Photo Essay (Sorta) - "Why I Have An Insanely Good Life"

[Elspode]

I don't seem to write much lately. Coupled with the fact that I lack a decent digital camera, it makes me sort of hesitant to attempt this particular mode of self expression, but I hope that my Cellar family will forgive the artistic shortcomings and share with me what I want to demonstrate in this thread.

I have an enviable life. For all of my vulgarity, obesity, poverty and lack of sophistication - I live a life that, fifteen years ago, would have seemed impossibly unattainable. My world is so rich, so rewarding, so filled with love, friends, family and purpose, that I sometimes become overwhelmed.

Let me start with my wife. She is beautiful, intelligent beyond all reason, dynamic, frustrating, stimulating. She draws both men and women to her like moths to a porch light. I look at these pictures and wonder what the hell she's doing with the likes of me...

Here we are at a friend's recently purchased bar/pizza place, a greasy dive in a bad part of town...and it is perfect. The second pic is her at our last Samhain open ritual, a goddess incarnate, a priestess, witch, educator and friend to the otherwise friendless. Wow.

[Elspode]

When Selene and I first met, I was a single father trying to steer a cognitively disabled 13 year old son back into a life that had been completely eviscerated by the frailties of his body and the departure of his mother from his daily life. The first pic is of my son Stephen, now 26, a young man lucky to be alive. A young man I'm lucky to have as a son. Sliding down beside him is my grandson, Joseph.

I never really wanted other kids, especially given the trauma that Stephen and I had undergone, but damn if I haven't been blessed by two more boys who have grown into fine young men as well. The second pic is of my stepson Colin, now 17, and his beautiful, intelligent, articulate and devoted girlfriend Kaylee...and my ever-present beautiful wife.

[Elspode]

The middle child in all of this is Clifton, my 21 year old stepson. Socially semi-inept, nonstop talker, anime and hentai fiend, despiser of the outdoors...and mature and hardworking enough to have gathered together a group of his friends to live with him in our old house, paying rent and keeping us out of having to sell it for a major financial loss...all while being the sweetest kid you'd ever hope to meet. And his girlfriend beside him...

More amazing yet is the fact that I am part of a vital and spiritual community of Pagans who support each other, share the same sorts of events and interpersonal rituals that more mainstream Americans share. The second pic is the Wiccaning (think of it as a Pagan christening) of the grandaughter of Joni and Michael, a child born of a drug using mother; a child almost certain to have cognitive disabilities and physical handicaps as she ages. They adopted her...at nearly 60 years of age, this couple adopted their granddaughter so that their son, who was unaware that he had procreated until the child was born and the mother called him from the hospital, could continue his own growth and life progress. How special is *that*?

Oh...and see the tiny redheaded lass to the left, the lady with the Yorkies? She is a very good friend indeed. :-)

[Ibby]

Oh my is SHE a cutie - your boy is real lucky!

Sorry to interrupt your great thread to admire hot women but i've learned from the best - you!

[Elspode]

I have several more pics and words to share, but the hour grows late and family Xmas beckons come the morrow. Bear with me, share with me...and thanks for being here, one and all.

[bigw00dy]

This is wonderful....! Keep going.

[TheMercenary]

Elsopde, thanks for sharing such an intimate part of your life with us all. You have done very well for yourself and are a lucky man.

[Griff]

Beautiful life brother.

[TheMercenary]

.

[Razzmatazz13]

Lovely spode! More I say!

(when you've got the time o'course )

[xoxoxoBruce]

Couldn't happen to nicer people.

[classicman]

I am again in awe of all that is you - what a wonderful and amazing family and life you have. - blessings to all of you.

[kerosene]

Thank you, Elspode. This thread is inspiring. Please post more pictures.

[Elspode]

I have a lot of awesome friends and associates in the local Pagan community. The first pic is my friend JC, my successor as President of Heartland Spiritual Alliance, and just a really great guy, drunk or sober. This pic was taken of him while he was preparing to do a sabre battle at Renfaire this past Fall. He'd make a great pirate if we lived anywhere near a large body of water, and he could go home to his wife and kids each night after a hard day of raiding.

The second pic is Russ. Russ and his mother own the longest running, most ridiculously successful Pagan/New Age store in Kansas City, in business for nearly 20 years now, while many others have risen and fallen. Russ is a consummate jeweler, a rake nonpareil, and just a generally good person to know. It is his place of business where I do the bulk of my sound gigs. My musical relationship with him goes back to 1991, when my longtime partner Lane and I, along with another Pagan talent, did the first real serious public performance I ever was involved with in his old location's performance space. Russ and his mother Barbara have provided our community with a nexus of sorts for nearly two decades now. HSA, the organization which puts on our local Pagan fest, meets there once a month. If you go there and spend more than five minutes, you'll see at least three people you know, and they don't even work there. Oh...and Russ has a totally hot girlfriend who is about 15 years his junior, a local newsgirl who has perhaps the finest pair of real boobs ever displayed at our festival.

This pic is from the Witches Ball this year...Russ was Pan. He made his entire costume, including the hooves.

[Elspode]

I'm not very creative, so my own costume was primarily made of really inconvenient makeup. As usual, my wife was the main attraction, as evidenced by picture #1.

A week later, we had our own Samhain party here at our house. Firepit burning out back, and a whole lot of generally sexual drunken energy flowing all night long. See pic #2 for proof. See the Betty Paige clone Selene is mackin' on? She used to be my office assistant. Remember, the theme of this thread is "I have an insanely good life..." See the little redheaded girl to the right of the Selene/Paige cluster? She's a *very* good friend indeed.