Gifts from David and Joe

We have had a few comments on the videos. Some are upset about the"gay" thing. Some are excited about watching. Luckily our team is not trying to win American Idol. We are just three bozos on a magic bus headed west. Our journey is our own. We like sharing and of course dream of being on Ellen Degeneres and Oprah some day - LOL! - but in the end the real purpose of the trip is to see the world anew and share it with those who are interested.

Yesterday we met a couple, Marc and Robert in Tucson. Marc is the son of a very good friend of mine, Larry Atkinson who lives in Little Rock with another dear friend - Deronda. Marc and Robert treated us to breakfast and shared a bit of their story with us. David's comments after the lunch were, "They were really nice. They seemed really normal. After meeting with them I am a little less nervous about being gay."

David has lived in a tiny room for decades. Today he is seeing things that he has never seen before. His reaction to this new world can be summed up in the hundreds of times each day that I hear him say "Oh my God!"

We continued our journey into Blythe, California where I sit and write this as the sun rises. It is the same sun that rose yesterday and the day before but somehow the light this morning is a bit brighter. I am at peace. Normally I would be worrying I am doing a good enough job to keep everyone happy, or if I couldn't do just a little bit more... But today the sun is enough. I am enough and the light shines all around covering all I see in gold.

Joe is here now. He is working like a fiend in trying to edit and post things from the back of the car. Joe has had his share of troubles but like many of us he has found a way to channel his troubles into something creative. The power of pain for me, and maybe Joe and David, is that the pain has tremendous energy. I can use that energy to reinforce the pain or to create. But enough psycho-babble.

Time to get ready and head out to see the Joshua Tree park on our way to Oxnard. We will meet Barry Morrow tomorrow and David will see the Pacific Ocean for the first time. Joe will film it and share it with you.

Perhaps all of this is just ego. Perhaps all of it is an illusion. Perhaps, as Joe's favorite football team's fans often chant "We're Not Really Here"- see his video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsVZP7hw_TY&feature=channel_page.

No matter. It is a wonderful dream, a dream that has helped me grow and, thanks to Joe and David, I will have ample evidence that the dream was in fact real. Thanks guys. Thanks for coming along for the ride.