I bought Tara a toy poodle before we got married. We initially named him Yogi, because he was solid black and he looked like a baby black bear. When he would pee on the carpet of our first house, we couldn't ever remember his name so we changed his name to Toby. That name stuck. As soon as we had kids, Tara forgot all about Toby, so he became my dog. Once he became my dog, my friends made fun of me unmercifully. Being secure in my manhood, I told them to go _ _ _ _ themselves. Toby is now 16 years old. In his old age, he has lost all of his teeth, except for his two lower fang teeth. Because he has no other teeth, the two he does have stick out and make him look a little like a menacing shark. He walks unsteadily and his nerves are shot, so he shakes and trembles all the time now. Without a doubt, he knows I'm sick, so he has taken on the job of protecting me. He literally attacks any person who gets anywhere close to my bed.  I've watched every episode of The Dog Whisperer and I haven't been able to make him quit. It really drives me crazy, but he drives everyone else crazier. Keep in mind he only has two teeth, so even if he bit someone, it would feel like two boiled okra clamping down on you. Every day, however, someone gets mad at him and slings him off the bed. He often gets thrown into the armoire or the side of my wheelchair. It really breaks my heart to see him treated like that, but with no ability to move my arms or say anything, there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. Because I can't speak, I can't even call his name to get him to come to me. The worst thing of all, however, is that I can't even pet him and console him afterward. It is the little things like this that make ALS so hard. If Tara doesn't kill him first, I truly believe that Toby will allow himself to die as soon as he realizes that I've died. If that happens, I want my friend and protector buried with me.

I have far too much time on my hands, so I read a lot. I've been reading about a problem and I wanted to share the good news…Has anyone heard about the mysterious missing honey bees reported last week? Bee keepers all over the nation are reporting that whole colonies of bees are disappearing. Bee keepers on the West coast are reporting as many as 60% of their colonies have abandoned their hives, and on the East coast numbers are as high as 70%. Bees are also reportedly abandoning colonies all over Europe.

Why should you care? Well, this isn't about a honey shortage.  Most of the world's crops are pollinated by bees, so a lack of bees could be catastrophic to the world's crop production.  No one really knows what's causing the bees to go missing, but I've read that some believe it's mites, others think it's pesticides and Al Gore is blaming global warming. The latest and most plausible theory, however, is that radiation given off by cell phones and other high tech gadgets may be interfering with the bee's navigation system used to find their way back to the colony.

Did you know Albert Einstein once said that if the bees disappeared, "man would have only four years of life left".  Hmm.

Like everyone else, I've been glued to the television watching the latest developments at Virginia Tech. Events like that remind us how fragile life is. Many times I feel guilty about the extra attention I get because of my disability and the fact that doctors assure me that my number will be up soon. As I've said so many times before, none of us knows when our time on earth will end. I feel so grateful the Lord has given me this time to prepare myself for the end of my earthly life and get right with God. I’m also glad God didn't call me home during my years at Auburn! At that time in my life, I called myself a Christian, but I didn't behave like one. My Salvation at that point was far from certain. For that reason, I do worry about the 20 or so victims in Blacksburg, Virginia. I would gladly have taken a bullet for any of those poor souls who may have needed more time to get right with God.

I know I'm beating a dead horse for many of you. I also know, however, that several people who read my blog are walking a dangerous line and have not fully committed their lives to Jesus.

Most people believe in God, even Satan does. But to receive salvation, we must turn to God, form a personal relationship, turn away from our sins, and follow Him. We must trust in Jesus with everything we have and everything we do. "We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this way, no matter who we are or what we have done" (Romans 3:22). The Bible teaches that there is no other way to salvation than through Christ. Jesus says in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me."

To become a Christian, repent of your sins, and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Once you've truly accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord andSavior, and you've publicly proclaimed this by being baptized, you are saved and will have everlasting life. This is the way to heaven. The only way!

The other day, I was thinking about some of the things I used to wish for and it struck me that I had achieved several of my goals.

I always told Tara half jokingly that I wanted to be retired by 40. Well, I missed that one by one year. I retired at 41. Every time I went to get my haircut, I loved getting my hair washed and scalp massaged and I dreamed of having someone wash my hair every morning. Well, my caregiver, Angelita, gives me a great scalp massage every morning when she washes my hair. I always wanted Tara to help me drive on trips. Now Tara does all the driving for our family.  I dreamed of getting the big promotion. I finally achieved that, a year before my diagnosis. I always wanted breakfast in bed. Well, I now eat most of my meals in bed.  In summary, be careful what you wish for, you just may get it.

I now know that life is made up of a series of events that should be savored. I try to live in the moment and appreciate what I have, instead of always wishing for more. If you're not passionate about what you're doing, find something to do that will allow you to live your passion and work towards it. Stop saying words like “someday”. If it's worth doing...do it now. Life is too short.

I hope everyone had a joyous holiday and best wishes for a happy and prosperous new year. We were able to spend time with Tara's family, and my family. It was a very relaxing holiday and we got to spend a lot of quality time.

Truth be told, I wanted to take the family to the slopes, but my family reminded me that I can't function in the cold. Every muscle in my body freezes up and simply will not work. I can't even control my wheelchair when I'm cold. My muscles lock up and my left driving hand gravitates toward the center of my body, causing my chair to spin uncontrollably to the right. It's actually dangerous for me and everyone around me.

Over the last month or so, my body continued to decline. I can't do anything on my own anymore, except operate the computer, and that is even getting more difficult. I've learned so much as this disease has progressed. Tomorrow, I thought I would share a few things I've learned.

I need to rant a bit. Is everyone else as sick of the negative political ads leading up to this year’s election as I am? Somehow, it seems worse this year.

I am so frustrated by politics as usual. I find it ridiculous to assume that members of a particular political party all hold the same beliefs on issues like abortion and stem cells, which are intensely personal. For the record, I support expanding federal funding to include embryonic stem cell research using excess embryos that would otherwise be discarded. I am obviously biased, and agree with blogger Eric Earling, that asking someone suffering from an incurable disease like ALS what they think about expanding research is like asking the family of a murder victim what they think should be done with the accused perpetrator.

Political parties have backs to scratch. It frustrates me to no end that the Republican Party is so controlled by the religious right, that they choose to appease the religious right, rather than support the will of the people! I know it's naive to think this way, but I believe my elected officials are placed in office by the voters to fulfill the wishes of the voters! Given that over 70 percent of Americans believe the government should support stem cell research, I believe it was unethical for President Bush to veto a bill that passed the House and Senate just to appease the religious right. I consider myself a Republican and a member of the religious right, but I also have the ability and the right to think for myself. On an issue this important, that has the potential to save so many lives, I am pissed off that President Bush would go against the will of the majority of Americans and veto this bill.

Finally, don't let anyone tell you that embryonic stem cell research isn't likely to lead to cures for diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Juvenile Diabetes, Duchenne' Dystrophy, spinal cord injuries, and ALS. In June, privately funded researchers successfully implanted stem cells into the spinal chords of paralyzed rats partially restoring motor nerve function. We need the US Government to assist stem cell research through public funding. I won't even go into the fact that other countries like England, Korea, and China, to name a few, are rapidly passing the US in terms of stem cell research technology. Allowing those countries to take the lead in cutting edge healthcare technology has significant economic implications for the US.

Word!