

World War II had taken a number of the young men of Campo, but most of them returned, some briefly, others to then live to find another way in the world. Ernest’s mind briefly forget what had happened today and flashed back, seven years, to the day when he, Buford Bucnagle and Harvey Thornton had returned home from the war.

When his mind returned to the present, he compared it to two years earlier and the incident with Miss Flora Bess. Miss Flora Bess Astor was Charles' spinster daughter. The drought that summer had everyone’s nerves on edge. Miss Flora Bess had been found wondering about town in disarray. Many people believed she had been raped by the colored man that had done some work for her. All the talk at the barbershop was what had happened to the handyman. Many speculated that he had been murdered and his body disposed of.

"No! This is worse that the Miss Flora Bess incident," Ernest said aloud as once again the words from that morning slammed into his head.

"I SHOT THE SONS-A-BITCH."

PowerBall: Claiming the Prize

PowerBall: Claiming the Prize

The PowerBall prize was worth 613 million dollars and Cheryl and I had won. We had confirmed this with our attorney in Las Vegas, yet there still remained a problem.

The winning ticket had been purchased in Port Angeles, Washington and had to be redeemed in the state where it was sold. This meant we had to return to Washington, which doesn’t seem to be a great deal. The problem remained that this was Thursday afternoon and Cheryl had to return to work on Monday morning.

Ben ask us to hang on a second while he pulled a cell phone from his desk. When he got no answer he left a voice-mail:"Ben Gregory and need to speak to you, urgent." He told us he had left this message for a friend in Seattle and was certain she could be of assistance. He advised we fly to Seattle on the next flight and be there in the morning. He was certain he could have something set up for us by then.

Then he had his secretary make immediate reservations for Seattle. The earliest she could get us out was at nine o’clock that evening. She had also made reservations at the Airport Marriot. When I thanked him, he assured me it would be on his bill and we could afford it. As we stood to leave, I ask about a financial adviser. Ben said he would be glad to recommend someone on our return.

Back home we began to pack for the flight to Seattle. With nothing firm on the other end of this trip, both of us were a little edgy. Wehn Ben called and affirmed we had an appointment, it was a great relief. The next morning we had an appointment for nine o’clock with a Loretta Furr. They had contacted PowerBall and informed them that she would now be representing us. He advise we carry some nice cloths because he was sure PowerBall would want some publicity out of this even thought we wished this to remain private.

When the taxi stopped in front of the address we had given him, it reminded me of Las Vegas. We were in what had at one time been a residential neighborhood that was now commercial. All the houses remained, but now were offices of lawyers, financial firms and studios. The sign in front of the house we stopped at read: Furr, Furr and Furr Attorneys of Law.

When we entered the front door we were met my a young lady in her early twenties. "You must be the Fletchers." When we acknowledged we were she ask us to sit. "My grandmother is on the phone and will be out shortly. This is the part of this job I hate, but she requires a retainer of 1800 dollars."

As I gave her my credit card I told her no one expected her grandmother to represent them without some fee changing hands. She laughed and told us her name was Molly as she ran my card.

Shortly the door to another room opened and a squat lady, in her mid sixties emerged. Her hair had much more salt than pepper, yet she walked as though the world was her oyster. Shaking my hand she introduced herself as Loretta Furr and ask if we would like some coffee or water. When we told her water would be fine, she ask Molly to bring three water into her office. When we were seated in her office I committed that her granddaughter must be extremely good to be the only receptionist for three attorneys.

"The sign. I should change it but just can’t bring myself to do that. This firm was begun by my father and then my brother joined. They added the third Furr when I graduated from law school, though I never came into the firm. I chose academia instead. After my father passed, my brother, whose health was not great, convinced me it was time I got my hands dirty in the actual practice of the law. I left my position at the UW Law School (that’s where I came to know Benjamin Gregory, I was his faculty adviser) and entered the firm. My brother passed two years ago and I lost a number of clients and refused to accept new ones. Your being here is just a favor to Benjamin."

When I told her how grateful we were, she insisted we get down to business. Her first question was how we stood in the cash flow department. I told her that her retainer had maxed out our credit card and now we had about three hundred in a savings account. Then she informed us that it would most likely take more than that before we could take complete ownership of the winnings. PowerBall had informed her that it sometimes to up to two week to complete all the paperwork necessary.

"I’m sure Molly told you I was on the phone when you arrived. Well, I was talking to my banker at Wells Fargo, and I see you used a Wells Fargo credit card. That’s good. I have arranged for a ten thousand dollar, thirty day loan for you."

When I ask about the bankruptcy, she said that would be no problem since she had arranged to cosign the loan if necessary. "Let me call the PowerBall office here in town and confirm our one o’clock appointment and then we will go to the bank. Also, I’m going to want another 3200 when this is finished. Think you’ll be able to afford it?"

On the way to the bank I ask if there were no other Furrs to continue the practice. No, she was the last and she was semi-retired. She had three clients on retainers and only came to the office for few hours a day. Molly was a one time deal since she didn’t know us.

When we left the bank she ask what company we had our cell phones through. "Some advise: Open a new account under another name; get new numbers and give the new numbers to those very close, including family. Keep the old phones and numbers so you can monitor the calls you want to accept."

Back at her office for lunch Loretta ask if we had a financial adviser. She was glad that Ben was going to recommend someone once we returned to Las Vegas. "Know in general what you want to do and don’t follow someone’s lead, follow their advise. You do the leading."

At the PowerBall office we were informed that since there was only one winner, this could be completed in less than a week’s time. They did want us to be here Monday and Tuesday of next week. When we informed them that Cheryl had return to work, some found that funny: after all we had just won over 600 millions dollars. I assured them that with our generation, this was the right thing to do, regardless of winning a large amount of money. Somewhat disappointed, they preferred both of us in their publicity, they could make do with just me.

Loretta and Molly gave us the residence’s tour, no charge, of Seattle on Saturday. We lunched at the top of the Space Needle. Cheryl flew home Sunday afternoon. I had my ticket changed to an open end.

Back at the Powerball Seattle offices on Monday morning, Loretta and I signed a large amount of papers. I did my interview which I was certain would be most difficult. When the lights came on and the interviewer introduced me I was surprised at how calm I was.

The first question was: "What is it like to suddenly be 613 million dollars richer?" I thought for a moment and then answered that nothing of this magnitude happened to me before so there was nothing to liken it to. Then they ask how I felt. I told them I was still running on adrenaline and to be honest I was wondering what I would feel like once the adrenalinne high subsided.

Then they wanted to know about Cheryl and why she had chosen to return to work. "This is something our generation does, regardless. We have respect for our employer." It was easy to tell everyone in the room thought this ridiculous.

Then they wanted to know what was the first thing that went through my mind when I knew I had won. Everyone looked eager for my response. This one I didn’t have to think about very long. "Now I will be able to visit all the places in Europe where the Navy took me in 1959. Now I would be able to enjoy them for what they really are."

"What’s the place you are looking most forward to seeing again?" That was another easy one. Without a doubt it would be Athens Greece and the Acropolis. "I just wonder how close we will be able to get to the Parthenon today?"

Then they wanted to know about the family. "Just how large is your family and do you plan to include them in you good fortune?" I told them that I was sure that it would be much larger once this was out. I told them that our immediate family consisted of four children, five grandchildren and a great-grandchild. As to how we would include them in our grand fortune, we haven’t come to any conclusive decision.

They also thought it odd that I hoped none of them would learn about this until we had come to some decision and was able to control how they learned about it. I did assure that the immediate family would be included in our great fortune, but the extended family, we owe them nothing. Naturally they wanted to know why the estrangement. "Private family matters."

Then they wondered how often I played PowerBall. "I live in Nevada which doesn’t allow lotteries. Many years ago I did play some scratch lottery in Colorado, but this is my first experience with PowerBall. I had four dollars change coming to me and the clerk said I should get two PowerBall tickets since the prize was approaching 600 million. I just bought the tickets on a whim."

"What of the odds of such a large win on you first experience with PowerBall?" I just laughed and related a story I had read about some years back. This couple was leaving Nevada going into California. They stopped at a casino on the boarder for a bathroom break. The lady put a dollar into a Mega Bucks machine and hit it for over 300 million. I guess I now have something in common with her. After I informed them we had chosen to take the cash value of 337 million the interview ended.

The next morning Loretta and met with more lawyers from PowerBall and the IRS. PowerBall transferred $84,287,500.00, twenty-five percent of our winnings into an IRS account. I assured them that I understood that the IRS would tax the full amount at forty percent and I would be responsible for the remaining fifteen percent. Earlier I had established an additional account with Wells Fargo. PowerBall deposited into that account $252,862,500.00.

When we had finished there Loretta and I went to Wells Fargo. There I opened another account and transferred the additional fifteen percent tax ($50,572,500.00) into that account.

Then Wells Fargo issued me another credit card. When they started to tell me the limit, I told them I didn’t want to know. I paid off the ten thousand dollar line of credit and wrote a counter check for thirty-two hundred dollars, which Loretta deposited into her account.

Back at Loretta’s office I booked a flight for that evening to Las Vegas. Seems most major cities on the west coast have some airline with a direct flight to Vegas every evening. The adrenaline high was starting to subside and I wanted to be home when it was gone. Also, I called Ben’s office and got an appointment for late Wednesday afternoon.

PowerBall: We Won! We Won!

It was a Thursday morning and for the first time in my life I was going to the PowerBall site to see what the winning numbers were. Cheryl and I had once again visited Victoria, Vancouver. As before we had taken the ferry from Port Angeles. Back in Port Angeles on the return trip I had, on a whim and being informed the prize was approaching 600 million, I purchased two PowerBall lottery tickets and put in my numbers. On the first one I decided to use my and Cheryl’s birth dates (3,26,8,10,47 and 39 red ball). On the second I used the birth dates of two grandchildren (3,25,93,8,4 and 11 red ball).

When I found the site I clicked on "Powerball Numbers." The first thing to hit my eyes was the red ball. It was 39. I quickly shut my eyes and turned away from the monitor. "One in ten million or perhaps one in a hundred million has to be the odds that the other five number will be there," I said, out loud, to myself as I was the only one in the study. These are the odds the clerk had given me when he told me the prize was approaching 600 million dollars. 

Slowly I began to look at the monitor again. I tried to see only one number at at time, much as one does when looking at a poker hand by uncovering one card at a time. This proved impossible since I saw two number, 10 and 47, before I could close my eyes again. Six hundred million dollars, I was just wondering if my heart could stand it if the other three numbers were there. I considered waking Cheryl and letting her tell me what the other three numbers were. No, she had said I was crazy and had just wasted four dollars. If I had won and had another heart attack she could enjoy the money with someone else, I thought.

This time I opened my eyes before turning slowly back to the monitor. I saw the 10 and then the 47. Then the third number came into view, 26. My heart skipped a beat. "Damnit, I need to control this," I again said aloud to myself. Then a 3 came into view. To my surprise this time my heartbeat slowed instead of racing. I had never won anything in my life that mounted to more than a token prize.

For some reason my mind went back to my childhood. It was not long after the end of World War II and we were living in a mill house in Clayton, SC. Friends of my parents owned a grocery store and they were giving away a bicycle for Christmas. Boy, did I ever want that bicycle and I knew my parents had put my name in the drawing. Christmas Eve, after my sister and I had gone to bed, there was a knock at the front door. I was just sure that it was Mr. Squire delivering the bicycle. Some time later, I thought it was all night, I finally fell to sleep. The next morning when there was no bicycle in the front room with the Christmas tree, I felt as though there was never to be any luck in my life.

Now, just a few months after turning seventy-four my winning something remained much the same. Why the hell should I be getting excited, the fifth number was not going to be 8. With a quick snap of my head, I viewed all six numbers: 10-47-26-3-8 and the red ball remained a 39. I don’t remember exactly what I did next, but I’m sure there were a few moments of being in another realm.

Once back to reality, I realized that Cheryl was still in bed. I printed out the page and went into the bedroom and woke her. "Aren’t you a little late for April’s Fools?" she ask. When I finally convinced her this was not a joke, she became as excited as I was. Yes, I was excited but I was calm, calm to the point that it surprised me.

What to do? That would have been what most people would think the winner of the PowerBall would be thinking. Not me. I knew exactly what we were going to do first.

The PowerBall site indicated that the prize was 613 million dollars. The cash value was $337, 150, 000.00. The site did not state how many individual tickets had those numbers. For all we knew, we could be the sole winner.

"What do we do now?" Cheryl ask once the excitement had subsided some. I laughed at her. On the way home after I had purchased the tickets, I had tried to play a game with her as what we would do if we happened to win. She had rebuffed those attempts as ridiculous, since the odds were stacked so great against us. Now she was ready to turn her imagination loose. "Let’s call the kids and share this news."

"No, no, no, no. Let’s wait until nine o’clock and call Ben Gregory and get an appointment as soon as possible." Though Cheryl had refused to play the game with me, I had allowed my imagination wonder on the trip home. I knew we needed a lawyer before doing anything.

Ben Gregory had been our lawyer ten years earlier when we declared bankruptcy. I had suffered my second heart attack which forced us to close the retail store. Now if this was actually our prize, I wanted to reimburse all those that had lost money because of us. Also, I wanted to be protected from all those who would want to share our good fortune.

After her second cup of coffee Cheryl was all into the game she had wanted nothing to do with on the trip home. Now it was no longer be a game, but something we have to decide how we’re going to handle. She did agree that we should not share this great news with anyone before we had hired an attorney.

Cheryl looked over her cup and acknowledged I had given this possibility much more thought than she and wanted to know what was in my mind.

I told Cheryl the first thing I thought we should do is work form the cash value. Research showed that the federal taxes would be forty percent. The federal tax on $337, 150, 000.00 would be $134, 860, 000.00. PowerBall would keep twenty-five percent up front and we would be responsible for the remaining fifteen percent. If my figures were correct, Powerball would give the IRS $84, 288,000.00. That meant we needed to set aside $50, 572,000.00 for taxes. That left $202, 290, 000.00 in our pocket.

Now what does a seventy-four year old man and his sixty-six year old wife do with over 202 million dollars? Cheryl said the first thing she would do is quit her job. "What would be your reason?" I ask.

"Two weeks of vacation has spoiled me and shown me it’s time to kick back and do no more than what I want to."

"How much notice would you give them?"

"Let’s make sure we have the money before I make that decision."

I told Cheryl that my daydreaming had been to create a trust fund for the two of us in the amount of 100 million dollars. Then I would set up trust funds of each child in the amount of twenty million. She wanted to know who would have control of these trust funds. I told her it would be she and I as long as one of us was still living. After both of us was gone each child would become Trustee of their individual fund. As to the one for she and I, that was something that the two of us needed to decide together.

Cheryl wanted to know how much I thought the children’s fund would pay the each year. I had been thinking of seventy-five thousand a year. Any amount the trust earned over that would just increase the value of the trust. If any of the children wanted more they would have to contact us, the Trustees, for that. Cheryl thought they should receive what the principle of the fund had earned. I told her to think about it, twenty million, at just four percent would earn 800 thousand. After taxes, they would have at least 350 to 400 thousand. That would just make life to easy for them. We decided to wait until we had the money to make this decision.

Then she ask about the grandchildren. My response to that was: "We’ve been down that road. The grandchildren will need to turn to their parents for any inheritance. That doesn’t mean that we can’t help any grandchild on an individual bases."

As we set down at the table for breakfast, we began to discuss the other twenty-two million. I told her I wanted to make good to everyone we owed money to when we filed bankruptcy; then settle what we owed on the house and the second mortgage. After that we could afford to live anywhere we desired. Heck, we could even have a winter and summer home for that matter.

Then I told her that once all the dust had settled I wanted to visit Europe. Especially the places I had been to in 1959 when I was in the Navy. She then reminded me that we had always said we would like to buy a RV and travel to all the places we wanted to visit here in the US. "Sure, just as soon as we get back from Europe.

By the time we had finished breakfast and cleaned the kitchen it was nine o’clock. I called Ben Gregory’s office and ask for an appointment as soon a possible. The secretary wanted to know the reason. I told her we wished to retain Ben to represent us again concerning the bankruptcy he had handled ten years ago. She told us that the bankruptcy was so far back that we would need another retainer of a thousand dollars. I informed her that was fine and we got lucky again, he had an opening at two thirty that afternoon.

While we agonized through the next five hour we discussed what the 100 million dollar trust fund would be used since we would be left with at least 20 million. I told her I wanted it to be an education fund. "This is found money. If it never goes beyond the two of us, nothing has been lost. How about we create a family trust,20 million, just for members of family’s education. This fund could not be used for anything but the education of family members. The other eighty million would establish a foundation, the Zephyr Education Foundation, for some of the less fortunate to be able to attend colleges or universities they otherwise could not afford. This was another decision we chose to put off until we had the money.

"So it appears you have come into some money and want to make restitution to those involved in your bankruptcy," Ben said as he shook my hand. I acknowledged that was the case if, indeed, we had come into some money.

"Wow!" was his response when I handed him everything we had and told him the value of the prize was 613 million. After looking at what we had, he said we should contact PowerBall and find out for sure. With that he picked up the phone and dialed the number. Twenty minutes passed with him saying very little, just making notes. Then he told the person on the other end of the line that he would get back to them shortly. Then he informed us that we had won and it appeared we were the sole winner.

　

Where is Sarah Palin

Where is Sarah Palin? Where is Gov. Bobby Jindal? It has been alleged that the Minnesota Vikings cut punter Chris Kluwe because of his public support for gay rights. Wouldn’t this be another example of "free speech" being endangered in this country?

Perhaps not. To the best of my memory neither Palin nor the Governor came to the defense of free speech when the United Methodist Church defrocked Rev. Frank Schaefer for his public support for gay rights. In reality I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since both Chris Kluwe and Rev. Schaefer took a public stance in support of gay rights.

What Sarah Palin and Gov. Bobby Jindal have shown here is that the issue is not free speech, the issue is Political Correctness. They have show PC to be a two sided coin. One side are the liberals, on the other side are the conservatives. Neither Chris Kluwe nor Rev. Schaefer were politically correct in the view of Palin or the Governor, so there was no free speech issue involved.

2014, The Year to be Unique

Today is the second day of a new year.

While it physically feels much the same as a week ago, it does give us the mental option to look at things with a different attitude. No longer do we have to look at others and find ourselves disappointed because they are in some way or ways different. It needs to be remembered that no matter how different someone is from you, you are just as equally different from them.

This reminds me of those who say you never come to see me as though they live farther from you than you do from them.

What makes that difference important? Attitude. If our attitude is to appreciate and give value to those that are different, we then give value to our differences from them.

Imagine if every tree were the same, how would we appreciate the majestic beauty of the redwood? We couldn’t because it would no longer exist, it would have the same value as the common shrub.  If every pebble or stone were gold, what value gold?

Being different is what makes each of us an individual. Every individual is unique. Instead of taking pride in that uniqueness, assigning a value to it, most individuals find themselves ashamed of it. They either want to hide it by striving as hard as they can to be like others, or, the try to force others to be like them.

In the end all our efforts are wasted because regardless of the number of differences we manage to eliminate, we remain unique, we remain an individual.

Let’s make 2014 the year we take pride in being unique. Let’s allow being an individual in our own right, becomes popular. If we assign a value to other’s uniqueness, we stand tall and exhibit our own uniqueness.