Camping, and stating the obvious

I just returned from a weekend camping.

It was the first time I'd gone camping in about 10 years. It was a lot of fun, but the biggest thing I realized is how out of shape I am.

Yes, that has to be changed soon. Switching sodas for these zero-calorie "Life Water" things is OK, but I really need to do is work on moving and improving my mobility and flexibility. I have the agility of a tortoise.

It was fun, though. I went with Cowboy Jason and his girlfriend and her four-year-old son. My favorite part of the trip was sitting around a campfire, telling stories and listening to the radio. My companions even had some fun at my expense, to which I say: Who cares? It was all in good fun, and it's what makes the trip memorable. If I did my part to make people laugh or feel comfortable, then I've done what I set out to do.

It was fun, and it's something I'll remember for a long time. Hopefully, I can share those stories with someone I love some day.

When I got home, I talked to Gordon and Camille. Ironically, they passed me on their way to Idaho. They visited Isaac and Savannah and Destiny while they were in Idaho, and spent about 45 minutes with them. I have to say that I am grateful for that, and it points up to a larger issue.

Those children are, according to Camille, living in squalor. It's hard for me to be a judge, because I wasn't there, but there were dirty dishes everywhere; the floor looked like it hadn't been vacuumed in days, and the kids were dirty.

I told Cherie when I visited her in January that I thought that she had done a good job in raising those children. I do not feel the same way now, based on what I've been told by her aunt, her mother, and now, very close friends of mine who love us all.

It makes me want to move there ASAP. I don't even care if I have a job, but I know I have to have one to make things work. Those children are suffering at the hands of a woman who is so far beyond thinking rationally when it comes to her children that she is neglecting them in favor of some new love interest.

I don't care what she does in that arena, but I do care when I hear of my children living in filth and disarray. That can't be good for anyone.

The longer I stay where I am, and do nothing, the longer that suffering is simply perpetuated. And at some point, it will be just as much my responsibility as it is hers.