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Old 03-26-2012, 11:36 AM   #31
FastDoc   FastDoc is offline
 
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Very good thought guys. I think Brother Weld hit the nail on the head. I've always considered our connection here a 'God-thing'.

I know that the other forums I visit are nothing like this one. Some are good in their own right (technical information) but nothing as diverse as this.

The Gold Wing forum guys would as soon chop you off at the knees than answer a simple question courteously, the BritBike forum guys view anyone who owns a Japanese bike with distain (gross oversimplifications but you get the idea). The Maule forum guys are excellent, respectful and highly intelligent but all technical and business. That's fine for an airplane forum I guess.

This is my 'home' garage to hang out in. I fit in. 8)

On the other hand do I want to be a member of a club that would accept a guy like me? :wink:
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Old 03-26-2012, 11:39 AM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JimW
Thanks W&G. I don't share that story much. It's kind of a personal thing. The young man hadn't really had much chance to experienced life. If anything he was just out of high school. I often think what are the chances of such a meeting? Why did he pick me out of all the people in town he could've talked to, or his friends for that matter? I was probably one of the last few hometown people he had talked to before being shipped out. It has had a big impact on my life that much, I know for certain.

Reminds me of another story. We lived on one of the main traveled streets in town so, I saw alot of people. The train station was maybe 6 blocks away. Every day a 50ish woman would walk by our house twice a day, going and coming. I mean sunday through saturday! She didn't miss a day until one day when, I was about ten. Curious, I finally asked my mom who she was and why every day and why did she stop walking by? Apparently the woman's husband was MIA during WWII. Unable to accept the fact he wasn't coming home, she would walk down to the train station and wait for him all day, every day for the previous 23-24yrs. She had passed away was why she stopped coming by. Lonelyness had driven her to alcohol and the drinking finally caught up with her. I guess that one taught me that not all casualties of war are on the battlefield.

Doc, all of my ancestors except the native american side were ministers. They came from England in 1610 to settle here and remained preachers and farmers thru history. One side of my family was forced to leave Scottland or suffer the conciquences of being Protestant in a Catholic country. Alot of thier beliefs of the bible have been passed down and, I fully agree with everything you're saying. However, I think over the centuries people have strayed so far away from the bible's true meanings to accomedate themselves. But, looking at it from a different angle history proves even then people were unable to run thier lives or countries without torturing some one. I wish, I had an answer but, I don't. All, I can be certain of is, I've lived my life to be fair and respectful of people even tho most of the time, I usually come up on the short end but, I don't mind really and don't even get mad nore judgemental. Just smile and go on. I have a good wife, good kids and some extra toys. How much more does a man need? I have more than most so, I'm lucky and happy in the sense that, I've been able to live my life in a decent and honest manner. The One Judge that really matters will have the final say. Ok now, I'm probably ranting.
BTW I took the liberty of printing this story and sharing it with some of my staff and a few of my patients. It really makes an impression. People are complicated. I pray every morning that I'll be blessed to see people the way our Father does, which is very different from our Earthly instincts.
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Old 03-26-2012, 03:45 PM   #33
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Display it where you like, doc. I'm touched to know I've made an impact on so many but to be honest my wife has touched my life more than any person, I've ever known. I grew up in a good lower to mid middleclass family. I lived about as close to a Norman Rockwell painting as anyone could, or The Nelson's family if you choose. Great parents, good siblings, never cold, never hungry, and most of all always loved. My wife on the other hand lived a child's nightmare. At 6yrs old she and her brothers watched thier father walk in the house one night and shoot thier mother in the head and then turn the gun on himself. The kids were rushed off to relatives houses where they weren't wanted and treated as if they were diseased. Thier father died and the mother managed to survive and all was reunited but thier mom couldnt settle down. Moved from Florida to Ind, to Okla before ending up in Tx. I met my wife the first time in 1976, she was 14yrs old and believe it or not knew, I was going to marry her. I didn't see her again until 5yrs later. One year after, I met her, her mother died from complications of the bullet that had been lodged in her head years before. Again her and her youngest brother got seperated and sent to various family members that didn't want them. The older brother went his own way and succumbed to drug use. Anyway, a family from Amarillo Tx managed to become her foster parent and brought her back to this part of the country and got her thru high school. A year after she grad hs, a mutual friend of ours reunited us in 81 and we've been together ever since. Her surviving brother is an ok guy. Never married and seems to have dealt with his childhood. My wife is outgoing, trustworthy, kindhearted, easy going, and accepts anything life throws her way good or bad with a smile. She's got to be one of the strongest people, I've ever known. Her kindheartedness allows people to walk all over her, but somehow she picks herself up, dusts off and goes on. When, I hear people complain about thier childhood or complain even about the simplest things, I smile and look at my wife and think to myself how lucky, I am to be a part of something so resilant with the strength to overcome any obstacle no matter how high or low it is and carry on. Very few people in this world ever have the opertunty to live thier lives with that kind of inspiration. I am truly blessed to have experienced being with her. I made her one promise when we got together in 81 and that was, I'd always love her and be by her side. No promises of anything, I couldn't absolutely stand behind. She always tells me, I've been the only thing in her life that she's ever been able to count on and that's all she ever wanted. I guess, I really didn't have to share that story with you guys since it has nothing to do with china bikes or mc's in general but since we seemed to have gotten into inspirational stories, I hope it will inspire anyone who decides to read it.


 
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Old 03-26-2012, 04:24 PM   #34
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You are a lucky man to share your life with such a remarkable woman, Jim. Thank you for sharing her story with us.

Indeed, these forums are quite different from other forums, where petty people commonly insult others. :( I guess China Riders are not only notoriously frugal, they are usually open minded as well.

Spud
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Old 03-26-2012, 05:33 PM   #35
JimW   JimW is offline
 
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Thanks, spud!

I'm a member of one other forum. It's a china scooter forum. I haven't been on it in a while but, I've noticed everytime, I visited there was always some one with an insult. Never understood why?? I do go to a couple of others, a honda shadow and drifter forum, mainly just read the post searching for info. This forum is totally different than any of the others. Everyone is friendly and eager to please. I guess that's why, I always do my posting on here.


 
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Old 03-26-2012, 06:17 PM   #36
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I was on another forum for years called www.milsurpshooter.net. I was even a moderator there. It's an antique military small arms collector forum.

Similar group of guys to what we have here. Everything from engineers to farmers and everything in between. Good men. Most were conservative Christian, some were not but we all liked and respected one another.

I only stopped going there because my interest in guns waned as my collection becaume 'full' and I spend more and more time riding, and less shooting.
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Old 03-26-2012, 07:41 PM   #37
JimW   JimW is offline
 
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Interesting how different forums are?

I got some more pics for you guys. I'll get them loaded on the computer hopefully tomorrow and start a new post. You guys all familiar with the Dalton Gang? They were kin to the Younger Bros. I don't think they ever rode together tho. Anyway, the Daltons robbing days ended in 1892 I believe in Coffeeville Ks. when they tried to rob 2 banks at the same time. This past saturday we rode to Meade Ks to what's called the Dalton Gang Hideout. It's where thier sister lived so they would use it to lay low in between robberies. It's kind of a neat place to go even tho, I've been to it more times than, I can count.


 
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Old 03-26-2012, 10:46 PM   #38
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SpudRider
You are a lucky man to share your life with such a remarkable woman, Jim. Thank you for sharing her story with us.

Indeed, these forums are quite different from other forums, where petty people commonly insult others. :( I guess China Riders are not only notoriously frugal, they are usually open minded as well.

Spud
I can't follow that with anything other than X2.
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