Ken,
Thanks for the encouragement. The problem isn't just that I am not living
the 'respectable' middle class life. I don't even earn enough to live at a
basic level, and we live so simply. I have not bought any new clothes in
five years, except shoes. I have problems with my ankles and if I don't buy
new shoes every 6 months they hurt my legs and feet really bad. So I buy
shoes. The only extravagance in my life is the money I spend on film, about
$500 a year, and the money I spend on my son. Even when I lived in Santa Fe
and had real income, I lived like a monk. I spent a lot of my savings paying
a lawyer to fight my son's mom in court because she wouldn't let me bring
him to New Mexico to visit, and after I won, I spent money to go get him and
then take him back to his mother after he spent a month with me. Well, ok, I
admit, I did waste a little money buying a few Olympus lenses on ebay and I
bought a 40mm f2 from a list member when I was in Santa Fe :) I use that
lens a lot, it is one of my favorites.
I hope your wife is ok now. Cancer is such a hard thing to beat. My other
grandpa died from lung cancer 9 years ago, but he was a lifelong smoker. It
killed him 6 weeks after he was diagnosed! Of course, this being America
(not one of those communist shitholes like Sweden or Canada), you'll be in
debt for her medical care till you die even if you live to be 175. LOL
Like you, I've been blessed by the generosity of others. Most of the
equipment I own has been given to me by people who liked my work and wanted
to help me continue it, and then the gift we got from the people on RFF. I
wonder how many people actually have an OM-3Ti? The 3Ti is very rare, even
compared to the plain 3 isn't it?
Chris
--
Chris Crawford
Photography & Graphic Design
Fort Wayne, Indiana
http://www.chriscrawfordphoto.com My portfolio
http://blog.chriscrawfordphoto.com My latest work!
http://www.plumpatrin.com Something the world NEEDS.
On 12/22/08 9:59 PM, "Ken Norton" <ken@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Chris,
> The love you show towards your son and the responsibility you exhibit in his
> life makes you anything but a deadbeat. As mentioned previously, you are my
> hero in this regard and my respect for you is extremely high. It is
> unfortunate that your family doesn't see this and have placed excessive
> value on what is considered the "cultural norm".
>
> A few years ago, I went through a similar period of financial hardship and
> the awkward situation where I couldn't get employment. And in the midst of
> that period, my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. This was an extremely
> stressful and depressing period of my life. It's one thing to just be
> responsible for yourself, but when you have others you are responsible for,
> the stress is over the top. Financially, we're still digging out from those
> years! But I recall the generosity of others and the friendships made here
> on this list. It is such an incredible pleasure to be able to now bless
> others as I've been (and continue to be) blessed.
>
> Someday, you will emerge from these trying times and see daylight on the
> other side. In the meantime, never lose sight of that which is most
> important in your earthly life--your son.
>
> Ken Norton
--
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